G U I D E S U R V I V A L H E L P Y O U R S E L F

YOUR SELFHELP

SURVIVALGUIDE

CORONA-ANXIETY

Dr Jenn CooperChartered Counselling Psychologist

brought to you by

Copyright: Dr Jenn Cooper, Renfrewshire Psychology (March 2020)

It is strange, uncertain and worrying times, and whatever youare feeling in relation to it is valid and ok.

This self help guide has been designed to give you practicaland immediately implementable strategies to help manageany anxiety or distress that Covid-19 is causing. However,

these tools can also be utilised in any other anxiety provokingscenarios.

I do hope that this resource will be of value and bring you a

sense of calm and control in a world where we seem to have solittle control.

Please feel free to share this FREE resource FAR and WIDE so

that those who need to see it, will see it.

About the Author:Dr Jenn Cooper is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist with

over 10 years experience. Dr Jenn Cooper is a lecturer andStage Co-ordinator with the D.Psych Counselling Psychology

Programme at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Dr Jenn Cooper also runs two successful private practicebusinesses where she delivers psychological therapy and

coaching to those struggling with mental health difficulties

If you have found this helpful and would like furtherinformation Dr Jenn Cooper can be contacted:

[email protected]

www.renfrewshirepsychology.co.ukjenn@renfrewshirepsychology

ORwww.mummymatters.co.uk

[email protected]

YOUR SELF HELPSURVIVAL GUIDE

CORONA-ANXIETY


ANALYSE THE EVIDENCE

Look for the evidence for and against thethought. Imagine you are in a court of law,would your evidence for the thought standup in court? Can you challenge the evidenceyou identify as ‘for’ the thought?

PROBLEM SOLVE

Now that you've identified the worry andhave analysed the evidence, break down theproblem. What will give you the mostdifficulties? What might help? Who mighthelp? What do you need to solve theproblem?

MANAGE YOURWORRY

CORONA-ANXIETY

SLEEP

Set a bedtime and stick to it.Create an environment that is good foryour sleep - cool, dark, free of stimulationWind down - establish a chilled bedtimeroutine.Avoid caffeine, nicotine and exercise tooclose to bedtimeWrite down your bedtime routine andwork BACKWARDS!

Good sleep hygiene is essential for us all, allof the time. When we are well rested, we arehappier, more rational and more in controlindividuals. Worry can be a real hurdle forthis so try out some of these strategies forimproving your sleep:

WRITE IT DOWN

Worry can grow arms and legs when left tobounce around in our brains. Write yourworries down to create a bit of space andobjectivity.


WHAT'S THE EVIDENCE

For The Worry

WHATS THE PROBLEM?

The Problem: The Parts:

Solve it

YOUR WORRYACTION PLAN

CORONA-ANXIETY

SLEEP

Bedtime: Bedtime Routine:

MY WORRIES ARE

AgainstThe Worry


CHOOSE A TIME

As well as choosing the correct sources, tryto avoid bombarding yourself withinformation. Remain up to date andinformed but be in control of what you see.Choose a specific time that you are going tocheck (the correct) sources

INFORMATIONMANAGEMENT

CORONA-ANXIETY

INFORMATIONMANAGEMENT PLAN

Sources: At (Time) For (length) Make a commitment and stick to it!

CHOOSE YOUR SOURCES

It is so important, especially right now, thatwe are choosing our information sourceswisely. Make sure that you are using reliable,research based and objective sources suchas: WHO; NHS; Gov.uk ; Health ProtectionScotland

LIMIT YOURSELF

Set yourself a time limit for checking yourchosen sources to stop yourself getting lostdown the rabbit hole and becomingoverwhelmed

Copyright: Dr Jenn Cooper , Renfrewshire Psychology (March 2020)

ASSERT YOURSELF

If a conversation is making you feel worse oranxious or uncomfortable, generate astatement you can use to stop theconversation e.g. “I’m sorry but I wouldprefer to not talk about this as it makes mefeel very anxious”; distract the conversationor walk away if you need to

COMMUNICATIONCORONA-ANXIETY

TALK IT THROUGH

It is important that you have people whoyou trust and can talk through some of yourworries and concerns with. Be that a goodfriend, your partner, mum, a professional; orhelpline identifying the people who you cantalk to will make it easier to approach themwhen you feel the need to.

DOES THIS MAKE MEANXIOUS?

We can't get away from talking about it, butthat doesn't mean we need to be talkingabout it with everyone. Check in withyourself about whether certainconversations with certain people make youfeel better or worse

SOCIAL MEDIA

Control what you see on your feed.Unfollow anyone who makes you feel worseor more anxious. Identify the accounts thatmake you feel better, bring joy, distractionor reassurance. Remember you are in chargeof what you see!


ASSERT YOURSELF

Assertive Statement: Distraction Topics:

COMMUNICATIONPLAN

CORONA-ANXIETY

MY GO TO PEOPLE

The Samaritans – 116 123 Mind - 0300 123 3393

RATE YOURCONVERSATIONS

Better

Ok

Worse

Conversations about ______________with _____________________ make me feel:

MY GO TO ACCOUNTS


PERSPECTIVE

Gaining some perspective on these thinkingtraps can be a really helpful tool, not only tosee the ‘whole picture’ but also to shift thiscycle.

PERSPECTIVECORONA-ANXIETY

NEGATIVE THINKING

Catastrophising – everything is going tobe terrible forever· All or nothing – everything is perfect oreverything is terrible· Bias – there is only terrible thingshappening

Undoubtedly, you will be having numerousthoughts about what is going on, and veryfew of these will be positive. When we getbogged down in the negative thoughts,however we get caught in some commonthinking traps:

SHIFT IT

Asking yourself and others what the bestpart of the day was?What one good thing happened today?What 3 things have you got to feelgrateful for today?What went well today? What has improved today?What was the funniest part of the day? What did you enjoy today?


ONE GOOD THING

SHIFT YOURPERSPECTIVE

CORONA-ANXIETY

THE BEST PART

GRATITUDE ATTITUDE


LONELINESS

It will be lonely, but we've never faced thiskind of challenge at a better time with theage of technology. Use Skype, FaceTime, Social MediaGet creative...meet your friends for a virtualcoffee - make the time as you would in 'reallife'

ISOLATIONCORONA-ANXIETY

MOVE

Get out in the garden for some fresh airUse online exercise videos e.g the bodycoachPlay physical games with the kidsDance around the living room

PIT FALLS

Lack of routineBad habits (eating, sleeping, moving)LonelinessBoredomRelationships

ROUTINE

As much as possible, maintain a 'normal'routine. Get up, get dressed, eat regularly,set goals for the day, create a schedule

BOREDOM

Use this time as an opportunity to get stuffdone that you've been putting off. Learnsomething new. Get the house sorted. Catchup on Netflix

Copyright: Dr Jenn Cooper, Renfrewshire Psychology, (March 2020)

COMBAT LONELINESS

Coffee Date with: Schedule Calls with: Social Media groups:

ISOLATIONSURVIVAL PLAN

CORONA-ANXIETY

MOVEMENT PLAN

MY POTENTIAL PIT FALLS

DAILY ROUTINE

OVERCOME BOREDOM

My Goals for Isolation are:


BOUNDARIES

Set clear boundaries, both for yourself andfor each other. Make these really explicit,write them down, and consider how youmight all enforce these. Create seperate places to work. Set limits onwork/interuptions etc.

RELATIONSHIPSCORONA-ANXIETY

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Work with your partner to allow each othertime to yourself. Take turns with the kidsand let the other have some alone time. Orsplit the kids up and take them off to dodifferent activities.

THE CHALLENGE

We are not designed to spend significantamounts of time with the same people...it isgoing to get difficult in family isolations. It isimportant to acknowledge this and identifythe possible problems before they occur

ANTICIPATE CONFLICT

You are going to argue. It is inevitable. Butbefore it happens, sit down together andthink how you might manage it. Use a phraseor code word to indicate your need for spaceor that conflict in brewing. Agree together onstrategies to manage conflict before ithappens

FAMILY MEETING

Sit down togther and identify the possiblechallenges you all might expereince in theisolation. Write it down as a family andproblem solve as a family!


BOUNDARIES

MAINTAININGRELATIONSHIPS

CORONA-ANXIETY

DIVIDE AND CONQUERAGREEMENT

FAMILY CHALLENGE

What do you all anticipate as challenges?

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Warning Phrase: Strategies to manage arguments:

FAMILY PLAN FORCHALLENGES


OCCUPY THEM

Let the kids identify a list of activities thatthey want to do. This gives them a sense ofcontrol, but also means they are more likelyto stay engaged in the activity. I can't recommend the Five Minute Mumbook or instagram account more for keepingthe kids entertained.

KEEPING THE KIDSHAPPY

CORONA-ANXIETY

GET THEM INVOLVED

Let them help you tidy, declutter, redecorate,sort out toys etc. Ask them what they think could be donearound the house to make things betterAsk them how they would like to use theirtime, and don't forget to check in with themto see how they are doing

TALK TO THEM

All of the changes will be affecting yourchildren, even if they seem ok. Children arelike sponges who absorb everything. Youmight think you are protecting them by nottelling them what's happening; but in actualfact, they will just fill in the blanks with theirimagination which might be worse! Also, see this time as an opportunity toconnect with them in a way you cant whenat work!

SCREEN TIME

Don't fret too much about screen time.Instead, just schedule it and break it up alittle with other activities they have chosento do.

ROUTINE

Children thrive on routine, so as much aspossible establish a good routine in thehouse, even if self isolating.


OCCUPY THEM

KEEPING THE KIDSHAPPY

CORONA-ANXIETY

TASKS TO DO TOGETHER

TALK TO THEM

Topics to discuss:

SCREEN TIME SCHEDULE

ROUTINE


YOUR SELF HELPSURVIVAL GUIDE

CORONA-ANXIETY

I hope this self help guide has been helpful. Please feel free to share this FREE resource FAR andWIDE so that those who need to see this, will see it.

Permission is granted for sharing and distribution of

this resource, however please do credit Dr JennCooper, Chartered Counselling Psychologist

If your organisation would like to use this resource,please feel free, however, I would appreciate if you

could inform me of this by emailing me your companyname at [email protected] so that I can track its

use.

If you do feel that you are struggling with the impact

of this, I will be offering online guided workshops andone to one sessions to work through a more detailed

action plan for managing Corona-Anxiety.

You can also follow me on instagram where I sharedaily tips and advice

@mummy_matters__ @renfrewshirepsychology

Copyright Dr Jenn Cooper , Renfrewshire Psychology, (March 2020)

Dr Jenn CooperChartered Counselling Psychologist

G U I D E S U R V I V A L H E L P Y O U R S E L F

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