20_04_17_EDU_water

Uncertainty, lack of information, irrational social behaviors triggered by the coronavirus pandemic may promote emotional distress and generate anxiety. The School of Education and Psychology of the University of Navarra has created a guide which describes some keys and practical exercises to overcome the psychological discomfort that the current status can cause in some people.

The ultimate goal is to provide basic information, based on real experiences, and to provide people with resources they can use at home. "It aims to shed some light for those who have been plunged into darkness, for those who still see the glass as half empty and for those who are reluctant to continue seeing it as half full," says psychologist and professor Luis Ángel Díaz.

The guide is presented as a practical material for workers and students, families and people living alone, as well as at-risk populations. It is cautioned that it in no way replaces the work of a psychologist in therapy. With the degree scroll, How to face the crisis with normality. Practical keys to your psychological wellbeing in times of Covid19includes two parts: on the one hand, it analyzes how to achieve self-knowledge step by step; and, on the other hand, it focuses on how to overcome anxiety, one of the most common symptoms generated by the pandemic.

Main symptoms and how to deal with them

As the expert explains, anxiety can manifest itself in different ways: with excessive worry; anxious ideas (negative thoughts about the future); anxious behaviors (constantly checking the news about Covid19, excessive use of social networks, sleep disturbance...) and physical sensations of distress (pressure in the chest, altered heart rate, difficulty going to the bathroom, bruxism).

The guide explains to the reader a series of muscle relaxation and breathing techniques that help to overcome this status. "This subject of exercises, are the most effective to recover a state of normalcy in the shortest possible time. By using these techniques we decrease the levels of tension, which leads to a feeling of comfort, peace and mental balance; reducing the levels of anxiety", it is indicated.

Likewise, reference letter is made to control irrational thoughts "arising from worry, the core of anxiety"; and techniques are offered to reverse this subject of thoughts.

You can access this guide, free of charge, through the following link.