We're all Hearties here - most of us coping with the immense stress of having heart conditions and some of us coping with the enormous stress of watching a loved one go through having a heart condition. Every day, all day, 24/7/365.
You'd think we'd have 'handling stress' down to a science and every one of us could write a 'how-to' on getting successfully through the high level of stress being chronically unwell brings. I think most of us could write that how-to.
But. Coronavirus has lobbed a much higher level of stress on all of us, patients and loved ones and some of us aren't coping so well. Our anxiety levels are reaching stratospheric heights and the extra pressure on top of what we cope with daily is causing some of us to be less patient than usual.
Just for starters, we all need to remember to read comments at least twice before responding, always remembering to give the benefit of the doubt and seeing posts in context rather than knee-jerk reactions. Worry and deep concern is surely no justification for 'taking something the wrong way and lashing out in mistaken response'.
I know how I'm handling the extra stress - reorganising my cupboards through-out the house, lol, I've done it so much my husband is now insisting on a drawn map in hard copy so he can find things, and I'm forbidden to go anywhere near 'his' cupboards (can't blame him there!).
So, what's your recipe for handling the stress coronavirus is heaping on us?
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Sunnie2day
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So far - doing it badly. Worrying too much about people’s movements within the family, food running out, cleaning things and money running out. I used to swim a lot and realise now it’s possibly the one singular activity that stops my brain spinning. I suffer with a bit of anxiety anyway and I had 2 ways of coping. Exercise / sport was one. The other was to look back and asses outcomes of what I was worrying about 6 months ago. That normally works great. Now just realising how good I had it before this kicked off. If nothing else I will try and remember if we get through this episode.
Have you thought about keeping a coronavirus journal? Just a daily few notes in your diary to look back on once this nightmare recedes - and it will recede. Eventually
Something for your grands to read one day as they marvel at the strange time you lived through.
That’s a really good idea. I love writing - so would be good for me. Lots of views I can’t write on my social profiles (where I’m very quiet), because they don’t line up very well with those of my employers.
So far our local swimming pools have not been closed. My wife swims 80/100 lengths three times a week (very slowly) but she is not going this week ads without a car she does not want to risk the usual taxi.
For me it's talking to my loved ones. Making plans about the future with my partner whom I can't see for the next few months. Making dark jokes with the situation. Doing bad paintings in watercolours. Doing online courses. Playing video games from 20 years ago. Cooking. Planning my meals as normal and baking biscuits. Gentle exercise. Long showers and peel off masks. Scrubbing the home clean. Watching Oggy and the cockroaches 🙂
I'm just clearing out the kitchen cupboards, quite scary what I find lurking in the furthest corners 😱
I would be venturing into the lofts and filling a few skips if I had the energy and wasn't 5 weeks post pacemaker implant but I think that's maybe a step to far just yet 😞
Well sunnie, defrosted the freezer yesterday does that count? Did it before Christmas so wasn’t desperate but thought I would! Also did an on line shop delivery date 10 th April had an email from the supermarket saying book a delivery slot as early as possible! That didn’t lower stress levels that raised them! Spoke to my granddaughter FaceTime last night, she is one of the ones who won’t be taking her GCSES but had had email from her 6 th form college to say she as a place so stress level went down again! What a roller coaster but hi ho it’s how things are at the moment, my heart is certainly getting a workout!
Oh the oven loath that job, when my Dad was alive he would say it wasn’t a job for a woman! and until his death I never cleaned the inside he did it when he came round! Husband was in the Merchant Navy so he was never here so ended up having to do it! As I said not my favourite job.
We just brought home an 8 week old puppy. Our 2 older spoiled house dogs arent sure they approve, lol. So doing all the puppy stuff is keeping me busy and distracted. I tend to become glued to tv and the news so pup is my unofficial therapy dog, lol.
I saw the snap you posted on the AF forum - what an adorable wee man (who will soon be a gorgeous lad, good bones from what I could see. Signed, a former Boxer 'mum' of many). Super way to take your mind off all this, I wish I still had the energy to do it!
Plymouth Gin! Or if things are really bad a dash of Hendricks Gin over ice with a couple of slices of cucumber, providing of course I can get a cucumber.
I woke up having a panic attack last night, 😢 we are currently on lockdown as my daughter has a cough, husband has a cough and yesterday I started getting a tight chest and a mild cough.
I must have been having a dream and I woke up unable to breath and in tears, to the point I told my husband I thought this was it!! Dramatic I know but it was that bad I was convinced, he calmed me down hot me a hot drink and low and behold I'm still here this morning.. ❤️
I'm obviously not coping as well as I thought but I know that now and actually I think it was the wake up I needed to actually enjoy this time with my f as moly that we don't normally get.
Stay safe fellow heart warriors, we are all strong.. ❤️
Hi Sunnie2day. It is difficult isn't it and there will be as many answers as there are people.
For me, the "eating an elephant" syndrome applies - it all seems so vast, where do you start? The answer is one piece at a time. With all the non stop media coverage added in, it is very easy to be overwhelmed either consciously or sub-consciously.
Since my CAD diagnosis, I have started exercising and am finding this helps me manage my stress. I certainly never thought I would look forward to running but I do now! I wouldn't claim to be on top of managing my anxiety but am getting there as things fall into a clearer perspective with time.
The one thing that users of this forum have in common is that we are all affected to varying degrees, directly or indirectly, by concerns surrounding our heart health. What comes with that is confronting our own mortality - often for the first time. What also seems to come with that, speaking as a relatively new member of this forum, is very often a positive mindset that we will do all we can to live as long as we can and as well as we can.
As you say, the current virus has added another dimension to this thinking. But, I am sure we will all adapt to this in our own way and in our own time. My wife said this morning that she believes that this current pandemic will change the way we see and live our lives in the long term - particularly in respect of what we value and see as important in our lives. This hits the nail on the head for me and I think focusing on the small, often seemingly mundane, things is important at this time. It probably always was but, certainly in my case, it wasn't the way I perceived things.
I bought a print by Charlie Mackesy from his book "The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse." The wording of the print is "When the big things feel out of control . . . focus on what you love right under your nose."
Not coping too well to be honest. Hubby still doesn’t cope well with being in one place for long - his hospital spells two years ago really made him ‘stir crazy’ and he gets very down not being able to go visiting people. Now all of the cafes etc are shut that’s even worse as we would either lunch or ‘cuppa and a scone’ somewhere! He won’t just go out for a walk either - he will walk at a machinery show or to see something that interests him but won’t just go for a walk for the exercise!
I would manage ok but am very worried about Bob.
Dad is 95 too and has just emerged from hibernation this winter - he suffered this time and became very down - now all of his clubs etc have shut and the family can no longer visit. I pop in with shopping once a week but it’s not the same.
We have a 85yo friend who is the same as your Dad (emerging from winter hibernation). My husband is doing his click and collect shop, waving through the window and chatting via mobile if there were any substitutions. We're also telephoning daily and we remotely walked him through setting up Skype so he can meet up with his mates without being in the same room - I think he's started a chess game with someone on Skype now. He's also taking some online distance learning courses. It seems to be helping, when we talk to him he sounds a lot more cheery than he did two weeks ago.
Not much else we can do as he's in excellent health but wouldn't be at all if he were accidentally exposed to the virus.
I try to take each day as it comes things changed more after my ha but used to go out to let anxiety out but with the virus things have changed attitudes ways of living most days I look to see if any new treatment for the virus in a way the virus has made people value what we have and appreciate our families more and friends we are more lucky than others
I'm cleaning....again, always my go to stress relief! ! Any expert tips on how to make a marble heath, that has ingrained coal dust, nice and shiny again? All advice accepted, within reason!! 😂
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