Genelyn Sequio

Overcoming Anxiety Amidst Pandemic Mayhem By: Genelyn D. Sequio Over a year ago, the world was undermined insidiously by a coronavirus disease that took its toll on everyone’s livelihood, standard of living, health, education, work and worst, it has taken lives of people in a large scale. It is by far the most insurmountable horror of the modern times that hit and affright the whole world in contagion. To contain the spread of the virus when it took its entrance in the country, community quarantine and lockdown were imposed by the government. Establishments and industries stopped operating, schools closed and people were confined in their respective houses, haunted by the fears that the virus can randomly penetrate to whoever is vulnerable. It triggers paranoia, anxiety and depression alike and left us uncertain with its adverse effects. Each country sheds off not only hundreds but thousands of fatalities and cases. Nowhere is the safest place. The virus doesn’t only creep through the tiniest of nooks and chinks but also haunts our thoughts and emotions. Apprehending Anxiety Three years before the pandemic, I had witnessed a road accident that changed the way I perceived about life. Hence, the episodes of anxiety, panic attacks, hyperventilation and insomnia. It greatly aggravated my psycho-physiological constructs that includes the doldrums on work and dysfunctional relationship. I sought medical, emotional and spiritual help that somehow relieved the feeling of discomfort over time. Lockdown Anxiety When the novel coronavirus put the whole country under lockdown, it recounted visions of upheaval and crucial state of affairs. People began losing their lives abruptly in a large number. Doctors struggled to save the lives of those who were infected and even put themselves at risk of infection too. Hence, lockdown was imposed to contain the spread, consequently cancelling the flight of my mother and brother two days short. My husband was also stranded in Manila. I was left with my Aunt who is a senior citizen and who at that time also showed symptoms of anxiety. So, I hopelessly spent each day updating with the number of cases and deaths caused by COVID 19 and simultaneously educated myself with the preventive measures and safety protocols. By doing so however, my anxiety recurred. Coping with Anxiety With the thoughts of death due to pandemic dominating my mind, I disconnected myself from information related to the disease and diverted my attention to things that would pacify its debilitating effect. Instead of taking a scroll to social media, I watched movies at Netflix with romantic comedy contents to eventually nix the negativities brought by the pandemic. I never allowed the contingencies to subvert the focus of my consciousness and receptivity. Anxiety, nonetheless is the alter ego of COVID 19 that retaliates when the number of deaths spikes and interrupts with the daily routine. It obscures your mind with painful thoughts that you can’t control and cause you to feel worried and afraid. Episodes of sleepless nights ensued impacting my whole-being. It prevented me to do things I usually enjoy. I felt overwhelmed with apprehensions of death, worry and fear, nevertheless putting me into a passive state. It got worse day after day, leaving me with no choice but to fight it back. In a fortunate manner, my family, however never failed to communicate with me and regularly checked my condition. I became hopeful with their power of encouragement and prayers, inciting me to uplift myself and defy the mentally distressing concern. It was a difficult process to deal with but in the verge of life and death, with Covid 19 in our midst, life must go on against any presentiment. Inasmuch as I remain steadfast with my faith, I sought my refuge with God for He is my fortress and through Him, I found solace and consolation. I began to regain my strength and change my lifestyle, ultimately reconnecting to some activities I lost touch with. After all, I found the great comeback within myself, harnessing my innate potential to give the favor back to God and glorify Him for healing and saving me. Defeating Anxiety When I felt that I got myself back, I started to collect the time I lost from prognosticating. I picked up my acrylic paints, paintbrush and palette, placing colors in different hues, lightness and saturation. Momentarily, the canvas was filled with a landscape in a kaleidoscope of changing colors and so was my life. Invincible, I kept up with the next activity after the other, putting my baking skills into a lucrative opportunity. I joined some free baking seminars online to enhance my skills, thereat venturing on selling my products through online platforms and eventually gaining some customers. Nevertheless, it was not a downhill slope. Occasionally, I was still sleep-deprived of completing the task overnight but it was a rewarding and resounding sweet revenge, taking no place of pessimism at all. Marked by a stalwart body, mind and spirit, with everything that I had accomplished throughout the day, I always end it with singing songs of praises and worship to our Almighty for sending His holy spirit to refresh me and renew my faith along the whole process of healing. Anxiety is never a climactic humorous element of any sort. Combatting it, takes you first in a grueling pandemonium. It is you against yourself or you against the world and the horror that you created on your own. What you have after all is a chimera in your brain allowing maggots to infest your cognizance. If you just submerge yourself and be a prey upon it, then it will devour you gradually until unknowingly you would succumb your life without thinking. What we should do above all is to learn how to accept the circumstances but must handle the matter under control and think that solutions to our problems are just within our reach. Anyhow, despite the pandemic, the world is still a promising place to live in while life ahead of us is as fulfilling. Through fervent prayers and unwavering faith, anxiety would be just a little pickle.