8 Ways to Stay Productive and Sane Amid COVID-19 Anxiety

Anxiety and ADHD go hand in hand. In fact, current estimates suggest that between 40-60% of adults with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder. It makes sense really- if your brain is prone to missing, forgetting, and overstepping- anxiety provides an extra safety net. It makes sure the brain is constantly on alert, surveying the landscape for possible missteps and mistakes. It can also give an extra boost- pushing the brain to get a move on and providing some much-needed focus and clarity.

But right now? With this newest stage of COVID ramping up and every news station, alert, and email extolling the dangers of the delta variant, our anxiety isn't focused on the critical project that is due next week - it's focused, yet again, on disease, death and continued quarentines. That kind of anxiety isn't focus and clarity creating- it is distracting and paralyzing.

Managing your anxiety, therefore, may be even more essential to your productivity these days than managing your ADHD symptoms.

Here are 8 things you can do to reduce your stress and get back to work today:

Emphasize your Self-Care

This is first because it’s, by far and away, the most essential thing you can do for yourself, your anxiety, and your productivity. 7-8 hours of sleep (actual sleep- not just time spent in bed), daily exercise (yes, every single day) and delicious, nourishing meals and snacks are all absolutely essential and non-negotiable at this time.

Anxiety flourishes when we are not taking care of ourselves, and productivity takes a nosedive. Resist the urge to relinquish your self-care in an effort to give yourself more time to be productive. You don't need more time- you need more brainpower, and your brain is powered by sleep, food, exercise, and relaxation.

*The impact of good self-care on productivity, by the numbers.*

Silo Your Stress

Worry becomes anxiety when it stops being related to something specific and starts roaming around your brain, looking for more things to fuel it. That anxiety then grows in darkness, getting stronger with each question mark and uncertainty we encounter. And often, that’s precisely what we give it.

We start to feel anxious, we hate the feeling. So we try to avoid it by distracting ourselves, which then causes us to continue to worry because we haven't come up with a plan or introduced any logic to the worry- it’s all just fear and dread. This wrecks havoc on our productivity as the stress distracts us from the task at hand.

Separate the anxiety by setting aside time to address it. Keep a notepad beside your computer and write down the worry thoughts as they pop into your head. Then take some time, preferably with a calm, non-judgmental, caring friend or therapist, to discuss the worries. This time, though, really get into them- explore not just the worst-case scenario but also what you would do in that situation and what resources you have to get through it. By addressing the fear head-on, in a safe space, you assure your brain that it will be addressed so that it doesn’t need to keep circling it throughout the day and you can get back to work.

8 ways to stay productive despite COVID19 ANXIETY.jpg — Consider Taking a News Fast

Anxiety thinks that more information will make it feel better. It tells you that you need to know everything to stay safe. But, let's be honest, you know how to keep yourself safe now- we’ve been doing this for a while now. The rest of the news only serves to heighten the panic and fuel the fear and eats into your time and kills your ability to stay on task.
Try taking a 2-3 day break from all news. Feel free to appoint a non-anxious friend or family member to alert you if there is something you NEED to know and then allow your mind to rest. See how it feels and what impact the lack of news has on you, your anxiety, and your productivity. If it feels like it helps, add on a few days- if not, you can always reintroduce it.
Maintain Your Routines
The routines that you’ve managed to create help bring peace and order to your life. They minimize the extra executive functioning in your day and they ease your mental load. So keep them up. They also allow your system to feel a sense of calm and order in this seemingly disordered world.
Don’t have a routine you can count on yet? Now’s as good a time as ever. Start small. Often starting with a morning or evening routine is a great place to being.
Embrace Gratitude
There is a lot you can't control right now, and we’ve all lost a lot in the last couple of years. But there’s also been some good. Find that good, revel in it, embrace it and call it up regularly throughout the day.
The good is what will inspire you to keep going and will encourage your brain to stay on task. What moment of joy did you have today? What made you smile? What beauty still exists in your life? What acts of generosity/ kindness/ love have you seen in the world in response to this crisis and the others that have occurred alongside it? These are the things you want to consciously bring your mind back to.
Get Outside
30 minutes of time in green space has been proven to improve focus and concentration. It also goes a long way to reduce stress and anxiety. And at a time like this, nature can be especially soothing- revel in the hope and beauty of each green leaf, every daffodil, and each bird song. Get out of the house, clear your head, and get your brain in a different space.

Do Less. Prioritize more.

You may have less time than you did long ago. You may just have less energy. Either way, you are not likely to get as much done during this time. That can be okay- it can even be beneficial- if you prioritize.

I know- prioritization is not the strong suit of the ADHD brain. But it’s possible, particularly if you front-load it at a time when you have the most energy- make a list of everything that you think you should, could, and want to do.

Now ask yourself- what on that list NEEDS to get done. What on that list will fulfill your most sought-after long-term goal (not your 10 different fantasies but the one, most important, most sought-after goal)? These are the things to focus on. The other things? That’s filler that you can get to when things settle down. Go easy on yourself now - you will work better and more effectively if you pare it down to the essentials.

Get Connected

Our physiological systems are heavily influenced by the signals we receive from the people around us. So when we’re alone, filling our time with stressful news articles, it can feel like an echo chamber of anxiety, making it harder and harder to focus on the task at hand. Calling a friend or family member or joining our FREE ADHD Facebook support group, opens that system up to different energy. It allows you to focus on something and someone else for a while, and it reminds you that no matter how many rounds to this pandemic we have to go through, you’re not alone.

As we enter this next round of the pandemic and rules and masks go back on. Be kind to yourself, take care of yourself, silence the negativity, and embrace what is good. You’re worth it, and your brain deserves every advantage you can give it right now.

What are you doing to manage your anxiety and improve your productivity as the pandemic flames are fanned yet again?

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