Coping with stress during the COVID-19 outbreak

A virus is spreading in the community. You've been told to avoid others. You're staying home, but you feel lonely, stressed and anxious. Let's look at some simple ways to manage self-isolation.

It's normal to feel stress from time to time. But if the stress lasts a long time and doesn't go away, you may need to take take steps to manage it in order to stay healthy. Coping with stress starts with identifying what triggers your stress and then figuring out a positive outlet for those stressful feelings.

Stress can have long-lasting effects on your life and health, but you can use healthy lifestyle changes and relaxation tools to help you cope with stressors. Things like exercise, a healthy diet, mediation and positive self-talk can all help relieve the mental and physical symptoms of stress.

If chronic, ongoing stress is a part of your life, it's important to make healthy lifestyle changes that can help ease your symptoms. Exercise, eating a healthy diet, and cutting back on alcohol and caffeine will not only improve your general health but will also ease the physical and mental symptoms linked to stress.

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