The world is a scary place amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, causing anxiety for many.

Jam Gelua is among those people, but managing her anxiety is not new for the 29-year-old software developer. Gelua has struggled with anxiety for as long as she can remember. She considered seeing a professional in her teen years, but found the process of seeking help too intimidating. It wasn’t until a little more than three years ago, when she found herself isolating physically from her friends and family, that she realized her mental health was getting worse and she reached out.

Gelua was diagnosed with complex post traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and major depression. Her psychiatrist suggested cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which focuses on changing negative thoughts and learning specific coping strategies, to manage her anxiety.

Friends tend to offer Gelua a lot of emotional support, so while she tries to practice strict physical distancing because of COVID-19, she is also trying to be as social as possible with her close community.

“It’s not as satisfying,” she said.

Gelua knows many people are experiencing new found anxiety during the coronavirus pandemic and now, more than ever, she said, people should be reaching out for support in any way they can.

Here, she shares some advice for coping.

When did the coronavirus pandemic enter your conscience as a possible anxiety trigger?

When it started going on the news that people should be doing social distancing and staying at home, I work from home so in my free time I feel like I’m a pretty extroverted person despite being anxious. I like to go out and I like to hang out with my friends and have them over or whatever. It was making me really anxious to feel and think that I couldn’t have that social aspect, where I don’t feel so alone. I can only imagine people who are introverted that normally deal with this stuff but now they don’t have an option, they have to stay home.

What works for you in terms of easing anxiety?

Lately I’ve been playing a lot of relaxing video games that you can do multi-player with or I can play with my friends online. I’ve done a lot of Skype calls with my friends so we can all just hangout in our own homes and feel social. I’m having phone calls with my therapist, we still do (cognitive behavioural therapy) sessions over the phone. That’s really helped a lot. I find that I have to create a routine so that I can feel some sort of structure towards my day so I’m not just getting up and turning on my computer and working. I have to get up, get coffee, maybe do some yoga with my partner, something.

How do your coping strategies differ now compared to before the coronavirus pandemic?

The things that I’ve noticed that are very different, I used to try to go out for a walk to feel better, going to a coffee shop if I’m feeling anxious. I found that going outside and running an errand and being outside helped me with my anxiety because it allowed me to look around and not be in my own head. Being stuck at home, you are alone with your thoughts a lot more often than you normally would be.

What does cognitive behavioural therapy mean to you?

Cognitive behavioural therapy involves, for me, reshaping the way that my mind reacts to certain situations so anything that was a stressor for me before or currently, CBT really helps you break down your emotions and your thought process in whatever situation that you’re facing. It helps you put into words or put it in front of you like, ‘Oh, that’s what I’m feeling.’ It helps you cope.

How would you apply CBT to the situation you find yourself in right now?

Because everybody is at home and we’re all just sort of dealing with our own stuff, there’s a lot of emotions. Talking to a lot of my friends, we all sort of describe it in the same way where we’re all just going through a rollercoaster of emotions every day. We feel anxious, worried, sad, grateful but we also feel guilty. CBT and thinking about my situation with the things that I’ve learned through CBT, it helps me not feel so confused or anxious about not being able to put it into words or communicating it with other people.

Are there any practices that help you communicate?

One of the things that I found that really helps me is grounding. You focus on one particular part of your body, you’re really conscious of what your breathing is like, how your feet feel on the floor, maybe the things around that you’re smelling or how your clothes feel on you, just being really present, basically, and being aware of that helps take you out of whatever downward spiral you might be experiencing.

What would you suggest for people who don’t know where to turn if they’re struggling with anxiety during this pandemic?

One thing that has really helped me was to gather your friends in an online setting, whether it be Skype or FaceTime. We did this thing called pod mapping where you figure out the people who are directly in your vicinity and you get to offer either financial help, help with dropping off supplies to somebody who can’t go outside, that kind of thing. We all just sort of organized a safety net for one another in whatever way we needed to so if somebody says, ‘Oh, I’m having a really, really hard day today,’ then one of us can jump on a call with them and talk things out. I guess relying on each other is the most important thing right now for me.

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What would you say to someone who doesn’t always struggle with anxiety but is experiencing it now and feeling out of their depth?

Even if you don’t deal with this regularly, the anxiety you feel is totally valid. You’re not the only one who is feeling unsure and scared and worried about the future and what’s going on. Just take comfort in the fact that I hope this thing isn’t going to be forever. It’s really cliche to say but this too shall pass, right?

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.