Staying Apart, Together: How not to be in a constant state of anxiety
Editor's Note: This is a preview of USA TODAY's newsletter Staying Apart, Together, a guide to help us all cope with a world changed by coronavirus. If you would like it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Saturdays, subscribe here.
I am a little stressed.
Remember that whole house buying thing? Well, I'm supposed to close on Thursday, and while I wait for all the i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed, it's hard not to panic that every little hiccup will make the whole Jenga tower of a real estate deal collapse.
Even if you're not buying a house this week, I imagine anxiety levels are high all around the country. We're one week from Election Day (if you need voting help, check out our resources), the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is upon us and it's all just a lot, even though we've been dealing with stress for seven months.
Over the past few days, I have been making a concerted effort to work on mindfulness, get out of the house and do things I enjoy. In particular, I use the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique when my mind is spinning and my heart is racing: Acknowledge five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. Say them out loud. By the end of the exercise, I am usually calmed down. It doesn't fix all my problems (or the world's), but it does make me level-headed enough to keep going in the moment.
Today's tips for dealing with the Halloween blues
Halloween is Saturday, if you can believe it.
We've been talking about safe and alternate ways to celebrate the spooky holiday for what seems like years (it's really been a few weeks), and now that the day is upon us, some parents might be nervous that kids will still end up disappointed.
If you're unsure how to talk to your kids about Halloween, I spoke to Dr. Janine Domingues, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute's Anxiety Disorders Center for some advice.
What do you say to a child who maybe thought trick-or-treating would happen this year, but inevitably it’s just not safe?
Janine Domingues: Like many conversations that parents have had to have with their children this year due to changes brought by the pandemic, being open, honest, and straightforward about the social expectations for this Halloween will be helpful. ... Once you’ve listened and validated how they are feeling, together you can seek solutions on how to still make Halloween fun this year.
Do you have different advice for different age groups?
Domingues: School age children are concrete thinkers and therefore initial reactions may be that Halloween is “ruined” if there is no trick-or-treating. It may be helpful to highlight those shades of gray; that while Halloween doesn’t feel the same this year there can still be aspects that we will do that are related to Halloween.
For tweens and teens, this conversation may be less about trick-or-treating but more about missing out on Halloween parties and gatherings. Therefore, as a parent you may be reiterating the importance of social distancing and mask wearing and you may be coming to a mutual agreement on finding a safe way for your tween or teen to see a friend.
Missing traditional Halloween celebrations is the first of many things that will be different about the holiday season. How do we prepare kids without taking all the joy out of the season?
Domingues: I think parents can utilize Halloween as a way of setting the tone for the holiday season. ... I would advise parents to have a plan of what the holidays may look like to eliminate ambiguity and set expectations for the holiday season. While this season will have its differences, it’s also an opportunity to focus on the essence of the holiday season, one about togetherness (even through social distancing), family, helping one another, and faith that we will get through this.
Thank you Dr. Domingues! And a Happy almost Halloween to you all!
Today's space news
Technically this news broke yesterday, but I love space and I will latch onto any good news during this tumultuous year.
NASA announced Monday that water has been discovered on the sunlit surface of the moon, an important revelation that indicates water may be distributed across the lunar surface – and not just limited to its cold, shadowed places such as the poles.
This is good news for astronauts at future lunar bases who could tap into these resources for drinking and rocket fuel production.
“We had indications that H2O – the familiar water we know – might be present on the sunlit side of the moon,” Paul Hertz, director of the astrophysics division in the science mission directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, said in a statement. “Now we know it is there. This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration.”
A future on the moon? That feels better than Earth right now, if I'm 100% honest. Read our whole story here.
Today's reads
Looking for a book that will help you get through our unprecedented times? Oprah has a few suggestions.
Wondering about whether you should invest or save an emergency fund during the pandemic? Our financial experts have thoughts.
Looking for a Halloween activity for the weekend? Our film critic Brian Truitt has ranked every single horror movie that debuted in 2020, and you might find one on the list to scare you.
My favorite new TV of the week? Comedian Sarah Cooper's Netflix special. She just gets it.
So the designated hitter in baseball might be here to stay. I'm against it. What about you guys?
Today's pet
The pandemic cannot take away one of the biggest joys in life: Pets in Halloween costumes. Meet Rooney, who is definitely a bumblebee, not a dog.
"We won’t be doing any trick or treating this year, but here is last year’s picture," says Penny Thomas. This little bug got her name, Rooney, because, "she was very red as a small puppy, and we read that 'Rooney is the Celtic for 'redhead.'
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID coping: How not to be in a constant state of anxiety
