Practical tools for staying grounded when you feel fear and anxiety

The presence of COVID-19 in our world has many of us are worried about our own safety and the safety of our loved ones. For essential workers and people who are returning to their places of employment as lockdown conditions ease, these fears may become overwhelming. Educational psychologist Zaakirah Mohamed says each and every one of us feels fear, stress and anxiety at the moment and these feelings, or any forms of mental illness we may have, are not a failure on our behalf. We must reach out for help. She also shares several practical tools through which we can help ourselves to cope, from mindfulness and breathing exercises, the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory exercise, focusing on what we can control, avoiding the news and social media first thing in the morning and last thing at night before bed and more great tips and tools to support our mental health.