How to Deal With Coronavirus Anxiety
If the COVID-19 outbreak has forced you to check the news a little more often or ask yourself if it’s time to stock up on food or medicine, cancel a trip, or get ready to work from home, then you’re not alone.
But there is a difference between preparing for the coronavirus and letting thoughts of coronavirus take over your brain. The former can be productive; the latter is rare.
I reached out to Dr. John Reeves , a clinical psychologist practicing in Seattle, Washington, one of the first cities in the United States to survive a true coronavirus outbreak, to find out how he could advise people suffering from coronavirus. Reeves suggested starting by asking if you are worried about profit or loss.
“A relatively easy way to distinguish a concern about profitability from anxiety about a disadvantage is if you can come up with specific actions that could alleviate your fears,” Reeves explained. “Worrying about how the virus came about and how you dealt with it from the start won’t give you many practical steps to protect yourself now. Your concern that someone is carrying the disease can be turned into specific steps: washing your hands, limiting how much you touch your face, etc. It’s important to note that thinking about specific steps to deal with your anxiety is a way to turn unprofitable anxiety into worry, which is good enough. useful.”
Yes, you read that right: there is such a thing as beneficial anxiety. Good anxiety can lead you to take positive, life-enhancing actions, such as learning how to wash your hands in a way recommended by the CDC.
On the other hand, bad anxiety can lead to unproductive anxiety and thought patterns. If you find that you cannot think of anything other than the coronavirus, Reeves advises you to break the spiral by literally describing what you think and feel. “The next time your thoughts are spiraling, try this: state your thoughts to yourself by saying,” I had a thought that … “or” I had a feeling … “
As Reeves points out, when you switch from “ I’m afraid” to “ I ‘m afraid,” an important psychological shift occurs. First, Reeves told me, you’re locked in feeling. In the second, you define your emotions and can ponder them. You can do something about it. “
And by doing something with your emotions, whether it’s closing the Twitter feed you’re reading, or telling yourself you’re going to sing the Pizza Bagel jingle twice in a row the next time you wash your hands, you’re also doing something. about your concern.
This means that when you’re done, you can do something else.