Practical Psychological Guidelines for Coping with Coronavirus Anxiety

Everyone's thinking about COVID-19, the coronavirus pandemic, and how to deal with the worry and fear that comes with it. It's in our nature to overestimate the hazards we face and underestimate our own abilities to handle them when confronted with the unfamiliar or unforeseen. Excessive stress and health anxiety might lead to significant panic in these times for those with pre-existing anxiety issues. You may not be aware of it, but you already have the coping mechanisms in place and may even have activated your psychological resources to deal with this threat. There are a few things you may do to strengthen your psychological defenses now that your circumstances are shifting.

Make Anxiety And Fear Commonplace. They're Good for You!

Emotions are often categorized as "good" or "bad" by those who experience them. Love and enthusiasm are both positive emotions; but anxiety and rage are negative emotions.

The problem with this approach is that it will just make our feelings more acute because we are assessing our own internal sensations. When it comes to our emotions, it's better to think of them as either pleasant or unpleasant, and then categorize them accordingly.

What's wrong with looking at emotions in a different light? Threats, significance, importance, dislike, and other vital information can all be gleaned from our emotions.

As a result of our anxiety, we are alerted to the fact that we are experiencing a danger or threat that is either physically or emotionally based (e.g. bodily injury, death). As a result, feeling nervous for the safety of oneself and others we care about is quite acceptable at this point in time.

Put yourself in 'action-mode,' and then use the tactics listed below to strengthen your psychological resistance. Recognize and accept your own worry. Attempting to avoid or suppress the sensation of anxiety will only make it worse. Imagining your worry as an image or even a figure can be helpful if you enjoy cartoons. Then tell your anxiety, "Thanks for reminding me that I am as important as my loved ones and that I need to be careful and prepared," as if it were a cartoon character. Imagine shaking hands or waving to an image or figure that represents your fear. You can get even more creative.

Keep abreast with current events, but refrain from obsessively scanning the media.

Keep up-to-date information is vital at this time. As a result, when we're nervous, it's usual for us to re-examine our surroundings to make sure everything is alright. Over-checking, it turns out, is a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it only serves to heighten our anxiety and undermines our self-esteem.

I know it's simple to say, but try to restrict how often you check the news to no more than twice a day. For news about the coronavirus, select a few trusted sources. WHO, CDC, and Health Canada are all good places to start your search for health-related information. To stay up to date on local events, it's a good idea to subscribe to at least one or two reputable local news sites.

So limit yourself to three to four sources and just check the news once or twice a day, if at all possible. Do not visit websites or blogs that discuss COVID-19 conspiracy ideas, as this material is useless and will just make you more nervous and disseminate erroneous information.

Hypervigilance can be induced by excessive media exposure.

As previously stated, avoid overexposure to media. The 'availability bias's states that we give more weight to information that is readily available. Watching the number of instances of COVID-19 climb every day may put you in a 'hypervigilant mode' in which your dread and anxiety build with time. It is crucial to keep the figures we see on a daily basis in perspective. There were 196,640 confirmed cases of coronavirus at Johns Hopkins Resource Centre at the time of this writing, although 80,840 of these cases had fully recovered.

Observe the "What Ifs"

What if... is a phrase that should be banished from our brains because of its potential for psychological harm. Using these words all the time might lead to an inability to deal with ambiguity, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and worry. If you find yourself obsessing over a non-productive or non-controllable issue related to COVID-19, try to "let-go" of it.

In order to create a psychological distance from the anxiety, many people find it helpful to visualize it as an object traveling away in time and space. Visualize the worry as a balloon soaring in the sky or as leaves rolling along a creek. Keeping a mental distance from the issue can ease anxiety, but it won't eliminate it. Repeating this method throughout the day is likely.

Prepare Yourself for Uncertainty

We may be apprehensive and unsure of our next steps due to the fact that we believe we have no control over the course of events around COVID-19. Learning to accept uncertainty, which many psychologists have proposed as a method to deal with the present pandemic, can take weeks or even months.

Having a plan in place is a better way to deal with unpredictability in the 'here-and-now.' Check on loved ones to see if they're okay. You should know how to self-isolate if you become infected with the virus, just in case. Make a short-term financial plan. Is it possible for you to get the money you need? How far away is the nearest clinic in the event that you need to be checked?

Once you've laid out your goals, stick to them. Think, "I'll cross that bridge, if I ever get there," and let go of any "what ifs" regarding your plans.

Keeping in Touch With Family and Friends is Easier than You Think.

Being human means being able to form relationships with others. Mentally resilient people are surrounded by a strong network of friends and family. Our brains communicate with one other, even if we don't realize it. The 'cuddle hormone,' which is released as a result of human social interaction, is sometimes referred to as oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone that makes us feel good when we're among people we care about, and it also aids in tissue healing. For example, it aids angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, following damage. The social distancing rules recommend that you keep in touch with loved ones via virtual means, especially those who may be alone.

Engage Your Children

Kids, even at an early age, can take in and retain a great deal of information. The coronavirus and its propagation are probably familiar to your children, even if they are young. Parenting can sometimes be dismissive (e.g., "Don't worry, everything will be great") or punitive, with the goal of making our children feel wonderful all the time.

Emotional coaching, on the other hand, is more effective. Do not be afraid to talk to your children about their anxieties. Give them some time to articulate their feelings if they are having trouble naming them, and then assist them if they are having difficulty doing so on their own. Then ask them to devise a plan of action to deal with the situation. Again, before you offer any suggestions, let them a few minutes to come up with solutions on their own. Here's some advice from the CDC on how to talk to your children.

Seek Professional Assistance if Necessary

Don't be afraid to seek help from a mental health professional if you believe you need it. Considering that COVID-19 has caused a lot of anxiety and panic in the general public, even a few sessions of therapy to address this anxiety or any other pre-existing problem could be helpful.

Even though we're trying to keep the virus from spreading, I've shifted my practice online and am still able to treat my clients.

Psychologists who specialize in anxiety should employ "Next-Generation" psychotherapy, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) or Acceptance & Commitment therapy, if you decide to seek help from a psychologist (ACT). Structure, focus on the present, and application characterize these methods.

You may be surprised by the next set of tactics. It's easy to underestimate our own resiliency in the face of hardship, as previously said. Although COVID-19 is causing a lot of damage, there is still hope that we may get over it. The genome of the coronavirus, for example, was sequenced in nine days and made available. It took just 20 days in China for 50 research articles to appear in the scientific literature. And renowned journals like the Lancet, Nature and the Journal of Medical Virology fast-tracked research manuscripts so they could be shared with the scientific community as quickly as possible.

Too frequently we may have a jaded perspective of the world and humanity and see a ‘survival of the fittest’ attitude as dominant. Although there are numerous instances of this being true, collaboration is a much ignored human attribute. We wouldn't have the present standard of living that we do if we didn't work together. So, here are a few strategies for seizing the moment's opportunities. We have the option to either move toward or away from something substantial in these trying times.

You may either live a life of complete paranoia, or you can choose to embrace life in a positive manner.

Even if the global pandemic is producing dread and uncertainty, we can overcome the challenge and embrace what we hold most dear in our lives. Here's a stunning example of what's going on in person in Italy. We would not be following this principle if we did not live our lives in a prosocial manner while yet maintaining the social distance principles.

Find a Way to Benefit from It

Take a step back and see if there are any chances even if these are challenging times for us all. Since we will be spending most of our time at home. As an example, spend extra time with loved ones, perform some cool arts and craft projects if you have children, clean or clear your home, or reorganize a room.

Be Conscious Of Your Thankfulness

Spend the day with your loved ones and express your thanks for everything you've been given. Seeing and spending time with family and friends was a high point. Listening to a song. Even the tiniest gestures of thanks, such as a smile or a hug, are priceless. There are countless little things throughout the day that bring us joy and serve as a constant reminder to be grateful. Give them a name and have fun with them. Daily gratitude journaling has been found in positive psychology research to boost overall happiness. Our family has a nightly practice of expressing thanks for our blessings.

Make a list of the things that are important to you and what you value.

Our innermost aspirations for who we want to be as individuals are rooted in what we value as pillars, or the basis, of our lives. There is a difference between a person's values and their ambitions. Objects that can be checked off a list. Our actions are guided by our values, which will never change. We can, for example, marry the person of our dreams. After the ceremony, the couple is legally married. However, I prefer to act with care, love, and support on a daily basis since these principles drive the qualities I wish to have as a spouse.

Here's a quick and easy technique to figure out what your core values are. Consider the following: 1) Who are the people who matter most to me, and what attributes do I want to cultivate in these connections? and 2) What's most essential to me in this situation?

You might also reflect on what is most important to you during these trying times by focusing on those things. Spending quality time with family and friends is one such example. Keeping in touch with those you care about. Reading a good book or listening to music is a great way to relax and unwind. Keeping in shape. Maintaining a sense of order in your personal life. Confident in one's own abilities. Self-care includes things like getting enough sleep and eating a nutritious diet. Make a list of the things that are most important to you.

Each value has a distinct set of behaviors that you engage in when you are practicing it. Living my value of leisure includes things like spending time with friends and reading books and listening to music.

Asking yourself, "Am I advancing towards me and my values right now, or am I moving away from myself and my values?" as often as you can throughout the day will help you develop this habit.

To help us "snap-out" of situations in which we are drifting away from our beliefs, we can ask this question.

Even if the pandemic is over, don't forget these insightful comments. They can serve as daily reminders to help you live a more fulfilling life.

I sincerely hope that these suggestions will be useful to you as you deal with the coronavirus pandemic and as you work to strengthen your mental fortitude. In order to assist your loved ones who may be experiencing worry or fear, please pass along these psychological principles to your family, friends, and acquaintances.