The coronavirus’ ramifications on mental illness
I came across this meme last night and chuckled to myself as I read it. In a nutshell, there are many stressors in life or even just belief systems that infiltrate our minds causing knee jerk-like behaviors. Shelves of cleaning products are GONE. It’s as though during flu season someone forgot to mention that the need for cleanliness and well practiced public behavior just became a thing. Say for instance washing your hands. Be honest. Do you wash your hands when you use the restroom? (All, Most, Some, A little or None of the time) I have been in enough restrooms to know that unfortunately women are also members of the non-washing hand committee just like their male counterparts. So, cleanliness went through the window awhile ago. Today, worries, anxieties and fears of dying from the corona virus (COVID19) have brought the thoughts of doomsday to many.
Let’s explore these WAFs further. Worry is a feeling provoked by the thought that something eerie is going on and you may not have any facts that it is. Anxiety is when worries are repeated in your mind causing at times physiological responses to that worry (like racing thoughts, rapid heartbeat, pacing, sweaty palms or underarms and/or hyperventilating.) Anxiety is the feeling that something that can go wrong may go wrong but there are no guarantees that it will go down that path. Often times what makes people anxious is the excessive worry versus the actual fear the person may have. Finally, fear is fact-based and/or is a feeling of being timid and/or afraid of a particular person, animal, situation etc. . Using cornovirus as the example here, let’s breakdown these WAFs. Fear is that you or someone you love has contracted the corona virus and you are fearful that they may die. (Fact: person contracted the virus) Anxiety is that the earth as we know it is doomed by the corona virus and it’s just a matter of time that you contract the disease and die. Worry is the concern you have for yourself and/or other people and their families who may be exposed to corona virus and how it may affect them.
It may seem that these WAFs are just varying degrees of worry-ness. Be it as it may, the corona virus is here as is many other illnesses are. And the only way to avoid anxiety is to refrain from overuse of the news and social media.
Don’t miss this! here is what the CDC sites is useful in keeping yourself safe. Follow this link for steps to prevent illness, what to do if you become sick and much more information:
Tips on managing anxiety are as follows:
Read the information on symptoms and test your worries. Do not jump to conclusions.
Engage in safety precautions
Talk to a friend who can support you
Take a deep breath and engage in a relaxing activity
Do some jumping and pushups to help expel some of that won’t up energy.
Eat a hearty meal
Go to bed at a decent hour and engage in low energy activities to prepare your brain for bed. (Lower the backlight on your phone or turn off electronic devices 30-60 minutes before bed)
All these and other skills are useful to managing anxiety. If you need additional support, contact lpctservices.com for 1-1 life coaching or therapy.
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