As the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, spreads around the world, people’s anxiety about the epidemic is increasing day by day. A little bit of anxiety is a useful emotional response if it forces people to take precautions against contracting or spreading the new coronavirus. But in most people, the anxiety of the coronavirus has increased too much, and some have reached the level of panic.
Anxiety Triggered When Threat Nears
In the first days of 2020, when the new coronavirus tied it to threatening people’s health and life in China, many of us had no worries and concerns about catching the virus, as the threat was far from us. When the virus spread to other countries and came to neighboring countries, the threat began to enter our awareness more and more. Finally, with the detection of the first case carrying the new coronavirus in our country, the threat of increased measures against the epidemic brought the threat closer. The fact that the threat came under our noses triggered anxiety, fear, and even panic reactions towards it.
Uncertainty, Unpredictability of Threats, and Helplessness Source of Anxiety
The risk of contracting the coronavirus ourselves or our loved ones, and the uncertainty about the consequences if caught, causes anxiety. While this uncertainty generally arises from questions of who is most at risk of infection, serious illness or death, from whom the virus can be transmitted, what preventive steps should be taken, and what extent the epidemic will reach in the coming days, it is more individualized .It is also fed by questions about how the epidemic will affect our plans, work, home order, daily life, and our children. In people with low tolerance for uncertainty, not being able to predict where, when and how the coronavirus threat will come plays a role that increases anxiety. On the other hand, the feeling of not being able to control the effects of the coronavirus increases anxiety by feeding desperation. In summary, the inability to predict and control the threat fuels our coronavirus anxiety.
Coping with Coronavirus Anxiety
The need to fight this epidemic for a while requires learning to live with the anxiety of coronavirus. Being able to live with anxiety brings with it the ability to deal with it effectively. It is of great importance to be able to predict the times when we are safe, not the threat, and to reduce our helplessness by showing self-protective behaviors in order to manage anxiety effectively. In this direction, it is essential to apply the 14 rules determined by the Ministry of Health in the fight against the new coronavirus . Apart from these , seeking excessive information to cope with anxiety (e.g., watching coronavirus news for hours, getting information from all reliable-unreliable sources on social media, being exposed to false information circulating in whatsapp groups), trying to provide unnecessary hygiene.Behaviors such as (e.g. washing your hands for a long time when thinking about the virus, disinfecting things repeatedly), listening to your body constantly , measuring your temperature , stocking up at home , and taking non-recommended measures (e.g. wearing a mask on the street) reduce anxiety in the short term, but nourish it in the long term. increasing behaviors.
In the light of the information we have gained from the research of psychology, we can suggest 9 effective methods to deal with anxiety:
- Accept uncertainty and anxiety. Living with uncertainty is difficult, but not impossible. Worrying about the coronavirus is a natural and universal response. An ideal level of anxiety keeps us alive. Very low or excessively increased anxiety makes it impossible for us to protect ourselves. Don’t give up. Don’t panic either. Use your anxiety to take the recommended action .
- When you feel anxiety , don’t try to eliminate it. When you feel anxiety, pay attention to it by breathing regularly. When you don’t avoid anxiety, your tolerance for it will increase.
- Get accurate information from reliable sources. False information, which is not clear from where it comes from, causes anxiety to increase uncontrollably. Only follow reliable sources.
- Do not expose yourself to the news of the epidemic for too long. Getting too much information also feeds anxiety. It will be sufficient to read and watch the developments on this subject for half an hour once or twice a day.
- Take a realistic look at the numbers for the coronavirus. Excessive anxiety causes us to overestimate the probability of a potentially negative event and jump to the conclusion that it is unmanageable. Don’t just look at the number of people who died. Keep in mind that more than half of people who contract the virus recover, with only ten to fifteen percent causing serious health problems.
- Look at your body. The balance of the body affects the emotional balance. Eat regularly and well. sleep. Move, exercise. This also positively affects your immune system.
- Try to maintain your daily routine as much as possible. If your routine is interrupted, create a new routine.
- Keep in touch with your loved ones and your social circle. Even if you do not get together, use communication channels effectively. Don’t scare each other by sharing false information about the epidemic, talk about your usual topics to support each other.
- Keep your hope. Hold on to life by keeping in mind the long-term goals you have set for your life.
Applying these methods will prevent the fear of coronavirus from becoming a problem. Please consult a mental health professional if you are unable to cope with anxiety on your own and anxiety becomes adversely affecting your life.
