Anxiety in the Wake of a Pandemic
Dr. Priya Pandit, PsyD – Sacred Heart University Counseling Center

 

“No good sittin' and worryin' abou' it. What’s coming will come and we’ll meet it when it does.”—Rubeus Hagird

In these uncertain times, our anxiety is likely high. We have access to a 24/7 news cycle, bombarding us with ever changing information about the novel coronavirus than we can keep up with. You may have heard many individuals comparing this virus to the flu in recent weeks, yet you probably do not consider the flu with the same level of fear or panic. Why is that?

Beyond the scientific differences between the two diseases, the flu is a known entity. We are familiar with it, we have studied it, we may have personally experienced it, we have treatment for it. What makes coronavirus so alarming is the fear of the unknown. This is a new disease, we don’t fully understand it, we have never suffered through this, and therefore we don’t know what is coming next. So, how do we address our fears?

What Is In My Control?
It is easy for our fear to get the best of us and our mind to wander to a multitude of worries, but let me ask you, how is that helping you? It is likely, its not. In that case, re-focus your mind on what is in your control. Are you using your time well? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you practicing good health and hygiene?

It can be helpful to remember the Serenity Prayer in times like these. You may consider using it as a daily mantra:

Take Media Breaks
Do you need to follow every tweet, press conference, or update? Consider if it helping or hindering you? If you, like many, are finding the onslaught of news overwhelming, consider taking a break from the media. Perhaps schedule brief periods of time to get caught up daily, muting news organizations or asking family/friends to respect your boundaries outside of those times.

Focus on the Here and Now
Mindfulness is the practice of expanding one’s sense of self-awareness. It is defined as “a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment.” Specific practices that promote mindfulness include, but are not limited to: guided imagery, yoga, and tai-chi.

Meditation is the practice of directing one’s attention to a single point of reference. It may involve focusing on one’s breath, on bodily sensations, or on a word or phrase known as a mantra. All in all, meditation involves one turning their attention away from distracting thoughts and focusing their attention on the present moment.

Research on mindfulness and meditation has outlined the following benefits:

• Reduce how much time you spend worrying or experiencing anxiety
• Reduce overall stress
• Improve one’s working memory
• Improve your ability to focus on a specific experience or task and improve concentration
• Improve ability to manage emotions in a healthy way, rather than disengage or react to emotional     
  experiences negatively
• Help our brains create new and more adaptive neural pathways, resulting in less rigid, more creative and     
  flexible thinking
• Can help people respond to relationship stress in better ways, resulting in improved communication and the ability to reflect on positive aspects of relationships, which lead to greater feelings of satisfaction within
  relationships

Positive Reframe
While this situation is less than ideal, it can be helpful to apply a positive outlook. This time home may provide opportunities for you to take up a new hobby or try something you’ve always wanted to try. Is there a book you’ve wanted to read? Is there a new dish you’ve always wanted to try? Is there some art you have always wanted to make? Take advantage of this extra time to create something and be productive.