Coronavirus Anxiety: How to Stay Well In A Culture of Fear

What could be more harmful than Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

People’s anxieties about COVID-19.

Fears about Coronavirus have led people to act in irrational and extremely destructive ways such as:

-hysteria over the stock market.

-mass purchasing face masks, leading areas that actually need them to have insufficient supply.

-racist and violent attacks against Asians across the globe, including the elderly.

Here are the facts:

• 48,110 people have recovered from COVID-19.

• The illness is typically mild, featuring a cough, fever, and shortness of breath.

• The mortality rate (2.5%) appears to be less compared to other Coronaviruses such as SARS (10%) and MERS (35%)

• Diseases can infect anyone, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

  With prejudice and discriminatory acts on the rise, doing what we can to remain calm in the midst of uncertainty is essential.

What does it look like to remain logical, aware, and vigilant when facing an epidemic?

And how do you maintain an appropriate amount of concern without getting consumed by fear?

A brief look into the science of fear and anxiety may prove helpful.

From a mental health perspective, fear and anxiety occur in a place in your brain called the amygdala. The amygdala is your body’s security system: when it senses a perceived threat, it sounds the alarm so that you can go into protective “fight or flight” mode. Stress hormones race through your body to put it on high alert- your heart beats fast, your breathing intensifies, and your eyes dilate to help you prepare for self-defense.

All this is great, but it comes at a cost. In order to focus on survival, the brain reduces activity in the frontal cortex (where executive functioning and logical reasoning takes place) so that it can focus energy on survival-oriented operations, like increasing circulation, respiration, and short bursts of movement (such as running away).

This means, when we feel fear and anxiety, it keeps us stuck in a headspace that isn’t oriented around logic, but around survival.

Media can often magnify feelings of fear and hysteria, and the coverage around COVID-19 is no exception. If the news, or social media, makes us feel scared, our amygdala automatically goes into survival mode. Hello fear and anxiety, and goodbye rational thought.

If you’re concerned about the virus, but don’t want to succumb to catastrophic fear and reactivity, here are a few things you can do to calm your anxious nervous system:

1. Maintain healthy boundaries when it comes to watching news about the virus. If you must watch, keep it short (less than 10 minutes a day). More than that isn’t really necessary because the situation isn’t changing THAT drastically from day to day. Stop scrolling article after article. Set limits with how much content you’re exposed to about the topic (perhaps limiting yourself to a few articles per week at most).

2. Be mindful about who you surround yourself with. If your Mom is phoning you 5 times a day to talk about the virus and it’s making you more and more scared, consider setting a boundary and limiting her calls. Anxiety itself has a tendency to be somewhat contagious, so limiting your exposure to people who may increase your anxiety is key.

3. Listen to balanced perspectives and data, not hysteria. Instead of just listening to the anxiety-fueled news coverage or your facebook feed, focus on the data and hard science. Listen to trained professionals - epidemiologists, medical doctors, and public health organizations such as the CDC. Consider the sources of your information and take a good pause with sources who are NOT experts in medicine and virology. This article “I have the Coronavirus. So far it hasn’t been that bad for me” is a helpful up-close look at the not-as-scary-as-you-might-imagine symptoms associated with the virus.

4. Focus on things you can control, including positive coping strategies. If you don’t wash hands typically before meals, perhaps start with integrating the habit. Make sure you follow proper hand washing guidelines because it make a difference. Engage in things that soothe your anxious nervous system: mindfulness, exercise, laughter, and getting enough sleep.

5. Ask questions. The amygdala always wants to predict the future and most often it does so in a negative way. Asking thoughtful questions can help intercept the fear response and replace it with curiosity. Some questions that might be helpful:

   -How does this virus compare to other diseases?

   -In what ways can I reduce my likelihood of infection?

   -What are medical authorities saying on the matter?

6. Help Others. Offering assistance and support to others can help override our anxious responses. Right now, many people and industries are suffering, perhaps tourism, hospitality, and Asian-owned small businesses the most. Do what you can to help support people and small businesses, even if it’s just asking them how they are doing and letting them know that you care and they matter.

7. Take a deep breath. Try repeating a reassuring phrase such as “It’s going to be ok.” Repeat as often as necessary.

Having to deal with a virus outbreak is not ideal, but having a healthy mindset can help you from losing your overall sense of wellbeing.

Keeping your mind free of destructive and unhealthy thoughts can prevent unwanted distress and help you to maintain a sense of calm; it’s like washing hands but for your brain.