It's scary, in no uncertain terms.
Reading the newspapers and listening to the news we are always overwhelmed by the headlines
more alarming. We see the number of infected people rapidly increasing
and that of the deceased, we experience dizziness and sometimes even a sense of
unreality, because it is difficult to get used to the idea of what is happening. The
our conversations increasingly revolve around the coronavirus. Social
networks are flooded with messages that speak of nothing else. And so, immersed in
this unprecedented and uncertain scenario, it is not strange that coronavirus anxiety arises.
“Epidemics can create a Hobbesian nightmare: the
war of all against all. The rapid spread of a new disease
epidemic and deadly, it can quickly generate fear, panic, suspicion and stigma ", Philip Strong wrote. This is why it is so important to
each person control their own anxiety, a favor we do to ourselves
and to others.
It's normal to feel anxious, but don't get caught up in it
panic
First, it is
It is important to be aware that it is normal to feel fear and anxiety in situations
of this type. When situations can pose a risk to the
our life or that of the people we love, anxiety is unleashed.
A study
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that we react more
intensely - due to the increased activation of the amygdala - when the
situations to which we are exposed are unknown or new compared to when they are
family members. That's why a new virus like COVID-19 generates so much fear and
anxiety.
We do not have to
blame us for those emotions. It's a gut reaction, and feeling bad
it will only make our mood worse. But we must make sure that fear
does not turn into anguish and anxiety into panic. We can't afford to
being overwhelmed by these emotions and letting a true e occur
its seizure
emotional; that is, that our rational mind "disconnects".
Losing control e
succumbing to collective panic could lead to dangerous behavior for
us and those around us. Panicking can lead us to hire
selfish attitudes, to activate a kind of "save whoever can", which is
just what we should avoid in dealing with pandemics of this type. How
Juan Rulfo wrote: “We save ourselves
together or we sink apart ". The decision is ours.
From shock to adaptation: the stages of anxiety in
epidemic
Psychologists have
studied the stages we normally go through during an epidemic. The first
phase is generally that of suspected.
It is characterized by the fear of contracting the disease or that other people
infect us. It is at this stage that more phobic accidents occur,
rejection and segregation of the groups that we consider possible carriers of the
disease.
But soon
let's move on to a phase of more widespread fear
and generalized. We begin to think about the ways of contagion, so let's not fear
more just contact with people, but that the virus can also be transmitted through
air or by touching any object or surface. We begin to think about living
in a potentially infectious environment. And this generates tremendous anxiety that
it can make us lose control.
At that point it is normal
that we develop a hyper vigilant attitude. We can obsess over the idea
to get sick and pay attention to the slightest symptom that makes us suspect
to have been infected. We also adopt an attitude of mistrust in
environments in which we normally move, so we take precautions that
may later turn out to be excessive, inadequate or premature, such as
storm the supermarkets.
During these phases
we operate in "shock mode".
But once the new situation is accepted, we enter a phase of adaptation. At this stage we already have
assumed much of what is happening and we recover rationality, in
so that we can plan what to do. It is in the adaptation phase in
which i usually appear behavior
prosocialwhen we strive to help the most vulnerable.
We all cross
these stages. The difference is in the time it takes. There are those who succeed
to overcome the initial shock in minutes or hours and there are those who the
they drag on for days or weeks. A study carried out by Carleton University during the epidemic
of H1N1, revealed that people who had difficulty tolerating uncertainty
they experienced increased anxiety during the pandemic and had less
likelihood of believing that they can do something to protect themselves.
The key to fighting
coronavirus anxiety lies in accelerating this process and entering the
adaptation phase as soon as possible because only then can we face
effectively the crisis. IS "the only one
way to do this is to drive that adaptive reaction rather than
destroy it, as many officials and journalists often do ",
according to Peter Sandman.
The 5 steps to relieve coronavirus anxiety
1. Legitimize fear
The reassuring messages
- as "do not be afraid" -
they are ineffective and can even be harmful or counterproductive. This
kind of messages generate a strong cognitive dissonance between what we are
seeing and living and the order to ward off fear. Our brains don't
so easily fooled and autonomously decides to keep the state
internal alarm.
In fact, in the first
phases of the epidemic, hiding reality, masking it or minimizing it is
extremely negative because it prevents people from preparing
psychologically to what is to come, when they still have time to do it. Instead,
it is better to say: “I understand that you are afraid. IS
normal. We all have it. We will overcome it together. " We must remember
that fear does not hide, it faces itself.
2. Avoid alarmist disinformation
When we hear of
being in danger, it is normal for us to look for all possible clues in the
our environment to assess whether the level of risk has increased or decreased.
But it is important to intelligently choose which information sources
we consult, so that they do not feed excessive anxiety.
This is a good time
to stop watching sensational programs or reading information about
dubious origin that only generate more fear and anxiety, like many of the messages
shared in WhatsApp. There is no need to obsessively search for information
minute by minute. You need to keep informed, but with data and sources
reliable. And always counter all information. Don't trust the former
which one reads.
3. Distract yourself to chase away the dark clouds of pessimism
Life goes on, too
if within the four walls of the house. To fight the effects
psychological secondary to quarantine anxiety and coronavirus anxiety,
it is important to be distracted. This is an opportunity to do those things that
we always postpone due to lack of time. Read a good book, listen
music, spending time with family, indulging in a hobby… It is
to distract the mind from the coronavirus obsession.
Follow a routine, for
as much as possible, it will also help us feel that we have a certain degree of
control. Habits bring order to our world and transmit it to us
feeling of tranquility. If your daily routines have been interrupted
from quarantine, establish some new enjoyable routines that they do to you
feel good.
4. Stop the catastrophic thoughts
Imagine the worst
possible scenarios and thinking that the Apocalypse is around the corner does not help
relieve coronavirus anxiety. Fighting against these catastrophic thoughts
not even to forcefully expel them from our mind, because it generates a
rebound effect.
The key is to apply theacceptance
radical. This means that at some point, we have to let everything go
flow. Once all possible precautions have been taken, we must trust the
course of life, aware that we have done everything in our power.
If we don't hold back those negative thoughts and emotions, they will eventually go away
how they got there. In these cases, adopting a conscious attitude will be
very helpful.
5. Focus on what we can do for others
Much of the anxiety from
coronavirus is due to the fact that we feel we have lost control. While it is
It is true that there are many factors that we cannot influence, others depend on
we. Therefore, we can ask ourselves what we can do and how we can be
useful.
Helping vulnerable people
offering our support, even from a distance, can give this situation that
we are experiencing a meaning that goes beyond ourselves and that helps us to
manage fear and anxiety better.
And most importantly, not
we forget that “A situation
exceptionally difficult external gives man the opportunity to grow
spiritually beyond himself ", according to Viktor Frankl. We can not
choose the circumstances that we have to live, but we can choose how
react and what attitude to maintain. The way we deal with them, how
individuals and as a society, it can make us stronger in the future.
Sources:
Taha,
S. et. Al. (2013) Intolerance of uncertainty, appraisals, coping, and anxiety:
the case of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Br J Health Psychol;
19 (3) 592-605.
Balderston,
NL et. Al. (2013) The Effect of Threat on Novelty Evoked Amygdala Responses. Plos One.
Taylor, MR et. Al. (2008)
Factors influencing psychological distress during a disease epidemic: Data from
Australia's first outbreak of equine influenza. BMC Public
Health; 8:
347.
Strong, P. (1990) Epidemic
psychology: a model. Sociology of
Health & Illness;
12 (3) 249-259.
Admission Coronavirus anxiety: how to stop the spiral of panic? was published first in Corner of Psychology.
