Coping with Cornoavirus Anxiety

Worrying about all the news on the new coronavirus and the illness it causes? Well, that makes good sense. If you often struggle with anxiety, worries about your health, or obsessive thoughts and actions, you might need additional assistance, so we are here to help.
​Keep these thoughts in mind. You’re fully prepared to help yourself. You can take steps to calm and steady yourself. Remember what works for you — because as fellow humans we’re not so dissimilar, but we do tend to have our own preferences and best practices.
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Many people infected by the coronavirus develop symptoms like a fever and dry cough during the incubation period. However, some people may not seem symptomatic. The virus can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Viral droplets that travel several feet through the air may be breathed in or — much more likely — may land on surfaces that other people touch, such as a door handle or elevator button.


We do have to be careful and cautious. But once we adopt key precautionary measures, we can take a deep breath and do our best to calm ourselves. It’s not necessary or helpful to be on high alert all the time. This will wear you down emotionally and physically. So try to adjust your level of alertness to your immediate surroundings. Then once you come home, wash your hands really well and find ways to relax and feel safe. Safety is a basic need for all of us.

While no one source of information is perfect, some are undeniably better than others! Here are some examples:

• rely on experts who use well-accepted scientific analyses and publish their results in reputable medical journals
• have a mission to inform and protect the public, such as the CDC and the WHO, which recently added a myth busters page to its information on the virus
• are not promoting or selling a product related to the information provided.

• Medline Plus, from the US National Library of Medicine

When in doubt, isolate yourself and contact your doctor if you have symptoms of an infection, such as: fever, cough, or shortness of breath.  

We’re all on this journey together. News about the virus will likely grow worse, then grow better. Listen to public health experts who can help us navigate the path ahead. Take sensible steps that can help us all: get your bearings, practice good hygiene, use calming strategies that work for you — and maybe try something new. Making healthy, reasonable choices about what to do and what not to do will make a big difference in being able to stay as safe and as well as possible.

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