20 Mar The Health Anxiety generated by the Coronavirus is generating panic, realistic coping measures
By Reproclinic Editorial Committee
Does your fear, worry or anxiety cause you discomfort and is it difficult to control?
When threats are uncertain, such as the current coronavirus situation, our minds can act irrationally and enter anxiety levels that paralyze us or cause us to avoid situations.
We don’t have to ignore the situation, but neither do we have to exaggerate it and underestimate our ability to cope.
Too much anxiety creates emotional contagion and spreads panic. This is not useful neither for us nor for our environment.
It is important to be informed and to look for updates but checking several times a day the news and social networks, can keep us in a state of increasing anxiety that will not bring us any benefit, on the contrary.
Official and reliable sources are:
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
- https://www.coronavirus.gov/
- https://www.nih.gov/health-information/coronavirus
- https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen
Official updates are published twice a day, and it is not advisable to check more than once in the morning after the health minister’s press conference and at night before going to bed, in case there were any updates.
In social networks, you will find many fake news that will only feed feelings of panic, focus on the Health Ministry’s website, which is the only body that provides real information, distrust all methods that circulate through the networks to know whether or not you have the disease, or how to cure it; prevention measures are clear and well explained on the website of the Ministry!!
Don’t be embarrassed to take reasonable precautions. For example, follow safety tips such as washing your hands frequently; stay home, get enough sleep and take good care of your immune system with a good healthy diet.
Consider what helps you the most in these cases and as long as you don’t have any symptoms: eat a healthy diet, don’t smoke, talk to friends, and if at any time you feel that your fear or anxiety is getting the better of you, consult a psychologist for reasonable management strategies.
Stay away from the constant news, you know what you have to do. Good hygiene and good habits. Be prudent but not exaggerated.
A strong hug and lots of encouragement,
The team of psychologists from the ITAE center.
We also provide you with the publication of the official association of psychologists of Catalonia regarding the psychological management of the Coronavirus.
In view of the health alert generated by the arrival in our country of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the Official College of Psychology of Catalonia has made available to the public a series of recommendations on the psychological management of this circumstance with the aim of preventing fear from becoming a viral phenomenon that interferes with the already quite complex health situation.
Fear is a basic emotion and therefore a normal and healthy reaction to unknown, threatening and potentially dangerous situations such as the one we are experiencing. It is an adaptive response that helps us stay alert and take the necessary steps to minimize risk.
However, fear can sometimes become something that blocks us and prevents us from managing threats effectively. Fear, although it is not a virus, is easily transmitted between people and groups. In order to prevent fear from becoming a problem, the following advice should be taken into account:
- Be well informed.
- Use official or proven information channels.
- Be careful with social networks, contrast the information that is shared.
- Avoid over-information, being permanently connected will not make you better informed and, on the contrary, will increase your sense of risk unnecessarily.
- Inform others well:
- Avoid spreading rumours and false information.
- Avoid talking about it all the time.
- Share even relevant information and try not to do it in the heat of the moment.
- Take care of yourself, protect yourself:
- Follow the recommendations and preventive measures determined by the health authorities. Trust the science and experience of our health system.
- Do not take more precautions than necessary. It will not make you safer from infection, but it will feed your fear and that of those around you, especially the youngest.
- When in doubt about contagion, follow the instructions of the health authorities. Do not make superfluous medical consultations, thus avoiding contributing to a collapse of the assistance devices.
If, in spite of all this, you feel that fear and anxiety are taking over your day-to-day life, a psychologist from our team specializing in health anxiety can help you manage your thoughts and emotions so that you can regain a sense of control.
