How to deal with Coronavirus Anxiety once we Don’t Know what is going to Happen Next

How to deal with Coronavirus Anxiety once we Don’t Know what is going to Happen Next

All the uncertainty about COVID-19 robs you of control—and that's terrifying.

The COVID-19 pandemic has filled life with tons of unknowns. Will we get sick? Will a loved one or friend find yourself hospitalized? Will we lose our jobs? Will we'd like to cancel our wedding? How long will the virus be at the forefront of our everyday lives?

All these what-ifs piling on top of 1 another are a recipe for panic. this is often because we can’t control what we don’t know, Karla Ivankovich, PhD, a clinical counselor privately practice and adjunct professor of Counseling Psychology at North Park University in Chicago, tells Health. “ The fear of the unknown becomes terrifying because regardless of what percentage ways we attempt to perceive an outcome, we understand there could also be numerous more scenarios that we couldn’t even consider,” she explains.

Fight-or-flight response kicks in once we start to fear, which may be a “natural mechanism to guard ourselves,” says Ivankovich. “But when the circumstances remain unknown, we stay during a heightened state of awareness, which wreaks havoc on the mind and body. This causes us immense stress, which results in panic, turning to anxiety. The unknown steals the one thing that provides us comfort in scary times, and that’s control.”


Jud Brewer, MD, PhD, a neuroscientist, addiction psychiatrist, and an professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown University School of Public Health in Rhode Island, says “powerlessness” can cause a few of various responses. One may be a “defeatist” attitude. “You might think, Why should I devote energy to this? I don’t have control over my very own life,” he tells Health. That mentality can spiral into anxiety or depression.

But a sense of powerlessness may additionally tell your brain to kick things into gear and “do something to regain control,” says Dr. Brewer. “It won't be obvious what to try to to , but it doesn’t stop us from trying something. What does one do at a time like this? Just do something. That gets into the loops of the brain, that doing something is best than doing nothing. But no, it could actually make it worse.”

Panic is motivated by such thinking, and it's exacerbated by social contagion. When most are rushing to grocery stores to shop for up all the supplies, and revered newspapers are crammed with constant negative headlines, you panic. And it's called “blind panic” for a reason, he says; you’re not really thinking things through. “Toilet paper became the meme, because it’s ridiculous,” says Dr. Brewer. “It doesn’t add up . There’s not a shortage of loo paper.” Basically, you don’t see clearly in the least when you’re worrying.


Ken Yeager, an professor within the department of psychiatry and behavioral health at Ohio State University Wexner center , says COVID-19 is additionally a trigger for people that have already got anxiety. When trying to find concrete answers amid uncertainty, everything may be a trigger point.

“People who are susceptible to anxiety have that reinforced by even the littlest things,” Yeager tells Health. “If you’re susceptible to anxiety and you think that you’re getting to get sick, a sneeze or a sniffle can feed into that anxiety. If you're fearful you’re losing your job and you hear about someone from Poughkeepsie who cannot get employment , you are worried which will happen to you.”

That said, nobody is immune from anxiety immediately . Yeager notes the definition of clinical anxiety is “excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days than not” for a minimum of six months. “Probably most folks fit that criteria immediately ,” he says.


It’s important to recollect that you simply can’t control what you don’t know, and worrying isn’t an efficient remedy for fear. “We need to sit back and learn to be with the uncertainty instead of attempt to do something to form it get away ,” says Dr. Brewer. Think selling off stock, or constantly checking your fever. “[Whatever we do] is extremely unlikely to form it better.”

Here are some ideas for dealing with the unknown and feeling better about it.

Slow down your thoughts by organizing them

Anxiety accelerates your thoughts, which can cause you to form rash decisions or take quick actions. Worrying isn't the solution when such a lot is uncertain, though. “Worry makes it harder for us to think, and that we got to be ready to plan and think the simplest we will ,” says Dr. Brewer. “Things are changing very rapidly immediately .”

The key's to force your body and mind into slowdown, says Yeager. “First off, you've got to inform yourself to breathe; take deep breaths,” he says. “Slow your thoughts down. Maybe the fast thanks to do this is simply to urge out a word document or a notebook. Start writing to-do lists. Nothing controls anxiety better than putting a checkmark on a to-do list.”

This does two things, says Yeager: it compels you to specialise in something concrete and creates a way of control over something you really can control, whether that’s a walk outside or an assignment at work. “You want to specialise in one thing at a time instead of 15 things at a time, and check out to form it happen during a way that creates logical sense,” he says.

If it helps, says Ivankovich, you'll think through several likely scenarios for your coming year. “While we can’t steel oneself against the unknown, we will consider how we might respond in several situations, and take steps to place those measures in place—to the simplest of our abilities,” she says. “We cannot run from things at hand.” Note what you'll do now, then resolve to abandoning of anything that's not something you'll influence .

Reach bent others for gut checks

Ivankovich says to think about contacting a therapist if you're struggling. “Many therapists are offering short-term assistance for free of charge ,” she says. you'll connect with counselors digitally. There also are text-based tools and apps for therapy available, which many are utilizing amid the COVID-19 crisis.

You can also use trusted friends as gut-checks against your wildest anxieties about the longer term . Talk with a lover or your partner about your fears. “Get a reality check about the way you’re thinking,” says Yeager. “Say, ‘Am I off base? Am I completely out of my mind? is that this the proper quite thinking to have?’ the solution doesn’t mean you’re wrong, per se, but this person could also be ready to offer a special way of watching things.”

Yeager says we all have uncertainty immediately . “Part of dealing with uncertainty is being willing to manage it with lists and processes and other people ,” he says, noting it's kind of like chess. you'll only plan a couple of moves ahead, because tons can change. we've to be willing to regulate what we will , and adapt once we got to .

Stop checking the news such a lot

Constantly tuning into the 24/7 news cycle means you never know what you’re getting to get. “The brain treats the news sort of a casino,” says Dr. Brewer. “With slot machines, you don’t know once you are getting to win. If you continue every five minutes, you don’t know when you’re getting to get subsequent big story and obtain this dopamine hit.” He says it's “the same intermittent reinforcement schedule” which will be addictive. Check the news only twice or 3 times each day , so you’re getting updates that are similar in scale whenever .

If the negative headlines are still causing anxiety, shut off those live updates. “If you would like to urge news or accurate information, the simplest thanks to learn what to specialise in is to urge accurate info,” he advises. Dr. Brewer suggests the planet Health Organization (WHO) or Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), because “they aren't getting to put anything up that isn’t rock solid,” he says, whereas other news outlets have evolving story updates. this will cause an anxious mind to only keep going.

Engage in mindfulness and deep breathing

Yeager says to “ground yourself within the familiar.” once you are anxious, it helps to travel to an area you recognize and love. Maybe you relax during a comfy chair ahead of a window, do some cooking in your kitchen, or snuggle into a comfortable reading nook. A hot bath or shower also can help slow you down. “I don’t care if it’s the center of the day,” says Yeager. “If you’re anxious and it slows you down, do it.”

Mindfulness practices also can help, says Ivankovich. “Take the time to explore ways to destress that employment for you,” she says. “Practice gratitude; write in your journal. Walk, exercise the maximum amount as you'll .”

Sleep should be prioritized immediately , albeit you would possibly be faraway your regular schedule. “At least one hour before bed, turn all of your screens off,” says Yeager. “Start slowing your day down. Ten minutes before preparing for bed, find a dimly lit room and specialise in your breathing. Slow your breaths to the purpose where you're most comfortable with it, as slowly as you'll catch on , and do that for 10 minutes.”

After you are doing that, continue together with your nighttime routine, get into bed and “start slowing your breathing down” once more , says Yeager. “You will nod off quicker and stay asleep longer if you begin slowing down well before bed.” Deep breaths allow more oxygen to fill your lungs, and that specialize in them can assist you abandoning of more stressful thoughts.

The information during this story is accurate as of press time. However, because the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it's possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to stay our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to remain informed on news and proposals for his or her own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.