Anxiety During the Coronavirus: Part 7, New Trigger, Same Anxiety

Photo by Mickey O'neil on Unsplash

This is a terrific guest blog by Kathryn Stinson, LPC who specializes in unconventional lives. Check out her website by clicking here: KathrynStinson.com

This pandemic situation we are facing may be new, but the anxieties it triggers are not. 

 I’ve been struck by this over and over for the last two weeks, talking with friends and family. We are not all worried about exactly the same things. For some people, fear of getting sick or dying is the worst part. For some, it’s the thought of losing someone we love or depend on. Some fear the financial fallout. Some fear weeks of  isolation more than anything else. 

None of these worries is unfamiliar. 

Anxiety can be triggered by any stressful situation, and for the most part, it is remarkably predictable. It likes to focus on whatever feels most vulnerable in our lives. It hits on the same familiar themes, over and over again, and chances are, you can recognize those familiar old tapes playing in what anxiety is saying to you now. 

This is good news. Why? Because it means we know what to do!

Everyone who has ever experienced anxiety has some hard-won knowledge about what helps and what hurts. Because anxiety is being magnified, now is the time to magnify the practices that support our psychological immune system in countering it. What do you know about what works for you?

·      Do you know that lack of sleep sets you up for excessive anxiety? Now is the time for good sleep hygiene. 

·      Do you have a mindfulness or yoga practice? Now is the time to start, recommit, or ramp it up. 

·      Do you know that alcohol or caffeine can be triggers for you? Now is the time for setting limits. 

Doctors treating patients are looking at what they already know about viruses and what clues that knowledge might offer about how to deal with this one. We can apply the same wisdom to dealing with anxiety. Coronavirus may be a novel bug, but there is nothing novel about the anxiety it triggers. It’s the same old anxiety, and we know how to keep it from taking over.  Kathryn Stinson, LPC

Kathryn’s point is spot on! If you’d like to learn more skills, tomorrow I will be posting an excerpt from my book or to get dozens of tips, get my workbook or one of my other books. Short attention span? Check out my Melt Worry & Relax Card Deck by clicking on the title! There’s also a deck for kids and their caregivers by Barbra Danin and me: Melt Anxiety & Relax Card Deck for Kids (click on title)