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Covid-19 has rocked the world and turned into existence. The pandemic is not only a threat to physical health, it also leaves us with many unanswered questions. How long will you work from home? Does the pregnancy belong to a risk group? How are you going to go for Grandma and Grandpa? How is the economy affected by this? Will your job stay? And the wonder that many carry: When does this end?
It is a unique situation in which there is still no fact. The uncertainty about what will happen raises great concern among many.
– The greater the anxiety you have from the beginning, the more difficult it can be. If you look at the general population, you can tell that most of us are a little semi-anxious, then there is a small part that is not very anxious and some that are very concerned. But I think most people are more or less affected, says David Waskuri, a legitimate psychologist with soap psychologists.
He describes that there are currently many patients expressing concern about the corona pandemic and its consequences.
– Many have health anxiety from the start, TAG (generalized anxiety, editorial reports) or an anxious base of basic personality. They have health problems for themselves and their loved ones, but also questions about layoffs and how the economy should go hand in hand.
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Covid-19 and disaster tanks
– How should it be related to the fact that there is no answer? How to handle uncertainty? In cognitive behavioral therapy, KBT, a difference is usually made between productive and non-productive concerns. The principle is to get into problem solving when it’s a real problem, but try to free it when it’s not, says David Waskuri.
Explain that productive concern is reasonable concern about something that can really be done. Non-productive concern means that you have excessive or unreasonable concern about something you cannot control.
David Waskuri is a licensed psychologist and works at Soap Psychologists.
Photo: Private
For example: If you work in a company where there is a real risk of notice due to the pandemic, the concern about losing your job is reasonable and can become productive by joining Box A and starting to look for other job opportunities. An example of non-productive concern may be a strong fear that even completely healthy 35-year-old couples will become seriously ill in a covid despite the fact that the entire household follows the recommendations of the Public Health Authority, and in addition, also denies intensive care. It can happen, but statistically the risk is not great. Concerns become unproductive since the scenario has not occurred and a satisfactory solution cannot be found either.
– Non-constructive problem solving means getting caught up in thoughts that trigger the fight and flight mode, which in turn creates stress for us. It can cause depression and fatigue.
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How do you distinguish between productive and non-productive concerns?
Sometimes you can get caught in a spiral of anxiety and it can be difficult to see if the worries are reasonable or excessive. Waskuri’s advice is to make a problem statement based on. You may need to rephrase the problem or break it down into smaller parts to find solutions. “We have crowning times and we don’t know how long” may not be the real problem, but “I feel bad for not knowing when life will return to normal.”
– First you write your problem. Constructive problem solving is brainstorming and writing different solutions and pros and cons of them. Then he has gone from the situation of helplessness to finding a series of alternatives.
For some, they can stop worrying by simply writing down the solutions and having a plan. But it is also important to put them into practice. In the meantime, you may find that it doesn’t help or you will find a new solution. You may also find that the problem is insoluble – anxiety and anxiety do not decrease.
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Accept the concern
What do you do about your concern if the problem is insoluble?
– Looking at the idea from the side, whether reasonable or long sought, has taken an important step. You’ve parted ways with the idea, says David Waskuri, but he also thinks it’s easier said than done.
Even if one understands that one’s concern is not proportional to the problem or understands that the problem is beyond one’s control, anxiety can remain a heavy blanket.
– There is no magic button that you can press to pass anxiety. You cannot control your thoughts one hundred percent. This helps over time, but does not always eliminate anxiety on the spot.
Accepting anxiety means leaving it in the background, but at the same time not letting it prevent you from living your life.
– There will always be terrorists, pandemics and wars. Always things that we will have to put in the background while we live our lives, solve what we can solve and release what we cannot solve, Waskuri says.
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Reduces aging by activation
Another risk factor that can exacerbate anxiety is the lifestyle in which many people end up as a direct effect of the progress of the coronavirus. In addition to not knowing what is going to happen, many also abandoned their routines and lost social life as a result of changes such as layoffs, homework, and quarantine.
David Waskuri emphasizes the importance of having good routines and suggests a weekly schedule. It is about maintaining a regularity around needs like food, sleep, exercise and hygiene, things that you know are of great importance for mental well-being, but also to map what causes more and less anxiety and find ways to break the anxiety spiral.
– If you have a day when you lie on the couch and do nothing, you may notice that anxiety increases and you start to worry more. Then you should try to find routines that make you feel good or when you decide to go for a walk. Sometimes you get caught up in anxiety, so you feel tense and your heart beats faster and then it may not be enough to take a hot bath. Instead, think: How can I do tomorrow so I don’t get caught up in this worry?
Explain that thoughts, feelings, and actions affect each other in all directions. This means that through what you do you can influence how you feel and think. Although the anxiety is so strong that you don’t want to get dressed and go out into the woods, it can be of great help when you are out.
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Restrict information flow and eliminate security behaviors
For those who are very concerned, it can be an anxiety trap to follow reports from the crown. David Waskuri explains that, for the moment, it may appear that he is gaining control of the situation by following the news, learning about death tolls and broadcasting the press conference, but that it often generates more anxiety.
– Then it may be good to limit the news flow to once a day.
If you’re very anxious about health, it’s easy to get caught up in looking for insurance by Googling for symptoms, checking the temperature, or asking your partner and family if they think you’re sick. The problem is that the answer will never be reassuring for more than a short time.
“It’s about practicing not looking for outside insurance, then anxiety breeds and you try to control something you can’t control,” says David Waskuri.
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Mindfulness – exercises and tips
You can work with your concerns even when you’re not in the middle. One method that seems to work when it comes to reducing anxiety over time is mindfulness or mindfulness, as it is also called.
– Over time, mindfulness makes it easier to break concerns and change focus, says David Waskuri.
There are some studies that indicate that mindfulness can reduce anxiety over time and even create changes in the parts of the brain that control fear. In early 2020, a smaller Swedish study was published in which participants who did mindfulness exercises for a few minutes a day for four weeks had fewer fear reactions than those who did not do the exercises.
Today, there are several applications that offer mindfulness exercises, but it is possible to practice conscious presence even without a smartphone in hand. One way, explains David Waskuri, is to do a body scanner:
– You take a few minutes and you feel in every part of the body: how do you feel now on your feet? In the calves? Finish up to the head. You can also exercise a conscious presence in the shower by focusing on how the shower’s rays feel on your skin.
– You can also count your breath. So the bill becomes something to stay focused on. Many people think not to think about anything else, and then it is easy to start doing it. It’s really about letting your thoughts show up, but directing your attention back to what you’ve decided to focus on.
To look for help
You can go a long way using the tips above, but if you have a mental illness in your luggage or feel that anxiety is controlling your daily life, it may be a good time to ask for help. As mentioned earlier, a longer period of stress can lead to depression. Other conditions such as GAD, health anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder can also be exacerbated by this type of change.
– The worry can sometimes be so strong that it is very difficult to manage. When it goes beyond one’s functioning, it is a reason to seek care, perhaps to start therapy, Waskuri says.
