Saturday, April 17, 2021

Coping with the anxiety due to Covid19

Covid19 situation is very bad in India. The second wave is more dangerous but more dangerous are that news about unavailability of beds, oxygen supply, medicine, and vaccines. The invisible virus has spoiled the fun in our lives. Every family is affected by the virus. People lost their beloved ones. We still don’t have the solutions to handle the situation. People are scared and are worried about their families.

This is bringing anxiety, panic attacks. Few deaths are not because of the infection but because of the panic attacks. The negative information is flowing like a fire on social media. Because of the illogical and irrational thoughts anxieties are magnified. Most of the people are so sure that something bad will happen to them and their families. In nuclear families, this fear is prominent. The fear of losing something is creating panic and people are becoming anxious.          

We need to understand that we can’t change this situation, but we can help to improve the situation by taking enough care and following the guidelines given by the health ministry from time to time. At least this time we have the vaccine to fight with the virus and eventually it will be available for everybody as the government is scaling up the production of different vaccines. We need to fight with the covid but along with it we need to fight with our anxiety.

Our thoughts have the power to change how we feel. If you think something sad would happen, it’s likely you’ll start to feel sad about the situation. The beauty of the mind and thought is you feel what you think. Yes, when you think of something positive and calming, you feel relaxed. 

If you want to be relaxed and free from anxiety then, 

Challenge irrational thoughts: To overcome the anxiety, start challenging your thoughts, which you will realise, are irrational. You can do it by examining the evidence and challenging those thoughts, you can reduce anxiety. Stop watching negative news, reading forwards on social media and start investing your time in value added activities. When you encounter any negative thoughts about Covid, put thoughts on trial. Choose a thought that has contributed to your anxiety. Gather evidence in support of your thought (verifiable facts only), and against your thought. Compare the evidence and determine whether your thought is accurate or not. Most of the time, you will realise that the negative news, and forwards are politically motivated, faked, or with distorted facts. Sometimes those are based on the narratives created to frame you by the so called political analysts, urban naxals, corrupt journalists and agents of political parties.

When you are anxious and in a panic mode, please question the thoughts that contribute to your anxiety. Ask yourself, below questions and affirmations as explained in brackets. 

“Is my thought based on facts or feelings? Are the news I am reading are opinions of somebody or based on the factual data?

(Most of the time, the news will be based on opinions and not the facts. There are different narratives which I should not think about much.)   

“How would my best friend, beloved one see this situation? What precautions I should take”

“How likely is it that my fear will come true?” Do I have any solution to handle this? Like if Covid is infected, what support do I need?

(However, after the research you will find that the recovery rate is almost 90%-95% and those who are suffering are those who ignored early symptoms, you will also find that people died because of the secondary infection or panic attack.)

“What’s most likely to happen?” If I am following all safety protocols, why do I need to worry?

(But in case if it happens, I am sure I will recover. And now most of the cases are home quarantine, it means those are not that serious. Check around you, in your colony and you will find that almost all people are recovered from the infection.)

“If my fear comes true, will it still matter in a week? A month? A year?”   

(I am taking all precautions; I am safe and yes vaccination is already there. The situation is just a matter of time. Everything will be fine. In both cases I will gain something. If infected, antibodies and experience, however, I don’t want to be infected, hence I should take all precautions and enroll for the vaccine if it is available for all.)

Create your own narrative for you and get free from the anxiety. You will be happy.

Be safe, be happy!

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5 comments:

Urmila shetty said...

Every situation comes in life with it's own pros and cons. With covid there is fear and anxiety. This article has been well articulated and guides with positive thoughts to overcome the fright.good post. Need of the hour.

Urmila shetty said...

A good post to take care of anxiety and fear. A read will surely lighten people's mindset to handle this virus.

Deepika Gahlot said...

Insightful!

Deepika Gahlot said...

Insightful!

Unknown said...

Thanks Vinod for this article. We have to face this situation with positivity. Actually aniexty and fear reduces your immunity. No one know what will happen in future, rather tommorrow. So let us enjoy today with positivity.

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