continues to escalate,

we are flooded with images that may be contributing

to our anxiety.

We watch as cities around the world are disinfected

and get constant updates on the number of cases

near and far.

When we get away from the TV and internet,

there isn't much relief.

We are faced with closed offices and empty store shelves.

We spoke to a therapist to find out

how to deal with coronavirus anxiety.

So can you talk to me about

what is at the core of our anxiety

and how does this anxiety serve us?

So, anxiety really is healthy and evolutionary, right?

I mean, it is there to say you need to prepare,

you need to watch out,

and anxiety really precedes action.

You know, we would see a tiger on the savanna or whatever,

or we'd have a lack of food,

and anxiety showed up to make sure that we acted

and protected ourselves from whatever that threat was.

Now in this instance, it's an interesting situation

because we don't have enough information

to really be able to assess how productive our anxiety is.

We want to find somewhere between alarmism and nonchalance,

and we don't know where that is

because we don't have enough information

and there is a large degree of misinformation.

So this is all to say that the anxiety that we're feeling,

a certain degree of it actually is really helpful.

One of the things we tend to do,

with any uncomfortable emotion,

whether it's anxiety or sadness or loneliness,

is we judge ourselves

and then we end up feeling anxiety for feeling anxious,

or ashamed for feeling anxious or depressed

or whatever it is.

So in this case,

we want to be able to sort of take pause,

recognize that we're feeling anxious

and make some space for that anxiety.

And actually practice what we call self-compassion

in response to that.

Those are real, valid, warranted fears.

Now the challenge is a lot of people, again,

they don't actually go so far

as to understand what their anxiety is telling them.

They just sort of catastrophize and ruminate.

And so what we want people to do

is to be able to recognize the anxiety they're feeling

and then ask themselves, what's anxiety telling me?

And anxiety is essentially correlated with uncertainty.

OK, what am I most scared about?

Is it my health?

Is it my parents' or a loved one's health?

Is it my job?

You know, is it the markets?

And then start to really understand,

what do I need right now?

Now, in terms of dealing with uncertainty

and thus lowering our anxiety,

there are two ways of coming at this:

One, we want to be able to find certainty where we can.

I would encourage people to find a reputable media source,

check that not constantly or nonstop,

because you will just fuel the anxiety

and it will just frankly be exhausting

and incredibly distressful.

So find your reputable news source and check it -

give yourself a number of times a day

that you might check it,

and also playing out different scenarios,

thinking OK, if I want to feel a level of preparedness

in this situation, what seems realistic, in terms,

of responsible preparation?

Yes, do I want to go out and but some extra toilet paper

and non-perishables, or water, or whatever.

If that seems to serve you

and help lower you anxiety in the situation

then by all means do it.

You know, another thing we can do to feel a sense of control

and find more certainty around this,

is, OK, are you washing your hands?

Are you practicing social distancing?

Are you doing what you can to support your immune system

in the event that you are exposed?

And that means getting enough sleep,

making sure that you're nourishing your body.

Then when it comes to coping with uncertainty

and sitting with uncertainty,

self-care of course is super important.

So what I mean by that is doing certain things

that will help bring down the cortisol

and norepinephrine levels

that are stirred up by anxiety, and that might be something

like exercise, meditation, yoga.

If normally you go to a gym or an exercise class

or a yoga class,

this might be a time if it feels more serving for you

to find an app and do something from home.

A certain degree of self-care is about distraction

and that's oftentimes what we label as coping.

But really we can't be having this conversation in our heads

and with others 24/7

because this is debilitating.

Listen to some podcasts

that are on a completely different topic

or watch a show or something.

Try to do something that's engaging.

Try to be present with people that you feel safe around.

Most importantly too is still finding connection

while we're practicing the social distancing.

So that might not look the same

as it would have a couple of months ago

but hey, this may be a time

to resurrect the phone conversation.

Given the severity of this, how are you helping clients

put some of this into perspective,

and their anxiety around it in perspective?

Some degree of anxiety around this is helpful,

so I really do want to encourage people

to not judge themselves for that anxiety

and to allow room to examine that anxiety

and see what it's telling you.

It can be helpful for people to remember

do what is within your control

and also still be able to live their life

to a certain extent. Just make some changes.