From mychildhood, I read thousand times a quote well said by Greek PhilosopherAristotle “Man is a social animal”, and wrote commentaries about the socialnature of the man: Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who isunsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or morethan human. At this point of time in 2020, I actually am able to understand howdeep the meaning of this quote is. Today one of my friends stepped inside thegrocery store to buy his daily grocery, he saw empty shelves, and it is not abig surprise for any of us nowadays. The pictures he sends me from the storewas horrifying as people rush to stores and buy stuff as much as they can fortheir families in order to ensure their survival. A thought stuck my mind afterseeing those pictures and I start thinking…… OK let us assume if it’s aholocaust and our dead end then how long we are going to survive with thisobsessive behavior of buying and storing the daily stuff which shows ouranxiety and helplessness. Recently I traveled back from Europe and I had beenasked to quarantine myself for 14 days in my home and almost luckily thecountry I returned from was not having a single case until I left and maybe Ican say I was lucky enough. But the time I got notified that I have to spend 14days in quarantine a brief spike like thought passed throw my mind as if I aminfected. From that very moment even a small feeling of uneasiness brings somuch worry to my mind and it’s almost one week but still such kind of thoughtsare making me crazy sometimes. I am living all alone and living in a completeisolation, which can make any of us crazy and sometimes insane.
The wholeworld is talking about the Coronavirus. It seems impossible to avoid beingreminded of it, whether by those around us or online (news, social media,etc.). The idea of a new disease, especially one that has the potential to takelives, is enough to put fear in anyone. It’s completely understandable to beconcerned about your health and the health of loved ones. It is important to beconcerned, since concern leads to making choices to protect ourselves and thosewe care about. But too much concern can lead to an increase in anxiety andpanic, which can be counterproductive to staying healthy and keeping thosearound us healthy. So, what exactly is anxiety, and how does it affect us whenfaced with coronavirus?
Anxiety isa biologically based response to danger that helps a species stay alive. It alertsus to threats and helps us resolve them usually by “fight or flight”. We canstay and fight or run away from danger to keep ourselves safe. Over time,however, anxiety reactions began to happen to things that are either 1) lessthreatening, such as being stuck in traffic or having to do a presentation or2) less easily resolved by fight or flight, such as more complex challengesthat we cannot run from or kick our way through. When we have an anxietyresponse in such instances, we are likely to find ourselves stuck without aresolution. It can make us feel that the world is a dangerous place and/or thatwe do not have the resources needed to handle life. Naturally, as those beliefsform, we feel terrible mentally and emotionally.
Importantly,there is also a physical factor to experiencing anxiety. Our body, in order topreserve energy for fight/flight, sends a signal (by a substance calledcortisol) to shut down major functions like digestion/metabolism and our immunesystem. Over time, as anxiety continues, this cortisol keeps circulating in thesystem and these massively important functions remain shut down or working at apercentage of their normal potential. Obviously, when our anxiety is about adisease, this is particularly concerning! By worrying about getting sick, wecould be reducing our body’s ability to fight off sickness!
So, what can we do? Here are some things to try:
1. Mindfulness and relaxation – yoga, deep breathing, guided meditations, etc. can be extremely helpful in combating anxiety and lower our stress response. Deep breathing and mindful exercises send signals to shut down the fight/flight response and calm our bodies. There is evidence that these techniques change our heart rate and our brain responses! Biofeedback/neurofeedback are particularly helpful in actually showing you how mindfulness practice change your physiology.
2. Social support – friends, family, support groups, etc. can help us feel united and strong in times of stress and panic. If you feel anxious about coronavirus, you are certainly not the only one! Speak up, and you will see that you are not alone. Do keep a 6 foot social distance from anyone who you speak to that may be at risk of having the coronavirus or asking for online help can be the another remedies .
3. Pay close attention to diet and exercise – In times of health concerns, it is particularly important to nourish our bodies with healthier foods, vitamins/supplements, and regular exercise. As a two-for-one, good eating and regular exercise ward off both anxiety and disease!
4. Counseling – talk to a counselor/therapist about your anxiety, your fears, etc. This can be short term, during the coronavirus panic, or you can choose to continue on with it. A therapist can help you talk through your anxiety, bring awareness to it, and bring solutions and coping skills to the forefront.
5. Medication – for severe anxiety (e.g. panic attacks) that counseling alone cannot banish, medication may be an option.
Find whatworks for you and make your mental and physical health a priority in aproductive way. Finding a way to be calm in times of fear and uncertainty isimportant, especially when we are taking care of others (clients, children, illfamily members, etc.). We’ve referenced the phrase “put your oxygen mask onfirst” several times before, and it’s an important one to repeat. If you arecompromising your own health with fear and anxiety, you cannot fully be therefor those you wish to support.
Dr. ThseenNazir is Asst.Prof., Counseling and Guidance Department, Ibn Haldun University,Başakşehir, Istanbul, Turkey