the anxiety virus - COVID-19

the hidden virus that crept along with the COVID-19 pandemic...

If you are reading this, you're probably very aware of the disaster that shook the entire world within months and you are probably very tired of hearing anything to do with the coronavirus because of all the negative side effects that came with it. One of them is the increase anxiety which I'll call "the anxiety virus".

According to the World Health Organization:

"And the pandemic is increasing demand for mental health services. Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. Many people may be facing increased levels of alcohol and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety."

The coronavirus pandemic created mass-hysteria very quickly. We all became so focused on making sure our physical health was taken care of so that we don’t get the coronavirus, that it led some of us to forgot to take care of our mental health. Before explaining how the pandemic led to increased levels of anxiety for majority of the world's population, I want to explain the difference between being worried or fearful of what the pandemic can cause versus being anxious.

Difference between fear and anxiety:

Fear is a survival mechanism. It's something that is built in our human nature. When there is a situation that ignites fear in us, there is a fight or flight response that gets triggered to help us remove ourselves from the situation. For example, when a lion is 2 meters away from you and looking at you with hungry eyes, you can either decide to fight the lion (you’ll probably lose) or flee. Fear is needed for survival. Another example is if you are worried you’ll miss a meeting, you’ll probably plan ahead to ensure that you can make that meeting.

Anxiety on the other hand is persistent future-orientated fear that is mostly related to fear of the unknown. The “what if?”. The coronavirus created a lot of uncertainty. We don’t know when this pandemic will end, we don’t know how it will end, we don’t know the future of our economy. There are a lot of questions we don’t know the answers to as Dr. Jud Brewer explained that “fear + uncertainty = anxiety”. So it’s no wonder that many people became anxious during this pandemic. The scary thing is that many people are aware of precautions that we need to take to prevent ourselves from getting the coronavirus, but what are we doing to ensure that we don’t get the anxiety virus that comes with it? And how do we cope with it once it arrives?

The anxiety virus that I’m talking about are those digital germs that are being fed to your brain. The news reports about people dying, the crime rate increasing, the coronavirus cases increasing, our economy decreasing. All the information that you receive through social media goes straight to your brain and to your thoughts. All this negative information are digital germs that could be giving you anxiety.

A question I want to ask you is which one is more dangerous? The Anxiety Virus or the Coronavirus? Some of you might say the coronavirus is more dangerous, because there are people dying from it and it affects your immune system. I argue that the anxiety virus is more dangerous. For you to get the coronavirus, you need to be in physical contact with someone that carries the virus. However, the anxiety virus spreads so quickly through social media, something that we expose ourselves with daily and all through a screen. Also, if you say that coronavirus kills more people than anxiety, research shows that approximately 5 million people die every year from anxiety and mood related illnesses worldwide and the death count for Covid so far is only under 600 000 worldwide. All the negative information you receive through social media is spreading digital germs and affecting your mental health.

We need to strengthen our mental immune system to be resilient against these digital germs

Dr. Jud Brewer once said:

“It is our duty to spread calm and mental connection rather than infection”

We all know the safety measures in place to prevent the spread from the infection and spreading of the coronavirus:

• CLEAN AND SANITIZE

• Social Distance

• Wear a mask

• Self- isolation or quarantine

• Monitor your health – taking your temperature etc.
  

Well, I want to give a slightly altered safety measurements for the anxiety-virus:

• Sanitize your social media (Abstain from negative energy and fake news)

• Distance yourself from people that bring you down and distance yourself from negative people

• Wear a digital mask by setting clear boundaries for yourself in terms of allowing things to affect you or control you to prevent negative energy. If you are the one that carries the symptoms, then self – isolate. (almost like an ANTI-VIRUS programme you install in your computer)

• Mental self-isolation: Take time to evaluate your strengths and talents. Find things that you love doing and focus on these things. Make time for yourself and allow yourself to become healthier.

• Monitor your mental health by taking your mental temperature and making sure you know how well you are doing every day. Make time for self-care by identifying activities you enjoy that will strengthen your mental immune system.

To summarize, I would strongly suggest that you:

• Put yourself in quarantine, sanitize your social media, list your self-care activities, take your mental temperature and identify the digital germs that are around you. (repeat)

• Lastly, pandemics are temporary, the mental dump you’re feeling is also temporary. It will pass, so focus on taking care of yourself. Be aware of what information you are feeding your brain. Take care of your mental health as much as you are taking care of your physical health, perhaps more