Anxiety is no fun as it is, and with COVID-19 being such a new disease, there is a heavy feeling of uncertainty in the air.

Did you know that anxiety feeds off of uncertainty? That's right. And when you add the constant barrage of news articles full of terrifying and horrible stories, the feeling gets more intense. Add to that the constant strain of our lives being turned upside down - children home from school, everyone quarantined together, working from home, a sense of danger lurking everywhere, huge changes in hygiene practice - it's understandable that we are anxious.

Then there's the issue of social contagion. That happens when those around us are reacting in fear. If this is happening in your household, it is nearly impossible for you to not "feel" the experience of that other person sweeping over you.

So What Do We Do About It?

Sometimes the simplest thing to do is love. Self-care and care for others can do wonders. A colleague of mine wrote a little list. I included it below.

If you choose to start therapy, we will apply a common cognitive behavioral approach to anxiety - catch your thoughts, evaluate them for accuracy, consider alternatives, and replace the thoughts. We will also look at physiological aspects of your anxiety - how you can connect with your body to bring a feeling of calm into your life. Finally, we will take a look at your relational and spiritual connections.

If this epidemic is bringing out latent trauma from your past, we may consider using a special therapy called EMDR to help you get in touch with these memories and reprocess them to bring healing and confidence back into your personality.

"We're in this together" is not just a catchy phrase. It's paramount to our survival. Let us help you through this challenging season by staying above the waves. If you'd like to make an appointment, please go to the "appointment request" tab on the left.