Worrying about catching an infectious disease can be stressful. Nathaniel Van Kirk, PhD; Kathryn D. Boger, PhD, ABPP; and Marni J. Chanoff, MD, from McLean Hospital, offer the following tips to keep your family feeling mentally balanced and safe during an uncertain time.
Stay Informed With Trusted Sources
“Given the onslaught of media coverage and information, it’s important to make sure you are getting updates from reputable sources,” said Van Kirk. Good sources include:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Each provides timely updates and information that will help filter out what has been sensationalized for the news.
Stay Calm
Boger explained that when it comes to anxiety and frightening situations, we can find ourselves in common thinking traps. To combat this, we can try to catch ourselves when we go down a path of unhelpful or extreme thinking.
Have a Plan
Chanoff said, “Keep and rely on a list. This should include needed food supplies and medications and healthcare professional and work contacts.” Keep items on your list stocked and replenished and your contacts updated. Enlist others in your networks in your plans. If you live alone, look to your support network to help you plan.
Name and Validate Emotions
Recognizing emotions in a frightening time is helpful for everyone. Many adults are concerned about the COVID-19 virus, and “it’s also important to be mindful of what we’re modeling,” Boger said. “Checking in on our own emotional states and taking steps to manage our emotions before talking to loved ones is important.”
Take Care of Yourself
“You don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Chanoff said. Sleep, nutritious eating, good hygiene, exercise, fresh air, connecting with people—these are the basics, and it’s a good reminder that what’s being recommended now is what we’ve been encouraged to do all the time. Managing our anxiety, said Boger, can also be done through activities such as mindfulness, cognitive coping, and breathing exercises.
Takeaways
The biggest takeaway of this health crisis, experts agree, is that we need to take care of ourselves. “Maintaining balance in daily life and not letting your day be consumed by the ‘next headline,’” said Van Kirk, “is important to maintain perspective in the uncertainty of daily life.”
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This article was adapted from information provided by McLean Hospital.