I’ll bet most of us like “doing the usual”; settling in and doing what’s routine & predictable, treading well-worn pathways of behaviors. When something new comes along and challenges us to “expand our range” many of us balk and get a bit resistant…this is a reflection of our human tendency to resist change. But change is good for us…we know this, at least intellectually.
COVID-19 has pushed us into unfamiliar territory in such a sweeping manner! So many folks out of contact with each other, working as best they can from home, feeling isolated and scared for the future, wondering “what’s going to happen to me?”
Once again, as it is so many times in life, we have the choice to either react fearfully or with curiosity. It’s ours to choose.
At this point I’d like to suggest everyone is dealing with a heightened level of anxiety due to the virus and it’s consequences. I have several suggestions of how to deal with the tension, and here is the first:
Stay in the Present
Fritz Perls, MD, the originator & architect of Gestalt Psychotherapy, said “anxiety is what we get when we leave the sure basis of the now and become immersed in the future”. How can we apply this to our current concerns with COVID-19? First, remind yourself that getting lost in “worries about the future” are fruitless and energy-stealing. Second, monitor and minimize how much input (TV, Internet, Radio) about the current virus situation you subject yourself to each day. Third, hold back from getting into long conversations with relatives & friends about “what I’ll do if…” since all this does is amplify a focus on the future which will predictably lead to anxiety and worry.
So, for now, choose a new way of operating…steer clear of dwelling on the “possible future”, which will only usher in fearfulness, and do your best to stay in the now…and then watch how your anxiety level becomes so much more manageable.
Chase E. Kneeland, M.Div. LMFT 