10 Tips to Reduce COVID-19 Anxiety

From Sanford Health

10 Tips to Reduce COVID-19 Anxiety

Focus on things you can control, such as your thoughts and behaviors. 

Keep the big pictures in mind. Humankind will survive this. 

Remember that the size of news coverage may not equal the size of the threat.

Let wisdom and  logic guide you.

Turn to reputable sources for your news. 

Control how often you check the latest news.

Model peaceful behavior for those around you.

Evaluate your own health behaviors and be a model for others, including children.

Feeling too isolated? Maintain digital connections with people.

Don't let fear influence your decisions, such as hoarding supplies.

If you’re feeling fearful or anxious about the coronavirus pandemic, that’s natural.

It’s how we’re hard-wired, said Sanford Health licensed psychologist Jon Ulven, Ph.D.

“We’re fundamentally animals and mammals,” he said.

Part of our brain constantly looks for danger. And if we perceive a potential threat to a community, we naturally experience fear, anxiety and nervousness.

A situation such as the pandemic that’s “novel, uncertain and potentially threatening … gives us a heightened amount of focus,” Dr. Ulven said.