Coronavirus is here, unfortunately. Tom Hanks is stranded in Australia. The NBA has postponed it’s season. March Madness will be viewed on TV to empty arenas. You go to the store only to find out that there’s no soap, hand sanitizer, or toilet paper to be found. Turning on the TV creates a myriad of thoughts and feelings from: These people are ridiculous and this is so dramatic, or, the world is ending and I am watching the world fall apart around me. Some people are concerned because they are watching a financial collapse around them and are worried about how this will shape their financial lives in the coming months. Other people are concerned that this may even be a type of warfare being used by other countries. Regardless, of where you fall on this spectrum from dismissal to panic, this is creating extreme reactions.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. Take care of yourself in these situations. John Hopkins Medical Center recommends you go home and call your health care provider unless it is an emergency.
2. This is a serious sickness but fatality rate is between 2-5% for people who contract it. If you are one of the rare people who are reading this who catch it, chances are slim that it will be fatal.
3. The media will sensationalize this because it is good for ratings. Fear sells.
4. Health anxiety is a real thing. People develop fear and panic around their physical health all the time. If you find yourself worrying about this, don’t stigmatize your anxiety, seek to address it through a medical doctor and a counselor.

Feel like you have health anxiety? Here are a few ways from Harvard to check:
You have no symptoms, but still fear that you are sick.

• When a doctor reassures you that you don’t have an illness or a test shows you’re healthy, it doesn’t relieve your nervousness.
• You find yourself constantly seeking health information online.
• If you read a news story about a disease, you start worrying that you have it.
• Your worries about your health are interfering with your life, family, work, or hobbies and activities.

If this is something that is really triggering you with the Coronavirus, we at Lighthouse would love to help you. We can schedule therapy through technology to ease your symptoms of being out and about. In the meantime, here’s a self-help video from a CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) perspective to ease your anxiety.