5 Tips For Staying Informed About COVID-19, While Minimizing Stress and Anxiety

As a news junkie, I’m constantly scrolling through Twitter, but seeing the latest closures and statistics about COVID-19 has been making me feel more worried than informed lately. That’s why trauma therapist Shannon Thomas recommends checking the news once in the morning, afternoon, and evening. To help filter it out of your social feeds, mute certain words or accounts that fill your timeline with news about the outbreak. “The saturation is going to cause us to be extremely anxious,” Thomas told POPSUGAR.

She also suggested signing up for email alerts from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention if you want to get the necessary information without having to go on social media.

It’s easy to catastrophize, especially when facing the very real threat of a global pandemic, but try not to think about what could happen weeks or months from now. “Often when we are anxious, we spiral into the future – and it’s usually the worst case scenario we land on,” Dr. Svanberg said. “But there are still things which are certain. There are people in your life you love. There are things that can make you smile. The sun will still rise and set.”

When the news is too much, try this technique to feel more grounded. Using your senses, ask yourself: what can you see, smell, and feel?

I’ll be the first to admit that meditating was never my thing, but after downloading the Calm app, I’ve completely changed my mindset – and there are lots more apps you can download to start practicing mindfulness and help calm your mind.

When you’re anxious, your body gets a surge of adrenaline that increases your heart rate and causes you to take shortened, shallow breaths. Dr. Svanberg explained that meditating while taking long, slow breaths does the opposite, signaling to your body that you’re safe.

Staying home is crucial to help slow the spread of COVID-19, but make sure to step away from your screens and the news from time to time. “It’s really important to get out of the house to be outdoors and breathe some fresh air,” Thomas said. Spend some time reading in your backyard, stand outside on your balcony, or go for a short walk while keeping a safe distance from those around you.

We don’t know a lot about what the future holds with COVID-19. But we do know that the measures that have been put in place are a temporary solution to help protect our communities over the long-term. “This is not our new norm. This is not going to last forever,” Thomas said. “We’re in the middle of it, and it’s very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But we already have other folks out in the world who are getting to the other side of this.” (Now there’s some good news.)

In the meantime, embrace what you can control in the situation, and know that you’re not the only one who feels worried. “Often we can feel alone in our anxieties, but the past few weeks have demonstrated just how much a whole globe can come together in their feelings,” Dr. Svanberg told POPSUGAR.