Skip to main content

Manage Anxiety over Covid-19 using CBT



Manage Anxiety during Corona Virus Pandemic using CBT


Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash

COVID-19

Corona virus has created a global pandemic which has affected our health care systems worldwide. The rapid increase in need for services has really overstretched our systems to point it is becoming more difficult to manage. Of course, this has led to an overall increase of panic amongst many individuals in the community. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made the symptoms of Covid-19 abundantly clear: fever, cough, and shortness of breath. As we continue to see more and more patients in the past few weeks, experts have updated the mild symptoms list to include the following:

·      Fatigue
·      Sputum production
·      Sore throat
·      Headache
·      Muscle aches and pains
·      Chills
·      Nausea or vomiting
·      Nasal congestion
·      Diarrhea
·      Coughing up blood
·      Red eyes
·      Loss of sense of smell

If you’re experiencing multiple symptoms of COVID-19 it is recommended that you get in contact with your primary care physician for further direction. For more information on COVID-19 visit COVID Updates. 

Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or speaking in public may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous. It is normal to have some level of anxiety surrounding unsure and unwarranted situations. In the case of an anxiety disorder, the feeling of fear may be with you all the time. It is tense and sometimes debilitating. During this global pandemic, one might feel an increase sense of anxiety on a more often than normal. 

One of the most researched psychological methods of treatment for anxiety is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT is a psycho-social intervention aimed to improve mental health. CBT is focused on challenging and changing unhealthy thoughts, behaviors, and improve emotional regulation and building coping skills in the process. 

Photo by Natasha Connell on Unsplash

Here are 3 ways to manage Anxiety using CBT

1. Verify Your Thoughts


How to verify thoughts is to challenge the validation of each one. For example, "The corona virus is the end of the world", if one presents with such a thought it would be important to then ask how likely is this thought to become fact. Use a pros and cons listing strategy in order to identify if we should react to this said thought or disregard all together. If the thought is found to be valid then one can act accordingly; however, if the thought is found to be non-valid then it can be discarded. Continued practice will assist with mastery of this skill. 

2. Radical Acceptance


Use radical acceptance to move pass problems that you have no control and focus on that which is within your control. Facing reality and accepting that negative things happen but we can get past the moment. Some things happen and cannot be changed. Some things must be accepted. Radical acceptance is not approval and can be tough to process. Discuss times where you could have used radical acceptance. List emotions and other factors that get in the way of accepting reality. Review the importance of acceptance and change. 

To practice Radical Acceptance you have to ask yourself: 
1.    What do I have control over
2.    If I do what will happen
3.    If I do not what will happen
4.    How am I affecting my behavior now
5.    Can I let this go
6.    How can I make things better right now

3. Distraction   

Keep your mind busy when negative thought are presented. These skills keep your mind focus on positive activities and less on negative thoughts. Everyone has difficulty from time to time. We learn to get past them and move on to more positive times. Practice getting through it. Discuss what part of this skill is most helpful. Review the benefits of each section of this skill and the importance of getting through hard times. Identify five examples of strong sensations that are safe to use. 

Create Your Own Distraction Plan

MY DISTRACTION PLAN

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.




Labels:
Location: Bakersfield, CA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flaws in the Juvenile Justice System

JFlaws in the juvenile justice system, juvenile justice system in America, juvenile justice system in US. Flaws in the Juvenile Justice System in US While the nation sings in chorus that kids are our future, does the juvenile justice system in America treat children alike? The American justice system does not seem to do justice to every kid. You will hear the same voice across the country. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program reveals that 48,043 juveniles were incarcerated in residential facilities in October 2015 across the United States.  While the need for welfare has always been stressed in place of punishment, the number of juveniles appearing before the courts has been steadily rising. The juvenile justice system in America thus looks flawed and makes a mockery of its vision of delivering welfare. Unfortunately, too many young people are locked up in jails for petty crimes.  What are the Flaws in the Justice System The American criminal justice system h...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do we have the Racism talk???

RMulticultural Talks and Racism: Importance of Conversations with Young People Racism has been a dirty part of the human evolution. Unfortunately, it has resulted in immense suffering for the oppressed community. However, with the cultural evolution and generational changes, it is but crucial to talk to young children about different cultures and races. Luckily, many societies feel strongly about racism and believe that all human beings should receive the same treatment irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, and ability. In support of this belief to become anti-racist, many adults switch to a color-blind approach to race. The subject has become so controversial that adults do not want to talk about racism. However, the importance of conversation on multicultural and racism topics cannot be stressed enough. The Need for Conversations on Racism Studies find that there is so much of taboo surrounding the word racism that even parents tend to avoid talking on the subject with their young...
Post a Comment
Read more

How To Reform Juvenile Justice System

JHow To Reform Juvenile Justice System Efforts have been under way to reform Juvenile Justice system in the US. The mission of the reform efforts is to improve the delivery of justice for young children and adolescents with mental disorders charged for different crimes. A lot needs to be done to ensure that this section of the population receives access to medical and mental health services. More importantly, the system must be family centered and community-based. It also needs to be integrated with other components of the child development system, such as child welfare, health, and education. Juvenile Justice System Reform Suggestions The past two decades have shown an increase in the number of youth detentions. Is it the failure of the juvenile justice system or does it deserve a pat on the back? Well, the fallouts of juvenile detention are galore. Sadly, such youth are treated harshly in the juvenile justice system in US. The bad treatment does not end there. It continues to follow ...
Post a Comment
Read more