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Manage Anxiety over Covid-19 using CBT



Manage Anxiety during Corona Virus Pandemic using CBT


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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

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Location: Bakersfield, CA, USA

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