anxiety over this pandemic

[Kevin160]

Its a bit scary , our countries are on lockdowns, people are crowding markets, schools and universities are closing , hearing alot of sad stories about people comtracting the virus or dying from it , i feel there is enough on my mind of obsessive thoughts, fears and phobias , this is alot to process.. i still have alot to do as well and i feel the anxiety rising a bit because as many people , i dont feel very safe because its unknown what will happen, yes the media is also scaring us and it might not be as bad as we think but its alot, many of my family members are abroad and im worried about them being on lockdown.. and i also worry about the spread and all the scenarios are playing in my head, good or bad

[4woody]

I was trying to calm my thoughts yesterday and I got this picture in my head of my brain on a hamster wheel spinning like crazy. So I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the wheel and make it stop spinning. After a while I did it! It actually made me laugh. I’ve been calmer since. I need to go back the the wheel from time to time to stop it. May sound silly, but it seems to help. I also remind myself that it is the elderly who already have compromised respitory systems that are the most vulnerable. I am healthy and am staying home unless absolutely necessary. Hope this helps.

[Kevin160 in reply to 4woody]

No its actually not silly, im glad you found a way to help distract and calm you , sometimes visiualizations work for me but sometimes not , i guess im still new to this, but this still means alot , thank you for the help

[Hidden]

If you are having obsessive thoughts and fears that won't give you any peace then you are suffering from OCD so visit ocdaction.org.uk

[Kevin160 in reply to Hidden]

My therapist told me its just GAD, im not sure but imdo have a few body movement compulsions , but other than that i dont have any tendancies..thank you anyway ill check it out

[Hidden]

The media always makes things sound worse. But you should take precautions, washing your hands when out, don’t go near people that are sick, and stay out of crowds, or fly.People that have died from this are elderly like me ,or compromised immune systems.Otherwise people die everyday from a flu, virus, or something else. When I was kid during the Viet Nam war people were building shelters to stay away from radiation, in case a bomb was dropped on us. We asked my father why we didn’t build one. He said not everyone was, or could afford it, and if we went outside after it was over, we be only a few alive, plus the radiation would still be out there, so what was the point. Now what’s more scary this virus, or what was going on when I was a kid, Take care, Just take the precautions, and live, it will be over sooon❤️

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I was like about the media how they should stop scaremongering!

I think this is a lesson in teaching us all that we can't control everything in life!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes we have no control. We can’t even control people if they are mean to you either. You just have to do you best, and live life♥️

[Tbine in reply to Hidden]

Very good point !! As you know, there are more things in life we have little to no control over and not worth wasting energy worrying, Unless we CHOOSE to.

[Hidden in reply to Tbine]

❤️❤️❤️

[Kevin160 in reply to Hidden]

Youre right, thank you so much for the advice

[Hidden in reply to Kevin160]

❤️❤️❤️

[Kevin160 in reply to Hidden]

❤️❤️❤️

[newbie1956]

Kevin, this is a bit scary for everyone but you're young and healthy.

Think positive by repeating ,"YOUNG AND HEALTHY"

Good music and a little exercise is also beneficial.

Love u

[Hidden in reply to newbie1956]

I think everyone is frightened to an extent.

What we decided to do was minimise contact with the news and social media.

I enjoy listening to music as well and also going out for walks is helpful.

I think you have to be very unlucky to get the virus myself.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Me too

[Hidden in reply to newbie1956]

I totally agree.

[Kevin160 in reply to newbie1956]

Love you too, thank you for all the help

[CanuckAnon]

Please stay calm... you are safe. Can u face time with family or Skype? It may calm you down... 😊☀️

[Hidden in reply to CanuckAnon]

There always the old fashioned telephone call to get in contact!

I am old school as when I was a teenager you rang people up on the phone or wrote a letter to them to keep in contact and nowadays I still prefer to ring people up than go on social media!

[CanuckAnon in reply to Hidden]

It’s more to see with their own eyes... I get old fashioned but to truly see your family is fine why not use tech to stop the brain spin?

[Kevin160 in reply to CanuckAnon]

I did talk to my family , some of them are here so im not alone , but my siblings are not so is bittersweet and some of my worry isnt on myself but my siblings because youre always worried about the cases in the countries theyre in , and the lockdowns, or the news in general, its worrisome

[CanuckAnon in reply to Kevin160]

Try reaching out to them? They may appreciate knowing u are thinking of them and that they are not alone.... 😊

[Hidden]

Hi Kevin160, You might have OCD but you can visit ocdaction.org.uk and see if there's anything there that can help you. I am with them and they have been a lifesaver for me and still using their services. They're marvellous.

[Kevin160 in reply to Hidden]

I checked it out , but the quiz provided isnt really working , and im struggling a bit to find the forum and the community

[Hidden in reply to Kevin160]

Kevin160, l et me havea look for you I will look for their phone number for you and support groups they have Skype/Phone groups for different things. Leave it to me.😁

[Kevin160 in reply to Hidden]

its ok i dont want to be a bother , i can recheck it later

[Hidden in reply to Kevin160]

You're no bother Kevin160 , I'm with them myself so it's fine. 😊

[Hidden]

Try not to worry

I am nearly seventy and yesterday evening we went into lock down however in my case I have an over active immune system and my age makes me more at risk.

Just take the advice on how to protect yourself and follow that pathway. Generally at various times in History this sort of thing does happen and no one know what will happen, although we are all on a pathway and have various trials and tribulations to go through.

Everyone is the same, so stop worrying, we live out in the countryside so we have few neighbours to worry about, in fact we had the dog out this afternoon, he is getting back to normal after an operation.

Keep a hold

BOB

[Kevin160 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much for the reassurance means alot

[topaz1968]

My anxiety level is beyond high. I have not had this level of anxiety in years. My son also has bad anxiety and just came home from college for an extended spring break. Because he is a germaphobe to begin with, this is not helping, so his anxiety is adding to mine. I am constantly washing my hands. I do go out, but not much. I was working up until Friday, but since I work for the school district, we are now closed until further notice. I am worried because I have diabetes. I am otherwise healthy, but it is still scary. My doctor reassured me but not much At least we can come here to discuss.

[Kevin160 in reply to topaz1968]

Yes, we will support one another here, you can chat with me whenever you need to , we will get through it ❤️

[topaz1968]

Thanks so much. One minute I am fine, and the next in a panic. I have an old prescription of Clonazapem that I used to take as needed. I had to take one today and will be calling my doctor tomorrow to see if they can give me a new prescription. This is just a mess and I know everyone is going through it, but it just seems like a dream or nightmare!!

[Kevin160 in reply to topaz1968]

Hopefully in the up and coming weeks things will stabalize atleast or the cases will start to subside, fingers crossed

Things will get better , we just need to try to stay calm and know that it will be over quick