It is normal for people to feel anxiety when faced with life-threatening events. The threatening Coronavirus, which has affected the whole world, has also caused anxiety in many people.
The feeling of unknown is one of the most important factors that increases anxiety and fear. In the case of coronavirus, uncertainty prevails, not knowing when it will end, not having a full treatment yet, and uncertainty about who and how to meet it can cause intense anxiety in people.
Anxiety; Although it is a part of life, it is a system that protects people from danger and takes precautions in a certain amount. While a certain and manageable amount of anxiety is protective, if the anxiety is not under control and anxiety rules you, you may develop depression, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, specific phobias such as mysophobia, anxiety disorder, etc. It also brings with it many psychological problems.
While people with obsessive-compulsive disorder experience intense anxiety about contracting germs, the process they experience can trigger the situation even more and increase the existing fear and anxiety. People try to relieve the anxiety created by the stress situation they cannot control with behaviors that turn into rituals. Even though the ritual behaviors stop the anxiety within a certain level of time, the person finds himself/herself in that ritual again with recurring negative thoughts.
In the panic disorder process, where uncertainty prevails and cannot be tolerated, the person experiences anxiety that something bad will happen at any moment. and people with panic attacks that occur suddenly in a very short time and quickly reach their maximum level; “something dangerous will happen”, “I feel like I'm going to die”, “I feel like I'm drowning”, “I can't breathe”, “I feel like I'm having a stroke”, etc. In addition to the feeling, situations where loss of control is seen can also be seen.
10 SUGGESTIONS FOR THOSE EXPERIENCED WITH PANIC DISORDER AND OCD (OBSESIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER) DURING THE CORONA DAYS
1.) Unfounded Stay away from news sources and social media. Get information from the most accurate and reliable sources. If necessary, restrict the news sources you access from social media.
2.) Be careful not to spend too much time on news sources during the day, follow the agenda at certain intervals. get p. Constantly following news sources throughout the day and becoming obsessed with this process will create a negative mood and increase existing anxiety.
3.) Pay attention to social communication. Have online conversations with your loved ones during the day, and do things you love that are not on the agenda. Get new hobbies, keep your mind busy with things off the agenda.
4.) If you spend your days isolated at home, wash your hands constantly at home after taking the necessary precautions (For example; wash your hands for 20 seconds and then drink them again). It is important to be able to stop yourself by noticing extreme situations such as not being comfortable or having a negative thought in your mind (washing your hands, bathing constantly during the day).
5.) Uncontrollable emotions create a feeling of insecurity in the person and this situation is out of your control. It allows you to get out of your control and take your thoughts captive. Although washing your hands constantly, taking a bath, and cleaning constantly throughout the day to relieve rigid, harsh and negative thoughts such as "do it" may provide short-term relief, the same worrying thought repeats itself in the mind in a very short time. The exaggerated thoughts that come to your mind here are not because you are infected with the virus; It is important to accept that there are exaggerated, negative thoughts produced by your mind.
6.) The respiratory distress seen in cases of coronavirus and panic attacks causes many people to worry, "I am having difficulty breathing, do I have coronavirus?" In case of a panic attack, symptoms such as difficulty breathing reach their peak in a very short time and after a certain period of time, breathing is taken under control and the person returns to his old life. Shortness of breath, which occurs in the case of coronavirus, does not occur in this way. It will be useful not to misinterpret the panic attack process and to remind yourself that these symptoms are caused by a panic attack.
7.) Focusing on the changes that occur in the body during a panic attack can cause the existing anxiety to increase, instead focusing on the body difference. It is important to direct your awareness elsewhere. As a result of moving, focusing your mind on other things, taking the focus away from body symptoms and focusing on something different, and awareness exercises using your 5 senses, panic attack symptoms are taken under control and slow down.
8.) The negative, exaggerated thoughts that come to your mind are removed from your mind. Accept that they are thoughts that you create and do not reflect reality. Negative thoughts lead to negative emotions; Negative emotions lead to negative behaviors. Therefore, remember that in order to stop and control a behavior governed by anxiety, you must first change the negative, exaggerated thoughts that come to your mind.
9.) Breathing exercises, body awareness exercises, meditation exercises and the existing tension and anxiety state. It decreases and the person can learn to notice and control the changes in his body.
10.) If the process disrupts your daily functions and you cannot cope with this state of anxiety, do not hesitate to get professional support.
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