Anxiety in Times of Uncertainty
“I encourage people to set almost a stopwatch, or decide how many hours or how many minutes, or how much they want to watch and be exposed to it, and just stop after that.” - Dr. Sera Lavelle, Ph.D
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America finds 40 million adults are living with anxiety in the United States.
Between the outbreak of COVID-19 and human rights movements like Black Lives Matter, many people may be feeling even more uneasy.
I recently chatted with Dr. Sera Lavelle, Ph.D, founder of New York Health Hypnosis & Integrative Therapy. She has been written about in Elle Magazine and Allure, and helped hundreds of people overcome their difficulties. We dove into the deep end of the pool, so to speak, discussing ANXIETY IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY.
Stress, tension and anxiety, is a combination many of us have become familiar with over the past few months. The doctor and I talked about how important it is to balance between “real – worry” and “emotional – worry.” It’s one way to stay on track and keep ourselves from spiraling out of control with anxious thoughts.
Dr. Lavelle also offers guidance regarding fears associated with financial loss, heading back to work, using mass transit, and how to deal with family and friends with different stances regarding health and social issues.
Everywhere we look there seems to be turmoil: cable news, social media feeds, and websites - there’s no escaping dramatic headlines. These days, fear and anxiety can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions. Coping is a must, if we’re going to stay healthy and of sound mind. There are ways to manage the everyday exposure to worrisome news about both, COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter.
