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Anxiety about the Coronavirus

There is a lot of anxiety about the Coronavirus and this is creating what is known in psychology as Social Contagion.

We know we need to take precautions and practice good hygiene in these difficult and uncertain times, but we also get influenced by what we hear on the media, what we see on social media feeds, what we hear in conversations with our friends, family and neighbours, and by the actions of those around us that we witness.

What Is Social Contagion?

Perhaps we go to the grocery store to buy some milk, but we see someone with a shopping cart full of toilet paper or other stock supplies, this increases our stress and anxiety about the Coronavirus and then we start buying toilet paper or other pantry goods that we hadn’t originally planned to buy on this grocery trip…

If we can imagine how this Social Contagion effect works on adults, with our fully developed brains, imagine what is happening to our kids and teens with their developing brains.

Many tweens and teens are receiving a bombardment of messages and images (on and offline) about the Coronavirus and that increases their anxiety.

Plus all kids are watching as they see their parents stock up on supplies.

Kids of all ages are also listening to their parents talk about their own anxiety about the Coronavirus.

Kids are noticing…My parents sound anxious, they look anxious and they’re acting anxious.

These are definitely anxiety producing times but to mitigate the anxiety, we need to keep ourselves centered and grounded.

These are stormy seas, but we need to let our kids know that we are still Captain of the Ship and we will navigate these stormy seas to the best of our ability.

#1 Tip for Parents to Contain Anxiety about the Coronavirus

The #1 tip is to be be very mindful of our own behaviour.

For example, when we hear that Disneyland and Disneyworld have closed due to the Coronavirus, do we tell our kids because this is important information that would benefit them or because it helps to alleviate our anxiety to talk about it with someone… ?

We need to think before we share…  Will this new information benefit my child?  Or is this my own need to share because this latest news has caused more angst in me?  If we need to talk about it, it would be better if we could talk to another adult versus our kids.  We need to be our kids’ anchor and not off load our angst onto them.

We need social media and screen limits too!

As with 911, we need to be very mindful of how much media we consume.  We will raise our anxiety levels if we watch or check on the news frequently throughout the day.  It’s important to set our own limits on screen time connected to the Coronavirus.  Perhaps checking once/day, in the morning, could be the limit?

Be careful with your own social media apps…Instagram and Facebook are full of images and news articles that people are sharing and this can inform but it can also add to the social contagion effect.  There’s also a lot of fake news and so we need to be sure that we’re consuming news from credible sources.  There’s also a lot of opinions out there, which don’t equate to facts.

Create a morning routine for feeling grounded.

You may wish to listen to a guided meditation created especially for anxiety about the Coronavirus.  It’s available on Insight Timer here.

Perhaps you might like to go for a walk in nature and breathe in the fresh air while focusing on the present moment…

Journalling is another excellent way of releasing anxiety and feeling more centered.

Yoga, jogging, reading inspirational books such as The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle are other intentional ways of getting grounded.

The more centered and grounded, we as adults feel, the more calm our children will feel.

Express compassion, patience and understanding when events are cancelled or facilities are closed.

In today’s modern world, we don’t have to be as flexible or adaptive as our ancestors did, but with the Coronavirus we do need to teach ourselves and role model for our kids what flexibility and adaptability look like.

Getting mad or frustrated when our plans change increases stress and anxiety for everyone.

We need to focus on the “silver lining”.  For example, we need to self-isolate  or socially distance but this means we’ll have more time together as a family to watch movies, play board games, do puzzles, go on nature walks, bake, cook, and hang out together.

Wishing you all good health and quality family time,

Warmly,

PS.  Thank you (again) for your votes for me and my YWCA Cause – Early Learning/Childcare for Single Moms/Teens,  I’d be so appreciative if you would continue to vote daily here or by searching up:  YWCA Connecting the Community Award on your other devices.  The YWCA Early Learning/Childcare program will receive $10000 from Scotia Bank if I gather the most votes for this very worthy cause.

PPS.  Also, for your information: Tonight (Saturday) the CKNW radio station is hosting a special COVID-19 update show that will run from 8pm-10pm.  I will be interviewed live at 9pm to talk about Coronavirus anxiety in children.

Further Reading:  How to Address the Big “What If’s” with our kids such as the Coronavirus

5 More Tips for Handling Coronavirus Anxiety in Our Kids