I recently attended a meeting where I heard Margaret Wehrenber, Psy. D describe the anxiety people are experiencing from the pandemic as ambient anxiety where we are bombarded 24/7 with news and social media that can create a constant fog of fear and worry. Some sources of ambient anxiety include political news, pandemic news, protest news, climate concerns in addition to a sense of constant loss either threatened or real.
I wanted to share some of the ways she identified to reduce our experience of ambient anxiety with the hope that it is helpful to anyone who reads this article
Checking on the news continuously reinforces fear, not knowledge, because the news is so repetitive, it makes it easier to get alarmed
Check‐in with news on a reliable source once or twice a day. In fact, try to check in by reading
Avoid conspiracy‐theory websites, bloggers, or other fear‐mongering sources.
Stop the news feed notifications on your smartphone for the time being, and turn off non‐stop YouTube
Use Apps: Virtual Hope Box, COVIDCoach App, HelpKidsCope (with trauma)
If you find you need additional help with ambient anxiety, please call a counseling professional.
Source: Margaret Wehrenberg, Psy. D, Pandemic Anxiety: Fear, Stress, and Loss in Traumatic Times.
