ADAA Mental Health Blogs for the Public
Why Can’t I Stop Watching the News?
We are living with unprecedented levels of uncertainty right now. How long will the current restrictions last? When we will be able to see friends and family again? Will the economy recover? How do we keep ourselves and our loved ones safe?
Telling oneself not to be anxious during the COVID-19 pandemic is like trying to tell water not to be wet. These are anxious times. The question is not how can I be anxiety free right now, but how can I best manage the anxiety that shows up?
Life in the time of a pandemic is difficult. Our lives have suddenly and dramatically narrowed while we try to avoid an invisible threat which has been spreading across our planet. And where there is even the whiff of a threat, there is anxiety.
I’ve heard from friends countless times that they have considered therapy, but their lives were just too busy for it. Maybe when they had more time, they’d say.
What better a time than now, when you’re safe at home 24/7, and likely anxious about the world’s current state?
A cancer diagnosis brings a wealth of psychological challenges. In fact, adults living with cancer have a six-time higher risk for psychological disability than those not living with cancer. Patients and families have to deal with not only the physical stress to their lives and potential livelihoods, but also with family dynamics and changes in their sense of self and future.
If you are like most families with young children, these past few weeks have been filled with playing simple games, such as who can run the fastest from one side of the room to the other, or who can accurately recite the alphabet backwards. When my children were young, their favorite game involved my hiding their stuffed animals in the house.
