You can’t think your way out of COVID fear

We can't think our way out of coronavirus anxiety. Thinking looks for a reason why we shouldn't worry. Some people convince themselves that it isn't that much of a threat, and they reduce their worry that way. However, as the situation intensifies, it's increasingly difficult to use this logic to minimize worry. As the collective anxiety and fear grows, it presents a secondary risk, where the fear itself is like a cancer that can weaken all of us. So if we can't think our way out of it, what are we to do? I suggest stopping frequently during your day to move your body, breathe, or walk.

Don't call a friend until you've taken steps to get away from the news, until you’ve come back to some semblance of centre within yourself. As you find ways to continue to release the anxiety, to put one foot in front of the other, you can come back to an inner sense of trust and fullness that in this moment you are okay. This virus is an incredible impetus to drive us into the present moment. It can have us surrender to the present, which is actually the only place we're ever safe, even though we usually can convince ourselves otherwise. I've thought of many things to say throughout the last week or so, but as I see myself needing to stop, multiple times a day, to bring myself back to centre, to release the enormous sense of overwhelm at what's going on, I encourage you to do the same. If you have access to nature, go be in it, watch the spring birds, or sit under a tree and let the solid ground hold you. Stay strong.