Amid Coronavirus Fears, Here are Some of the Things We Can Control

At the risk of stating the obvious, people are scared right now. You don’t have to look far to see the signs of panic. They’re in the empty shelves at your local supermarket. They’re in your Facebook and Instagram feeds. They’re in the glares you might get when you’re having an allergy attack six feet away on a sidewalk (I swear I was just allergic to your dog). People are scared.

As someone who’s immunocompromised, I get it. I truly don’t blame you for side-eyeing my sneeze. Your fear is rational.

The thing that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, though, is the root of the why. Obviously nobody wants to get sick, and nobody wants to be responsible for someone else getting sick, but my theory is that what it fundamentally boils down to is anxiety around two things: a lack of control and a fear of our own mortality.

It makes sense — these are two of the five primal fears that we all share as humans. These things are inextricably linked but also feel easier to address than simply “I’m scared of getting Covid-19.” So let’s focus on what levers we can pull:

1. Stay healthy. First and foremost, follow the CDC’s guidelines, practice social distancing, and do what you need to do to feel safe and healthy. If that means staying super on top of all of the coronavirus-related news, great. If it means not staying on top of every story, that sounds good, too.
2. Focus on the attainable. Focus on tangible things that provide immediate gratification. Feeling productive can go a long way when it comes to feeling in control. Now — while you’re spending more time in your home than you ever thought you might — is the perfect time to do a little organizing. Focus on one room or one section of a room each day and clean, purge and donate, or take inventory. Here are some tips to get you started.
3. Check in with yourself. If you’re feeling anxious, give yourself permission to feel that, and reach out if you need a little help getting through it.
   
   Crisis Text Line offers free support 24/7 over text. They’re seeing major spikes in conversations related to the words “anxiety” and “virus” — you’re not alone. Just text SHARE to 741741 to get connected.
4. Plan ahead. If all of this is making you confront the fragility of life, focus on what you do have control over. I’m not suggesting that you’re going to die from this; I’m not a scientist and I’m not a fortune teller. But what I am suggesting is that one day, for one reason or another, we all will. Pre-planning is a critical and selfless act for our loved ones. It’s also one of the only things we have true control over, which can, in turn, reduce feelings of anxiety and defenselessness.
   
   It’s okay, healthy even, to think about your own mortality. Talking about it won’t make it happen, but it might make you more mindful, more present, and more likely to document all of the wonderful things about your life that you want to pass on. Consider trying:
   
   - Lantern, which walks you step-by-step through all of the considerations you should make so that one day, your loved ones will have all of the answers that they need.
   - Trust & Will, which allows you to easily set up a trust, will, or designate guardianship online.

Fear is a natural response to what’s happening right now; in a time when it feels like there’s a lot we don’t have control over, I urge you to focus on the things we do.