During Uncertain Times: How to Keep Your Emotions in Check
It’s normal to feel stress right now. But worrying excessively can compromise our ability to handle challenges.
The Covid-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc across the globe, but it’s not just people’s physical health that’s imperiled: Our mental wellbeing, too, has taken a major hit in recent, difficult weeks.
Around 35 percent of Americans say their mental health has declined in the week leading up to March 30 — an increase of 22 percent from the week before, findings from the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index show. Forty-three percent say their emotional wellbeing has worsened, compared to 29 percent the week prior.
Our main concerns are fear that our family members will get sick (62 percent), that our investments, like retirement and college savings, will crumble (51 percent), and that we’ll lose income due to reduced hours or workplace closure (46 percent), according to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
It’s undeniable that these are scary times. But the good news is that there are ways of managing our fears and anxieties, redirecting our energy to what we can control, rather than what we can’t.
