How to Handle the COVID-19 Pandemic As an Overthinker

With everything that’s going on in the world today, it’s difficult to find a person who feels perfectly calm and secure right now. It’s not only the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that is being spread — the ubiquitous uncertainty and fear that result from this pandemic are no less damaging.

Imagine how chronic worriers and overthinkers are feeling right now. Take the fear for your health and that of your loved ones, the insecurity about your future and your financial concerns — and magnify all this 10 times. This is the reality of being an overthinker — you just can’t help yourself and keep worrying about everything.

I remember the first phases of the pandemic, when the coronavirus just started spreading in Europe and the U.S. I was checking the statistics multiple times a day — how many new cases and deaths there were worldwide and in each country separately. Distressing news and the rapidly growing spread of the pandemic made me feel helpless against this global threat.

I started to feel constantly anxious to the point that the knot in my chest made it difficult to breathe. (Ironically, difficulty breathing is one of the symptoms of COVID-19, which was one more reason to worry.) I was in this state of constant anxiety for over a month, and at some point, I just asked myself:

What do I really gain from this news checking?

And the answer was obvious — the only thing I gained was the painfully intense, all-consuming worry. I realized that it was pointless as I could do nothing about the situation. It was time to end it before it damaged my health for real — yes, stress affects our physical health in multiple ways and studies confirm that.

So I simply stopped checking the COVID-19 statistics and watching the news. Guess what? Just in a few days, I regained my well-being. I was still worried about the global situation, of course, but I no longer let it ruin my sanity.

How To Handle the Pandemic as an Overthinker

If you are prone to anxiety and overthinking just like me, the key way to deal with the distressing situation we are experiencing is to limit your exposure to negative news. Hey, I’m not saying that you should completely withdraw from the world and ignore the pandemic updates. All I’m saying is to have a more conscious approach to information consumption.

• Here are a few more specific recommendations:
• Limit your news consumption to the very essential, such as getting informed about the social distancing measures in your country;
• Avoid untrustworthy sources so that you don’t fall victim to unsubstantial conspiracy theories and fake news, which can make you feel more anxious;
• Don’t check the statistics — the numbers will likely only make your anxiety worse;
• Take your basic precautions but don’t get paranoid;
• Set time limits to your news consumption, for example, check the news once a day for 20 minutes;
• Reduce time spent on social media.

If you can resist the temptation to constantly update yourself on the coronavirus situation, you will see that you should feel less anxious in just a couple of days. After all, there is nothing you can do to resolve this situation, so the only wise approach is to accept it and adjust to it.

Struggling with anxiety due to COVID-19? Check out the following articles from our community:

• How Can You Tell the Difference Between Anxiety and COVID-19 Symptoms?
• What to Do If the Coronavirus Health Guidelines Are Triggering Your Anxiety or OCD
• 6 Tips If You’re Anxious About Being Unable to Go to Therapy Because of COVID-19
• What It’s Like to Be a ‘Highly Sensitive Person’ in the Time of COVID-19
• An Activist-Therapist’s 15 Affirmations for Hope Amidst COVID-19