Dealing With COVID-19 and Other Things We Can’t Control

Worry can tie us in knots.

Source: Public Domain

The U.S. government might as well declare Twitter a refuse dump designed to instill anxiety in the populace and drive up the sale of comfort food. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we have been bombarded relentlessly with headlines worthy of Cassandra about how the virus is spreading, killing people faster than ever, and putting the economy in such dire straits that no one is likely to get a job until 2044.

It would be naïve to think that the state of the world isn’t wounded. Being paralyzed by negative emotions at times like these is unhealthy. The mindset it puts us in impedes the ability to make substantive decisions about our personal well-being.

When we engage in worry, whether about a test at school or being overrun by the pandemic, we may subconsciously believe that the particular worry might signify the end of the problem. But we fool ourselves into thinking that gripping our hair or pacing the kitchen is a pragmatic solution to global concerns that we have no chance of reigning in. Being stuck in a rut of worry over things we can’t control typically leads us to make poor decisions. It is an unhealthy mindset.

Anxiety over circumstances we can’t control can be paralyzing. The frozen state that results leaves us wallowing in dejection. This in turn leads to procrastination.

An intolerance for uncertainty is what drives it, and few things instill more uncertainty than events beyond our control [1].[1] Ruminating on uncontrollable factors and forecasting negative outcomes saps whatever motivation we have and can spiral into hopelessness and neglect.

We can similarly delude ourselves that a problem doesn’t exist. For example, with respect to COVID-19, a vocal minority has spread misinformation that the virus is not dangerous as “the elite” tell us; that it is the result of 5G cellphone towers, and similar fantastic assertions.

Anxiety at not being able to control the pandemic drives some people to take solace in fantasies that the crisis is a conspiracy by outside forces. In addition to the harm from spreading misinformation, a conspiracy mindset merely buries one’s anxiety instead of letting it rise to the surface where it can be healed.

The first step to overcoming anxiety about the unknown is to accept that you cannot control everything. Try instead to focus on a goal that is realistically achievable. Being proactive can expel existential dread—replacing its energy by learning a new skill or engaging in recreational and creative activities.

My advice is to mitigate your consumption of the news by accepting that constantly checking social media is not going to magically end your worries. Making peace with elements we can’t control, whether big or small, is a necessary step for improving our well-being. It is most definitely a factor that we can control.

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