Stage 1: Skepticism

At first, I was skeptical.
“This is an overseas thing. It won’t get like that here. This won’t affect us”, I said. “How bad is this thing really going to get? Isn’t it just like getting a cold? Why are people freaking out? It’s just not going to get that bad,” I uttered dismissively.

I scoffed at people being sucked into social and mainstream media, which are so prone to sensationalising issues and I refused to let this increase my stress response to this emerging situation. People really need to calm down.

Stage 2: Attention

A week later my “what if’s?” started kicking in. Ok, this thing has my attention, posts on social media and radio commentators are making sure of that. Apocalyptical reporting is starting to make even the most rational part of my mind take notice of the headlines, of government issued statements and the food on supermarket shelves (or the diminishing lack thereof).

I saw a guy weeks ago with a trolley full of grocery staples, enough to feed a small army, or maybe he’s just purchasing for a restaurant my ‘minimise the threat’ mind said. But then I found myself what if-ing again, being catapulted into ‘worst case scenario’ thinking of a food shortage situation and so I started stocking up, buying doubles of things I usually only buy in singles. The more my brain said “what if,” the more it prompted worry, impulse buying and checking social media and mainstream media news on the impending threat(s). Receiving all this ‘threat laden’ information was activating the part of my brain well trained to neutralise threats and getting me to be alert and ready to go into fight or flight mode. However, my frontal cortex, the part of my brain responsible for making reasoned decisions and rational thought was in minimising mode and trying hard to not let my amygdala make too many irrational, impulsive decisions based on an increase in the volume of my anxiety.

Stage 3: Panic

“Crap, there’s no toilet paper. I knew I should have doubled on my doubling last week!!”

“This is insane!” People are freaking out for nothing. OK, not nothing, it’s something, but freaking out as evidenced by panic-hoarding is just too much, I say to myself and hear others saying to themselves and random strangers in the supermarket.

Ok what if I contract it, COVID-19 (cue scary background music). This thing is highly contagious and to some individuals in certain risk groups possibly lethal. I’m playing out scenarios in my mind of how this thing could impact my life, my health and the health of those I love and whilst I’m alert and cautious (normal) I’m not panicking (not helpful), but many people are. Not the usual cluster of panic symptoms I see in my client in my psychology clinic: shortness of breath, tightness of chest, heart palpitations, feeling light-headed and pins and needles in one’s face or hands and an overwhelming feeling of doom. This version of panic is mostly of the cognitive kind – the overwhelming feeling of doom kind.

The thing about panic and stress in general, is that it suppresses our immune system functioning. When I say DON’T LET YOURSELF PANIC, really try your best to keep calm and calm down others around you. Panic is a choice. We don’t choose the circumstance, but we do choose how we respond to it and let’s face it, we can choose to respond in helpful or unhelpful ways. An unhelpful way is to worry excessively, leading to panic. Consume unlimited gigabytes of threat-laden information from baseless sensational headlines to a plethora of scientific expertise on the virus as it manifests in communities all over the world and you’re on your way to an increase in your stress response. Add in at least six more conversations with relatives, colleagues and strangers and be drawn into their panicked headspace. High states of stress also can be shown as irritability or displays of anger (as seen by people fighting over toilet paper) but underlying this is fear.

Stage 4: Reality

What do you control? You have influence over so many aspects of your day, so focus on that. This will bring you the feeling of certainty in this time where some things are uncertain, and this will help you to feel less stressed. I try to flick over into this headspace ASAP to minimise emotional misreasoning and bring neutrality or balance to my feeling state. When we choose to move out of panic mode by shifting into mindful knowledge gathering, mindful organising and planning we are actively turning down our heightened state of worry.

Stage 5: Return to Normal

It was only 4 weeks ago when you didn’t know how many rolls of toilet paper you had left under the sink and when you had never valued or purchased hand sanitiser because hand soap and water is your thing. For the time being, things have changed. I like most minimised the gravity of the situation until my amygdala was prodded by the onslaught of sensationalist messaging and I started to pay attention. I’ve done my best not to panic. I know that overreacting to any situation is not useful to my health and wellbeing, but neither is underreacting and denying that this isn’t going to impact my day for the short while. I like most have had to consciously adopt strategies to keep calm and be in charge of my mood. I may not control the broad pandemic situation, but there are actions I can take to minimise my chances of contracting it and actions I can take to activate resilience to increase my sense of wellbeing during the short period of time that many parts of the functioning society we are familiar with is temporarily paused.

Like every pandemic before it, things return to normal for most people. To thrive through the pandemic other than employing rigorous hand and mouth hygiene practices and social distancing, YOU, yes you need to believe in your ability to cope with this situation. Enhance your self-efficacy. Believing we can cope with any adversity is paramount to bouncing back.

Last but not least, be the best parts of yourself. Draw on your character strengths of flexibility, patience, adaptable and resilient because the situation calls for it and in actualising these assets that you already possess will reduce your stress and improve your wellbeing. Don’t forget to also draw on the character strengths of kindness, helpful and understanding as others around you need to draw from your optimism and in some cases your physical assistance.