Coronavirus Anxiety

By Kat

Coronavirus has taken the whole world by storm. After originating in China a few months ago, I feel like everyone’s world has been taken over and shook upside down since.

A little context first, I already have anxiety and I have done for a few years now. I’ve spent most of that time on various waiting lists, but I have perfected the old reliable breathing techniques and I have an impressive collection of fidget cubes, stress balls and elastic bands that I fiddle with all the time.

My university closed (after a lot of protest from us students when they said they were ‘business as usual’) which has decimated my routine and day to day life. I no longer get to walk to university, grab a coffee on the way, see my friends and then sit through learning. My day now consists of waking up at around half 10-11, and doing precisely nothing until midnight, when I collapse into bed, which isn’t really that ideal.

Social media is pretty much a no-go right now. My entire timeline has been Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing, Coronavirus, pandemic, Animal Crossing, death, bad government decisions, Animal Crossing. Which is more than stressful. At least I have Animal Crossing to disappear into for a few hours every day and pretend this isn’t happening! Every post about the illness flares up my anxiety, sometimes to the point of panic attacks. I don’t even really know what I’m anxious about really. I’m healthy, I’m not alone, I can manage to get shopping in and I have an abundance of entertainment to keep me busy during the social isolation period.

If you’re anxious about this pandemic, I firstly want to say you’re not alone. The loss of routine, the constant changing circumstances, the lack of going outside, all of it can really get to you and make you feel a lot of different emotions.

My next piece of advice is to reach out to someone. Text a friend, or one of your family members, or even message us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook! We’re always happy to chat to our lovely readers, and even more so during a time of crisis. Talking to someone will remind you that you aren’t alone, the world hasn’t ended and everything will get back to normal one day.

If you’re worrying about your exams being cancelled, uni sending you home, travelling, staying with parents, talk to someone! Send an email to a teacher, message your uni, get in touch with the travel company, call your parents, everyone will be happy to help you and reassure you. Having anxiety can be incredibly tough, and situations like this can make it feel so much worse, but you're not alone. Check out some of our other articles in the anxiety section and see if anything there might help you cope!