Ebola Anxiety

[Slammed Vdub]

Im sorry to bring up this topic and if you are sensitive to health anxiety then i wouldnt recommend reading all this.

So as long as i can remember i have had health anxiety and world disaster based anxiety. So, needless to say i am on edge right now. I would be fine if not for my dad telling me about the outbreak and the more i read into it (bad idea) the more and more feared i feel. The feeling of doom and just utter fear that runs deep. I know the media does tend to blow things out of proportion and make some things seems worse which i why i dont usually follow any news. I feel bad for those countries and especially since they are not as developed and dont have the proper tools and research available. I am terrified it would come here or anywhere else and i just cant get my mind off of the topic.

Any advise?

[trinidiva]

Not sure where you live,but yes,, it is scary, but most likely will not effect you directly. Please try not to worry too much. The media does indeed have a tendency to go over the top, creating and spreading fear. It is just like the H1N1 virus that had people scared senseless a few years ago and the tons of articles during flu season of people who died from influenza. Try to stay away from thr articles in the paper and stories on the news if they trigger your anxiety.

[Kuma]

My advice is to think about the REAL odds that you will contract ebola. Unless you are a health care worker in one of the West African countries that is suffering from the outbreak, and you are working with a potentially infected population there, your risk is extremely low. Indeed, I would guess your risk is MUCH higher of getting in a car accident on your way to work tomorrow - and it may be higher of being stuck by lightening.

Those of us with anxiety tend not to be good at accurately evaluating risk. But we can do it if we focus on it. So think about your risk of ebola. Is it something like one in a hundred million odds? If so, you should worry about other stuff instead. Life is too short to worry about stuff that has a one in a hundred million chance of happening.

[Jaax]

Hi Slammed Vdub,

I just want you to know you're not alone. Most people who have concerns like yours are caring, intelligent, creative types who are able to relate to threatening situations in a way that the general public might not be able to. Speaking from personal experience, and having gone through SEVERAL dire real-life scenarios (childhood violence, floods, fires, tornado, even a terrorist attack) I know that even hearing about these sorts of things can be stressful for those of us who suffer from anxiety. What I've found to help is to A) Avoid the news altogether (I know it's hard -- just try it for a couple of days) B) Avoid all caffeine and other stimulants and C) get out and actually DO something proactive. In my case, I use these situations as a reminder to go over my emergency preparedness kit supplies, and refresh anything that's gone out of date, like canned food or medications.

And regarding this latest Ebola outbreak, perhaps you could have a garage sale or other fundraiser to donate money to one of the organizations that's on the front lines, such as Doctors without Borders or Samaritan's Purse. I'm sure they can use every bit of help they can get. :)


Best wishes,

J