校园专栏-缓解焦虑 诺德安达学校的几点思考 | Some ideas on managing anxiety

实事求是地对待风险

我们的大脑习惯于接受一些听起来很吓人和未知的东西，并夸大了它在我们身上实际发生的风险。这是我们大脑固有的内置“战斗或逃避”反应的一部分。看起来巨大且无法控制的事物吸引了我们对更普通事物的关注。例如，冠状病毒引起了广泛关注，而每年导致更多疾病的普通流感病毒却没有引起人们的注意：因为我们已经习惯了它们。但是，最小化或完全忽略风险（否认）也无济于事。一定程度的焦虑是有用的，因为它可以提高我们的意识，让我们保持警觉——我们只需要对其进行防范即可。

避免过度消费媒体信息

不要每隔10分钟就看一次您的媒体订阅！控制您对与疫情有关的媒体和报道的关注。为了更好地了解这种病毒，科学家和公共卫生官员正在加班工作，并正在寻找抑制病毒爆发的方法。相信他们的工作和努力。如果需要更新，请查阅政府资源以获取最佳、最准确的信息。

利用过去减轻焦虑的方法

不管焦虑的焦点是什么，使用过去有效的方法来帮助处理这些情绪通常会很有帮助。这可能是自言自语，以理性的、基于事实的反应来消除进入您头脑的非理性想法；可能是联系一个值得信赖的朋友、同事或家人来解决您的焦虑情绪；或者可能是使用一些正念或冥想技巧。那些已经学会的，并且在过去为您舒缓过焦虑技巧。园艺、散步或跑步、听音乐或演奏音乐、素描、上色或油画都有助于使人平静下来，使人感到放心，感到自己是安全的，并且被照顾着。在这种情况下，请多尝试可以帮助您减轻压力和减轻焦虑的任何方法。当您感觉到病毒爆发的压力越来越大时，请记得，像这样的爆发在世界各地时有发生，这很正常。虽然它们可能非常可怕，但如果采取常识性的预防措施，被感染的机会实际上非常小。这些预防措施包括：

• 经常洗手（用肥皂和水洗20秒）或使用消毒洗手液
  

• 如果戴口罩，确保口罩遮盖住嘴和鼻子。每次使用后，自觉丢弃口罩，并记得在取下口罩后立即洗手

• 避免触摸嘴、鼻子和眼睛

• 咳嗽或打喷嚏时用肘部或纸巾遮挡，纸巾扔进封闭垃圾桶中后，立即洗手

• 尽可能避免人多的地方或确诊人数不断增加的地方

• 避免与咳嗽、发烧或在过去14天内去过武汉的人群密切接触

Be Realistic About Risk

Our brains are used to taking something that is made to sound scary and unknown, and inflating the risk of it actually happening to us. It’s a part of our brain’s intrinsic, built-in fight-or-flight response. Things that seem huge and out of control claim our attention over the more ordinary. For example, the coronavirus is getting a lot of attention whereas common flu viruses which cause many more illnesses each year are not: because we are used to them. However, minimising or dismissing the risk altogether (denial) is also not helpful. Some degree of anxiety is useful as it raises awareness and keeps us alert – we just need to keep it in check. 

Avoid Overconsumption of Media

Don’t look at your media feeds every 10 minutes! Take control over your consumption of media and stories related to the outbreak. Scientists and public health officials are working overtime to better understand the virus and are looking at ways to limit its impact. Trust in their work and efforts. If you need updates, check out a government resource for the best, most accurate information. 

Use Your Existing Coping Skills

No matter what the focus of one’s anxiety, using what’s worked in the past to help manage those feelings is often very helpful. This could be engaging in self-talk, to undo the irrational thoughts coming into your head with rational, fact-based responses. It could involve reaching out to a trusted friend, colleague or family member to talk through your anxiety. Or maybe it’s engaging in some mindfulness or meditation techniques; ones that you’ve learned and that have worked for you in the past. Gardening, going for a walk or run, listening to or playing music, drawing, colouring in or painting can all help to calm and reassure that you are safe and being looked after. Whatever works to help relieve your stress and reduce your anxiety, try to do more of that in times like this. When you feel like the stress of this virus outbreak is getting to you remember, outbreaks like this do occur from time to time throughout the world. It’s normal. While they can be very scary, the actual chances of your becoming infected are very small if you take common sense precautions. These include:

• Washing your hands frequently (with soap and water for 20 seconds) or use a sanitizing hand wash

• If you choose to wear a mask, make sure it covers your mouth and nose. Discard you mask responsibly after each use and remember to wash your hands immediately after removing it

• Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes

• Cough or sneeze into a flexed elbow or tissue. Throw the tissue away into a closed rubbish bin and wash your hands immediately

• Avoid, as much as possible, crowded places or travel to places where case numbers are growing

• Avoid close contact with sick people with people who have a cough or fever, or people returning from Wuhan within the last 14 days

纵观历史，人类一直都在与传染病斗争。在一次次的斗争中，我们诞生了许多时代英雄，也取得了一个又一个的胜利。我们要继续配合防疫工作，锻炼身体，放下焦虑，好好生活。

参考2020年2月9日新加坡多佛法院国际学校教育心理学家Angie Wigford博士/ IEPS有限公司的文章（参考John M Grohol在Psych Central上发表的冠状病毒焦虑症文章：应对恐惧的4种方法https://psychcentral.com/blog/coronavirus-anxiety-4-ways-to-cope-with-fear/）。

Throughout history, humans have struggled with infectiousdiseases. In these struggle, we gave many heroes, but also achieved one victoryafter another. We should continue to cooperate with epidemic prevention work, domore exercise, put down anxiety, live a good life.

Written with reference to the article by Dr Angie Wigford, Educational Psychologist for Dover Court International School, Singapore / IEPS Ltd. 9th February 2020 (with reference to John M Grohol’s article on Coronavirus Anxiety: 4 ways to Cope with Fear on at Psych Central https://psychcentral.com/blog/coronavirus-anxiety-4-ways-to-cope-with-fear/).