I said CAS, not CSA...

Did you know that there is a psychological diagnosis known as Covid Anxiety Syndrome (CAS)?

From Very Well Mind, “Most of us were on high alert initially, experiencing fear and worry over the impact this virus may have. However, researchers have noticed that people were developing a particular set of traits on a larger scale.” Those traits can be fear of public spaces like parks and transit, testing every day, cleaning obsessively (especially with bleach) and other behaviors like social distancing from pets, feeling hopeless or depressed and watching the news 24/7, etc.

Anxiety disorders were first recognized in 1980. “Before this recognition people experiencing one of these Disorders usually received a generic diagnosis of 'stress' or 'nerves'. — Natasha Tracy, Healthy Place Now with treatment options, anxiety can be brought under control. References to anxiety date back to medieval times and at this time were treated with herbs and balms. Even blood-letting by leech was a treatment at one point (Ouch and Gross!)

The point is anxiety, also referred to as stress and/or nerves have been around for centuries. It wasn’t until Freud and the therapists’ couch that people began to use this as a treatment method. So how do we treat anxiety? And more specifically, how do we treat CAS?

As mentioned above there is the therapist’s couch, pharmaceuticals, and on the unhealthy side, drugs and/or alcohol. For CAS, it is recommended to practice self-care, develop a breathing routine to calm your body, talk about it and/or focus on positivity. (Arlin Cuncic, From Very Well Mind)

Those at risk of getting CAS are people who are worriers, have OCD, or suffer depression. I subscribe to a site that sends me an inspiring quote every day. This helps me stay positive and focused on accomplishing what I need to that day.

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” — Marie Curie, Physicist

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Here is a breathing technique that my daughter learned in elementary school and taught me— 5,4,7. Inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 4 seconds and exhale for 7 seconds. Repeat this several times or until your feel calmer.