Episode:
Fear & loathing in the coronavirus and what you can do to help
The arrival of COVID-19 to the United States has brought with it fear, loathing, and many other detrimental scenarios in its wake. We are undoubtably facing some strange and unprecedented problems in our day to day lives. Primarily navigating the mental landscape of social distancing, economic hardship, and fear surrounding the virus. As a result, these conditions have led to many individuals feeling helpless & uncertain of what tomorrow will bring. Like last week’s episode, it is our hope that our listeners can find some answers to ease the fear & loathing in coronavirus.
This week we welcome a new guest, Kyle to the show. Kyle has a professional background in psychology and is currently pursuing his PsyD and has many years of experience treating psychological disorders in various forms. Our hope is that if we can better understand some of the societal problems of human behaviour during a pandemic, that we can all make this a bit easier on our neighbor.
Kyle & DJ explore fear as it relates to loss of control, loss of resources, and the subconscious process of mimicking behavior we see in the world. Before the two jump into the subject at hand, DJ starts the show with a rant about the government’s failed attempts at coming to an agreement about a stimulus package to help the nation navigate the economic downturn of the pandemic. This has resulted in a stalemate at the time of recording. DJ points out that while this has little impact on the politicians that are disagreeing, the lack of decision will hurt the working class people in a dramatic way.
Kyle’s Advice:
Kyle invites listeners to explore their fear through introspection and rational thought. He suggests leaning into fear and exploring what insights we can draw from it, and how we can walk ourselves back from irrational behavior. Are we actually afraid of running out of toilet paper or hand sanitizer? Are we actually afraid of losing control? Or are those surface level, or reactionary thought processes?
Kyle also offers some practical advice for maintaining routines and social connection to weather these troubling times. He suggests time blocking, limiting technology, and finding fresh air (with caution). He also notes that this is a great time to explore new hobbies or crafts. Studies show that finding novelty in our day to day life has many positive effects on our outlook and mood.
As always on our show, we seek truth and understanding. We encourage all of you to stay curious and stay safe. we will all be able to see one another on the other side of this truly unique time.
Other resources:
Self soothing: LINK
Routine Building: LINK
Free Hobbies: LINK
Virtual mental health resources: LINK