Anxiety and COVID-19
Anxiety and COVID-19
You have probably seen many Christian articles like this with a message encouraging faith and hope. The question is, are they just words to you or instructions on how to get through uncertain times? Do they seem like “religious jargon” or do they actually spring hope in your heart? The response we have to times like this will truly display the level of one’s faith. There is no doubt these times will test our faith.
So many emails, texts, and notifications all about one thing, COVID-19 (i.e., the Coronavirus). Banners pop up on the TV to let us know the latest. The news is full of stories and updates. This is all good, but it can drive us crazy and put our nerves on edge. How are we as Christians supposed to respond?
By now, most of us have been overwhelmed with the facts on the virus. If your computer, TV, or radio has been down for three months, here are some good places to check:
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
- Center for Disease Control (CDC)
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D., Director for the “National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.”
With so many sources of information regarding the virus, it is difficult to know what to do with it all, especially contradicting information. Now, with more businesses and restaurants temporarily closing, anxiety is on the rise.
Anxiety has its purpose. It informs us to be prepared for future situations we may or may not encounter (i.e., you are nervous about a dinner party at your house, which is happening in two days. To relieve the anxiety, you clean and organize the house and make a trip to the grocery store the day prior so to not worry about those details the day of the party). However, anxiety is not meant to rule us, nor is it possible to be prepared for any and every situation. At some point, faith in God must take over as we walk without worry (Matt. 6:25-34). You can have everything covered for your dinner party and something unexpected will happen. To be prepared for that, the first item on any list should be: “be prepared for the unexpected, be flexible.” We have seen the videos of many people running to amass and even hoard all kinds of supplies. It is very possible to have all the soap, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper you need for a year and still contract the virus.
We learn from Scripture to take the anxious thought in, to capture it, and be in control of it (2 Cor. 10:5). Ignoring or suppressing an anxious thought does not make the emotion go away. The energy from that emotion is still in us and emotions find other ways of expression, many times not so healthy ways. Sometimes, anxiety and fear are expressed as another emotion like sadness, depression, irritability, or anger, and other times as physical issues such as hypertension, neck pain, headaches, digestive problems, etc. (Feldner, 2006). In 2 Corinthians, Paul is instructing us to take the thought into captivity and be in control of it. With the power we have in the Holy Spirit, any anxious thought can be managed and controlled.
Paul reminds us of that we do not have a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). There is so much information and multiple stories regarding the virus, it can be overwhelming. We have an intercessor, the Spirit of God, who gives us focus and self-control when the world’s futility becomes evident in its hysterics.
There is a reality to this as Christians and that is we are in this too (Matthew 5:45). The virus shows no partiality. We are not exempt from disease or hardship. It is how we respond to it that makes us different. We respond knowing we have a Spirit that is more powerful than even death. He keeps us calm and in control in every circumstance. His influencing peace is on display in us when a world is in panic. The world will know we are different when it sees how we respond with peace, calm, love, and compassion.
If you think you are infected or have been exposed to the virus, people are being encouraged to stay home and self-quarantine. If you believe your symptoms are serious, call your doctor and get his/her opinion on whether you should go in for a visit or go to the emergency room. WHO states approximately 80 percent of cases are mild to moderate and recover. These are pneumonia and non-pneumonia cases. The mortality rate in China is 2.5 percent. For reasons unknown, children under the age of 18 years are less affected by the virus. Those children who are infected show mild symptoms (WHO, 2020). Hopefully, knowing this, parents can be a little at ease.
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”(Psalm 27:13-14). When the world is trusting in materialistic means; we look to our God who dwells with us in the land of the living. God can work through the supernatural or through man. He assists the researcher for the vaccine, the doctor planning the treatment, the nurse and family member who give the care, and the medicine that he provided at the beginning of time. Yes, we need to be prepared, but anxiety and panic cannot rule the day. God is our peace and strength; we look to him.
Dr. Troy Backhuus is the director of Member Care with OMS. He has been a licensed professional counselor for over 18 years and has taught in higher education for the same amount of time. He holds a Ph.D. in “Counseling Education and Supervision.” One of his specialties is in “Emotion Focused Therapy.”
References
Feldner, M., Zvolensky, M., Stickle, T., Bonn-Miller, M., & Leen-Feldner, E. (2006). “Anxiety sensitivity-physical concerns as a moderator of the emotional consequences of emotion suppression during biological challenge: An experimental test using individual growth curve analysis.” Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(2), 249-272. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2005.02.003
World Health Organization. (2020). “Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf