Our first recommendation is to carefully read Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 to understand how your thoughts and the words you use influence your anxiety. Then you can apply that information to your worries about natural disasters. The following sections show you how to make that application to this issue.
If you or someone you care about does experience a natural disaster, you'll probably feel increased anxiety and distress. If your distress is mild, Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 may help you deal with it. If distress is severe and continues, please consider seeing a mental-health professional.
Rethinking uncertainty and anxiety
The anxious mind tries in vain to eliminate all uncertainty from life. Unfortunately, living a life without a reasonable degree of uncertainty would result in more misery than you think. Consider the following list of risks, many of which you probably take every day. Imagine trying to live life without any of these risks at all.
Leaving your house
Driving your car
Breathing without a mask (unless a pandemic is active)
Not decontaminating every single surface you contact
Eating food that hasn't been boiled
Opening your mail (it could have anthrax in it)
Going shopping
Walking across a street
Riding a bike
Taking a shower (poses a significant risk of falls)
Of course, we realize that if you suffer from significant anxiety, you probably do try to avoid at least a few of these risks. But you're taking many such chances regularly. Even if you wear latex gloves every day, you can't prevent contact with all germs, natural disasters, or accidents.
Even though you may think otherwise, acceptance of risk and uncertainty paradoxically helps anxiety abate. See Chapter 13 for more about accepting anxiety.
Rethinking your ability to cope
Most people with anxiety disorders gravely underestimate their ability to cope in the face of unexpected challenges. They see themselves as easily overwhelmed and lacking either the will, skills, or resources to deal with adversity. For example, they say to themselves, "I couldn't stand that," "I can't take it," or "I'd fall apart if that happened to me!" Yet when they actually encounter what they fear, inevitably, they do cope.
In Chapter 5, we provide a list of five questions for helping you deal with some pretty difficult worst-case scenarios. We suggest answering these questions for your fears of natural disasters. First, we show you the questions, and then we illustrate their use with an example.
Have I ever dealt with anything like this in the past?
How much will this affect my life a year from now?
Do I know people who've coped with something like this, and how did they do it?
Do I know anyone I could turn to for help or support?
Can I think of a creative new possibility that could result from this challenge?
In the next example, a resident of Southern California attempts to answer the coping questions to help her deal with her fear of earthquakes.
Lynne moves from London to San Diego to take an academic position at the University of California. She loves her new job and the sunshine. Lynne rents a small apartment within biking distance of her office. One day as she walks across campus, she's surprised by a sudden feeling of unease. She feels like she's stepping onto an unsteady boat. The sensation passes quickly. When she arrives at her office, she notices that some of the pictures are slightly tilted. She asks a nearby student whether she has just experienced her first earthquake. The student laughs and says, "Oh, that little sway was just a tremor, nothing like a real earthquake. Just wait until you're in a big one; it's totally awesome."
"Awesome? Are you kidding?" Lynne trembles, her heart races, and she begins to sweat. She hadn't considered the reality of earthquakes in California. She wonders if she can possibly cope. She recalls having used coping questions to deal with her anxiety about moving. Now she returns to these questions to help her calm her newly heightened fears about earthquakes.
Have I ever dealt with anything like this in the past?
No, I haven't. I don't think I can stand this. Maybe I need to quit and go back to dreary London.
How much will this affect my life a year from now?
Well, if I live through an earthquake, I guess I may be okay. If I don't, then I'll be dead.
Do I know people who've coped with something like this, and how did they do it?
I guess about 36 million or so Californians have lived through a few earthquakes and haven't moved out. They must have accepted the risk and learned to live with it.
Do I know anyone I could turn to for help or support?
I can ask people I know about earthquake safety and get more involved in the local neighborhood so I meet some of my neighbors.
Can I think of a creative new possibility that could result from this challenge?
I realize that lots of people come to the University of California from other countries around the world. Maybe I can start a group for new residents. We can socialize a bit and have speakers about adjusting to America, including earthquake safety. It will be a great way to meet new and interesting people and provide a way for me to expose myself to my fear.
Lynne learns to accept the risk of earthquakes and the questions help her to stop feeling helpless and anxious. See Chapter 5 for examples of how these questions can help you ponder and cope even with the possibility of an unexpected event that results in death.
Going right at your worries
Exposure — facing your fears gradually over time — is probably the most powerful approach to dealing with fear and anxiety (Chapter 8 covers exposure in detail). We suggest applying this technique to your fear of natural disasters. Don't worry — obviously, we're not going to recommend that you actually chase tornadoes or set forest fires and walk into them.
When dealing with a fear of natural disasters, the best exposure strategy is called imaginal exposure, which includes constructing a staircase of fear and imagining the worst-case scenario (see Chapter 8). You can use imaginal exposure as an alternative approach to using the coping strategy questions (see the preceding section). Alejandro's story demonstrates how someone can apply imaginal exposure to an intense fear of earthquakes.
Alejandro lives in San Francisco. He worries about earthquakes. Rightly so, because San Francisco sits in a zone that poses a high risk for major earthquakes. Alejandro has taken all the usual, appropriate preparations, such as knowing how to shut off his utilities, securing water heater tanks, maintaining fire extinguishers, knowing evacuation routes, keeping emergency supplies, and such.
Nevertheless, he worries about earthquakes a lot. He jumps whenever he hears a rumble of thunder or an unexpected noise. His mind starts to dwell on horrible images of death and destruction, and then he quickly tries to think about something else.
Because he very much wants to continue living in San Francisco, Alejandro decides to see a psychologist. The psychologist suggests using imaginal exposure. At first, the strategy sounds to Alejandro like the psychologist is recommending that he do more of what's already scaring him — imagining scenes of horror and destruction. But the psychologist explains that imaginal exposure is different in a crucial manner. Imaginal exposure asks you to break your fears down into steps and gradually confront each one in your mind.
He tells Alejandro that he will hold the image of each step in his mind until his anxiety reduces by up to 50 percent. They start with the easiest step and work up from there. Figure 15-1 shows what his staircase of fear looks like:
Figure 15-1: Alejandro's imaginal staircase of fear.
Note that some of Alejandro's steps occur solely in his imagination, and a few involve taking direct actions. By the time Alejandro has worked through his staircase of fear, his anxiety about earthquakes bothers him much less than it used to.
Doing Your Part to Improve the World
A number of research studies have shown that when people ta
ke charge of challenges and do something active, they cope better than if they cope passively. Passive copers usually do little more than try not to think about what worries them — this approach actually makes things worse for them.
On the other hand, active copers look for direct actions they can take to make themselves feel empowered. No, you can't actually do something to prevent most natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, but you can influence the environment for the better and/or improve the lives of other people who are threatened by disaster. Doing either of these things is likely to make you feel less like a helpless victim and more in charge of your concerns.
If you decide to volunteer to either help the environment or victims of disasters (see the next two sections), you may encounter some difficulty or disappointment at first. Sometimes, volunteer organizations consist largely of people who've been with the organization a long time and who may not immediately welcome new members. It may take some time to win them over. In other cases, you may discover that your skills don't fit well with the group. Or you may find that your own shyness inhibits your efforts at first. So we recommend that you give any such effort the time it takes to get over these concerns. You can also shop around until you find a comfortable fit.
Helping the environment
Maybe you're thinking that you, as one person, can't do much to affect the environment and natural disasters. But when millions of individuals each take steps to reduce the wear and tear on our planet, it adds up. So taking action can help reduce your anxiety about natural disasters. You become part of the solution, not part of the problem.
First, consider all the ways you can decrease your own carbon footprint. Turn that thermostat down a little in the winter and up in the summer. Run your dishwasher only when it's totally full. Use electronic bill paying instead of paper. Change your light bulbs as they burn out to long-lasting, energy-efficient bulbs. Search the Internet for a lot more ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
In addition, consider volunteering to help with the environment. Join a neighborhood trash-pickup effort. Volunteer for a conservation project. Help maintain a public park trail. Get creative; you'll come up with other possibilities.
Volunteering in disasters
One way to feel more empowered is to become involved in planning for and providing service in the face of natural disasters. Your local Red Cross has many opportunities for volunteers. You can offer to answer phones, file papers, or provide direct assistance to people affected by disasters. The Red Cross offers training and education to help people gain the skills necessary to help others. Volunteering gives back. Helping others can help you feel more powerful and less anxious.
Chapter 16: Staying Healthy
In This Chapter
Looking at worry and health
Accepting germs
Taking stock of health risks
Keeping healthy
Contaminants in our food supply, poisons in the water, baby bottles that leak cancer-causing chemicals, stealthy antibiotic-resistant germs — have we got your attention? Oh wait, how about pesticides, black mold, asbestos, and lead paint? Invisible perils fill the world. No wonder many people worry about getting sick.
In this chapter, we talk about normal health concerns versus over-the-top health anxiety and worry. We point out that accepting a certain amount of risk is essential to maintaining emotional balance and a sense of well-being. We show you how to make an objective appraisal of your personal health risk factors and how to design a health action plan that makes sense.
Figuring Out the Connection between Worry and Health
Imagine that you're in a crowded subway. The brakes come on unexpectedly and the car stops in the dark tunnel. An announcement comes on stating that because of an electrical problem, there will be a delay of up to an hour. You hear a collective chorus of sighs and mutterings. Then you notice the coughing and sneezing. You realize you've been holding onto a sticky handrail that's been touched by hundreds of people that same day. The temperature starts to rise, and you begin to smell the sweat and body odor wafting through the air. You notice a slight feeling of nausea in your stomach.
There's no easy escape, and you begin to think that you may just come down with the flu or worse. And in fact, with all those people crammed together, surely one or two have something contagious. So if you find yourself worrying about illness in circumstances like these, you're not alone.
However, ask yourself this: Does your worry about getting contaminated in that subway car protect you from germs? Of course not.
Face it: Whether you're afraid of getting sick or not, germs waft through the air, oblivious to your concerns. That's the problem with most health anxiety. Worry doesn't help keep you safe.
The following signs indicate that your worries about health exceed the definition of normal:
You spend hours each day worrying about your health.
You frequently ask others for reassurance about your health.
Your worries interfere with your day-to-day life.
You frequently go to the doctor for minor symptoms and rarely receive a diagnosis.
You take unusual precautions to protect yourself from germs.
You feel that nothing you can do will keep you well.
People who constantly worry about their health are at higher risk for depression. If you (or someone you care about) lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable; have changes in energy, sleep, or appetite; and feel helpless or hopeless; please check it out with your medical provider or a mental-health professional.
Some people find that their worries about health spin out of control. They avoid crowded places. When venturing out, they wear surgical masks and carry disinfectants. Fear causes them to severely restrict their activities and interferes with their ability to enjoy life fully. These people have health anxiety. Some carry the diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that's centered on health concerns. Others may have hypochondriasis, a persistent preoccupation with their belief that they have a disease, based on misinterpretations of symptoms, despite normal medical evaluations.
We don't mean to imply that you shouldn't take reasonable precautions to stay healthy. You should wash your hands after you use the restroom, after contacting obviously filthy surfaces, and before meals. Sometimes public health agencies may issue warnings to wash more frequently or even to wear masks in certain environments. And obviously, if you know someone who has a contagious disease, you'll probably want to avoid close contact with that person.
But if you're struggling to distinguish between what's reasonable and what's not, please see a mental-healthcare provider who can provide you with guidance. Distinguishing between GAD, hypochondriasis, and OCD that's focused on health worries requires an assessment by a mental-health professional.
Recalculating the Costs and Benefits of Health Worry
Take an honest look at your worry about health. Does your vigilance keep you safe? Maybe you believe that if you didn't worry so much you'd end up getting sick. Or perhaps your health worries extend to family members. Do you think that you are somehow responsible for keeping others safe and healthy?
How do you express your worries about health? Is it by frequent trips to the doctor, time spent thinking about your health, or frequently asking others for reassurance? Whatever your personal expression of health anxiety is, the following exercise will help.
Carry out a cost/benefit analysis of your health concerns. On a piece of paper, in your notebook, or in your computer file, write about your own health anxiety. Then, in a column on the left, write out all the benefits you believe that worrying about health gives you. Next, in a column on the right, write out all the possible costs your worry incurs. The following questions may help you discover the possible costs and benefits:
How many times have I actually prevented what I fear the most?
Does my worry really protect me in any way?
How many times have I thought that I was sick when nothing was wrong?
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