What Is COVID-19 Anxiety?

Having anxiety about COVID-19 is normal. Typically, anxiety develops in response to perceived threats. Your body may recognize uncertainty, social isolation, disruptions in your daily routine, and concern for the health of yourself and your loved ones as threats.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed people's lives since it began in March 2020. The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is highly contagious. So, people had to change how they communicated with others, worked, and traveled. High positivity rates all over the United States overburdened hospitals.

All of those changes have impacted many people's mental health. In fact, from March 2020 to January 2021, nearly 76 million people were diagnosed with anxiety. The prevalence of anxiety grew by 25%. In comparison, from 2010 to 2019, 30 million people were diagnosed with anxiety.

COVID-19 Anxiety Symptoms

Anxiety is a common mental health condition that causes feelings of fear and dread in the presence of perceived danger. There are many types of anxiety, such as phobias (such as fear of germs, spiders, or heights), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

Those disorders share many of the same symptoms. Common anxiety symptoms include:

• Anxious thoughts that may be out of your control and worsen over time
• Rapid heartbeat
• Muscle aches and pains
• Feeling dizzy
• Trouble breathing
• Avoiding situations or activities that you once enjoyed

What Causes COVID-19 Anxiety?

Anxiety symptoms can develop in response to COVID-19. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, people primarily developed anxiety due to factors like:

• Uncertainty
• Social isolation
• Disrupted daily routines
• Financial worries
• Lockdowns

Specifically, uncertainty about the virus, how it spreads, and how to treat it may have caused concern over protecting the health of yourself and your loved ones. Additionally, staying home, unable to see loved ones greatly worried many people.

Many people lost their jobs or could not work, contributing to financial stress. Similarly, healthcare providers experience significant stress due to overcrowded facilities and exhaustion.

Some of that uncertainty and stress may have subsided in 2021. The COVID-19 vaccine became available then, and healthcare providers knew how to treat infections better.

You may still feel anxiety as SARS-CoV-2 evolves and different strains like Delta and Omicron spread through communities. Generally, anxiety develops in response to a perceived threat like COVID-19.

Risk Factors

Some people are more likely to develop anxiety due to COVID-19 than others. Risk factors include:

• Gender: Women are more likely to develop anxiety than men.
• Health conditions: Asthma, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, or other illnesses that might raise your risk of complications from COVID-19 may worsen anxiety.
• Pre-existing mental health condition: People with anxiety before March 2020 may have heightened symptoms. People with severe mental health disorders, like schizophrenia, may also be at risk.
• Career: Research has found that healthcare providers are most likely to develop anxiety.
• Low socioeconomic status: Financial stressors can cause and worsen anxiety symptoms.

How Is COVID-19 Anxiety Diagnosed?

Generally, healthcare providers screen for mental health conditions like anxiety. For example, they may have you answer questions about your mood, sleep, and eating habits.

Healthcare providers may discuss your symptoms with you based on your responses. They might ask when your symptoms began and whether they impact your regular activities.

Then, the healthcare provider will conduct a physical exam or order lab tests to rule out other health conditions. For example, hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland) can manifest as anxiety symptoms. The healthcare provider may refer you to a licensed therapist or psychiatrist.

Treatments for COVID-19 Anxiety

Treating anxiety often involves an interdisciplinary approach. For example, a healthcare provider may advise a mix of psychotherapy, medication, support groups, or stress management techniques.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, addresses what you're anxious about, like COVID-19, and helps alleviates your fears. There are different types of psychotherapy, such as:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): With CBT, a mental healthcare provider offers ways to change your thoughts and behaviors when it comes to COVID-19.
• Exposure therapy: This exposes you to what you fear to lessen your anxiety about it. Although, purposefully exposing yourself to SARS-CoV-2 is not safe, especially for those with weak immune systems. Instead, a mental healthcare provider may advise slowly entering public spaces, masked and socially distant from others.
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): A mental healthcare provider will teach mindfulness and set realistic goals about how to accept that COVID-19 exists while lessening your fear.

Medication

Medications help alleviate anxiety symptoms but do not cure anxiety. There are several classes of anxiety medications, such as:

• Anti-anxiety medications: These ease feelings of anxiety and fear. Some of the most common anti-anxiety medications are benzodiazepines, such as Valium (diazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam).
• Antidepressants: These help improve your mood and reduce stress. Antidepressants typically treat depression, but some people with anxiety may benefit.
• Beta-blockers: These alleviate anxiety or panic attack symptoms, like rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, and trembling. Some people with anxiety use beta-blockers only in situations that cause anxiety.

Support Groups

Support groups connect you with other people with anxiety and possibly the same concerns as you. Sharing your fears with others can help you feel like you are not alone. A support group can encourage you to work toward your goals and celebrate achievements with you.

There are many types of support groups available. You might be able to find a virtual support group if COVID-19 causes your anxiety. The Anxiety & Depression Association of America has a directory of in-person and online options.

Stress Management Techniques

Stress management techniques are activities you can do to take your mind off of your stress. For example, try going outside for a walk or a jog if you feel anxious. Or listen to a calming self-guided meditation if your thoughts get out of control.

A mental healthcare provider can teach you other techniques, like progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). With PMR, you tense and relax your muscles, from your toes to your head. That process gets rid of muscle tension. One study published in 2022 found that PMR helped reduce anxiety about COVID-19 and improve sleep among emergency aid station employees.

How To Prevent COVID-19 Anxiety

In addition to anxiety treatments, you can take precautions to prevent stress and fear about COVID-19. Those steps include assessing risk, limiting news consumption, and protecting yourself against COVID-19.

Assess Your Risk

You can take a proactive role in your anxiety and health by determining your risk of contracting COVID-19.

Assessing your risk may include looking into some information, Alicia H. Clark, PsyD, author of "Hack Your Anxiety," told Health. According to Clark, that information includes:

• Confirmed or presumptive positive cases of the virus in your community
• If you have been exposed to anyone who has been recently sick
• If you have a weak immune system or breathing problems that could put you at risk of complications from COVID-19

Knowing that information is not meant to make you even more anxious. Instead, you can use the information to give you a sense of control over your health and susceptibility to COVID-19.

"This analysis of learned information and how it applies to you is important because it puts you in control," noted Clark. "You aren't just a passive recipient of scary information but an active participant in judging what you're learning."

Limit Your News Consumption

Staying up-to-date on the COVID-19 pandemic, such as virus variants, vaccine developments, and transmission in your community, is essential. Still, there is such a thing as too much news. Constantly reading the news is not going to help your anxiety.

"Limit your overall news intake to once every day or so if you find yourself triggered by news," advised Clark. "[L]imit your attention to only reputable news sources. The more you expose yourself to a scary topic over which you feel limited control, the more you will feel anxious."

Stick to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and your local public health department if you are unsure about what news sources are truly reputable.

Take Precautions Against COVID-19 Infection

Sometimes, the most you can do is take standard precautions against COVID-19. To protect yourself and others from getting sick, the following can help:

• Practice social distancing, staying at least six feet away from people in public spaces.
• Stay away from people showing COVID-19 symptoms.
• Wear a well-fitted N95 or KN95 face mask in public spaces.
• Regularly wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating or touching your face.
• Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if you cannot access soap and water.

Know That You're Doing Your Best

Practice grounding techniques to calm down if your anxiety gets out of control. Grounding techniques are good distractions to help break up the negative chain of anxious thinking. For example, look around and recognize when you're in a safe space, like your home. Then, remind yourself that you're doing the best you can.

Comorbid Conditions 

Generally, unchecked anxiety raises the risk of ulcers, back pain, chronic migraine, asthma, and CVD. People with anxiety are likelier to feel dizzy, have headaches, or become depressed than others. Those changes happen in response to the long-term release of stress hormones.

When To See a Healthcare Provider

Consult a mental healthcare provider if your anxiety interferes with your daily life. People with anxiety are more likely to have substance abuse disorder, alcohol use disorder, and suicidal ideation than others. Therefore, keeping your anxiety under control is critical to protecting your well-being.

Consult a healthcare provider if your COVID-19 anxiety causes symptoms like:

• Constantly feeling sad or "empty"
• Feeling hopeless or guilty
• Being irritable or angry
• Losing interest in activities that you once enjoyed
• Feeling tired or having no energy
• Moving slowly or feeling restless or like you cannot sit still
• Having trouble focusing
• Changes in sleeping patterns (such as insomnia or sleeping too much)
• Physical symptoms, such as headaches or gastrointestinal (GI) issues like nausea
• Thoughts of suicide

Talking to a healthcare provider about those symptoms is sometimes uncomfortable or scary. Ask a loved one to accompany you on your visit. They can provide support and take notes.

A Quick Review

Since March 2020, the prevalence of anxiety has risen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consult a healthcare provider if you develop anxiety symptoms. Healthcare providers can oversee treatments and advise techniques for managing your anxiety.

The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it's possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.