After many people saw their relatives and friends becoming positive, they began to worry about whether they had also been infected:
They always felt sore throat, headache, and muscle aches; they repeatedly compared their own conditions with reference to the symptoms of infection; they couldn't help but take their body temperature and antigen ; they continued to stock up on more medicines at home even though they already had them...
Netizens called this symptom "phantom Yang syndrome."
In fact, this is a phenomenon of people's self-defense, which is a normal reaction . It is caused by people's feeling of unknown and uncontrollable about their own environment, which leads to anxiety.
" Life Times " interviews experts to analyze what "phantom Yang syndrome" is and teach you how to deal with it scientifically.
Interviewed Experts
Director and Chief Physician of the Third Clinical Department of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital Li Xianyun
Chief Physician of the Department of Psychological Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Zhongshan Hospital Ji Jianlin
Anxiety is a normal phenomenon
Anxiety is a common emotion, and anxiety in the face of the epidemic is also a normal phenomenon.
A study analyzing more than 2 million people around the world showed that the incidence of anxiety during the coronavirus epidemic was 35.1%. About one in ten of them had severe anxiety, and one in four participants had mild to moderate anxiety.
People who are younger, female, whose career and income fluctuate greatly due to the epidemic, suffer from underlying diseases, browse too much epidemic-related news and information, and receive less social and psychological support are more likely to feel anxious during the epidemic.
In fact, From a psychological perspective, there is no such thing as "phantom Yang syndrome". The emergence of "phantom yang" reflects people's psychological inadaptability in the face of rapid changes in the epidemic in a short period of time.
Behind the ridicule of "phantom sun" is everyone's anxiety about the unknown situation after infection : For example, teenagers are worried about the impact on their studies, middle-aged people are worried about their work, income, and whether the elderly and children at home will be infected, and the elderly are worried about the harm to their physical condition, etc.
How to judge whether you are overly anxious
In the three years of fighting the epidemic, everyone has experienced various "uncertainties". When faced with unknown situations, worries and anxiety are normal reactions, and they may still occur no matter how many times you have experienced them.
If there is a lack of correct processing of emotions, a substitute reaction may occur in the body:
- Long-term anxiety will affect and reduce the body's immunity with a chronic and continuous stimulation, thereby increasing the chance of viral infection and the occurrence of various diseases.
- Anxiety may cause insomnia. This kind of insomnia will not last for one or two nights. In severe cases, it may cause insomnia for up to 6 months or even longer.
- When anxiety strikes, stress hormones in the body will increase, and the pulse and blood pressure levels will rise accordingly, which will have a negative impact on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
- Poor sleep quality and excessive thinking may lead to premature aging symptoms such as gray hair, poor skin elasticity, and premature wrinkles.
- If you are in a state of anxiety for a long time, your ability to work, live and get along with others will be seriously reduced.
How to judge whether you are overly anxious?
Duke University in the United States has compiled a Self-Assessment Anxiety Scale (SAS), which can help you initially judge the severity of anxiety.
Read the following 20 questions and choose the answers that fit your actual feelings in the last week.
According to the results of the Chinese norm, the cut-off value of the SAS standard deviation is 50 points, of which 50 to 59 is classified as mild anxiety, 60 to 69 is classified as moderate anxiety, and a score of 69 or above is severe anxiety. Note: This is only a self-evaluation tip and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis. Please consult a doctor if necessary.
How to get rid of the trouble of phantom yang syndrome
Excessive tension, anxiety and other negative emotions caused by fear of infection will reduce people's resistance, giving viruses an opportunity to take advantage of. Do the following things in life to help you cope with it calmly:
Accept your emotions
Li Xianyun, director and chief physician of the Third Clinical Department of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, said that you must accept your emotions and understand that you have normal anxiety reactions due to the influence of the current environment.
It is normal to have some small fluctuations in emotions. Don't make a fuss and let yourself fall into a worse state.
Negative emotions will affect appetite and sleep, which may lead to a decrease in immunity and even delay recovery. Regardless of whether you are infected or not, you should try to maintain a positive and optimistic attitude.
Pay attention to authoritative information
Look for popular science knowledge and information from formal channels, learn to think independently, identify false information, and reduce insecurity.
I believe in science. There is no need to repeatedly test nucleic acids or antigens to reduce unnecessary hoarding and looting.
Rebuilding the order of life
Feeling of powerlessness, depression, and decadence may be caused by the inability to change the current situation. We can plan our lives first to increase the sense of control.
For example, maintain a regular schedule, do housework to the best of your ability, prepare three nutritious and balanced meals for yourself, manage your body through exercise and fitness, etc.
Try meditation to relax
Try to stabilize your emotions through meditation. Find a quiet environment, close your eyes, empty yourself, and let yourself enter a relaxed state. You can also do some aerobic exercise to promote the secretion of dopamine and help produce a sense of pleasure.
Communicate more with relatives and friends
Positive communication can help you gain psychological energy to feel supported.
For those who live alone, they may need to face various symptoms after infection alone, which will inevitably lead to loneliness. You can make a phone call with a family member or friend to talk about your feelings to relieve negative emotions.
While taking good care of your body, try to comfort yourself, telling yourself "you will be fine after these few days", or think about doing what you have always wanted to do after recovery, etc., which will help relieve the emotions during special periods.
What needs to be reminded is that must not blindly abuse drugs because of "phantom yang". If none of the above methods can alleviate the current anxiety, tension, uneasiness and other emotions, or if you find that the "phantom yang" cannot be relieved by self-regulation, it is recommended to seek help from a professional psychological counselor or psychiatrist in a timely manner. ▲
Source: Life Times
