A man looks at a swirling shadow behind him with a worried expression.

Anxiety With Flu and COVID Around

I don’t know about all of you, but this new variant on the rise has my nerves on end. I normally try to keep my articles upbeat, but I want to be honest. Does every little symptom that you have make you think that you have COVID?

On and off

It does me. Between my RA and my COPD, every little symptom I have from the two could be COVID. So some days I feel a little worse and I think 'This is it, I have COVID' and on other days I feel great and think 'No, I’m fine.'

Some other things I have are allergies, an off-again on-again cough with sputum, sore throat, aches, and pains from my RA. I often get headaches, and stomachaches and I wonder if these are from my anxiety thinking I have COVID or if it's my meds. I had these things on and off before COVID but thought nothing of it before. Now I just can’t help but dwell on these symptoms some days.

Anxiety about the future

I hate this anxiety that I have. I do so well for a couple of days and feel great and then I’ll hear a news story and it gets my anxiety going again (not that I watch the news that much, I can't stand watching it anymore). Or I’ll wake up with a stomachache which gets my anxiety going.

I keep trying to tell myself not to worry about it or think about it, there’s no sense in dwelling on it. You can’t control what happens, so don’t worry about anything unless or until it would happen. I still can’t help but for my mind to wander and think about what I and my husband would do if we got COVID, if my kids get COVID, or if my grandkids got COVID. I can’t help thinking about what’s next.

Working with anxiety

My anxiety hasn’t been this bad since about 2018 when I started eating more healthy and low carb foods. Before then I was on anxiety meds but haven’t taken them since. I think it’s time for me to go see a doctor and get on them again. I try to do as much all-natural as I can with meds. Does anyone have any vitamins or supplements that they suggest I ask my doctor about? I was doing so good at keeping it under control with breathing techniques and essential oils, but this variant has me on edge.

I try to stay busy when I get like this by doing extra cleaning and exercising, trying to get my mind off of things. If that doesn’t work, I try to watch a movie or read a book, but sometimes I just can’t concentrate enough to even remember what I just watched or read. I also like to video call my grandkids through messenger. They always seem to put a smile on my face.

Anxiety runs in my family. My mom, grandma, and many others have had it. I’m supposed to be the strong one, but I sure don’t feel that way lately. I don’t want anyone to worry about me, but it is so hard to hide it sometimes.

Do any of you suffer from anxiety? How do you cope or what do you do to keep your mind off of things that trigger you? Please share in the comments below. Thank you!

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This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The COPD.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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