So things are going to reopen soon and perhaps, like me, this news makes you slightly nervous. Here are my three best tips for managing panxiety:
1. Everyone knows the best way to cope with everyday worries is to imagine apocalyptic events, but maybe these days that particular strategy seems moot. As your therapist, lifecoach, and physician, I’m here to tell you: don’t feel like just because a pandemic finally happened you can’t continue ruminating on all the other possibilities. There’s still a supervolcano under Yellowstone. Google could become sentient at any time. How about an extinction-level asteroid strike? How about Donald Trump having the nuclear codes? Great news! None of these things are any *less* likely today than they were three months ago. Go ahead and pop 2012 in the old DVD player and watch national monuments sink into the ocean until you feel soothed.
2. More good news: so far, our current situation appears to be missing several key ingredients necessary to end the human species entirely. COVID-19 does not turn living people undead and/or cannibalistic, for example. It has not generated a massive cloud of particulates blocking out the warmth of the sun, and it has not been orchestrated by an alien species doing a preliminary sweep of the planet. At least, I don’t think it has. I mean it’s crossed my mind. But you’d think they’d be here by now, right? So yeah, probably it’s not. I think we’re going to be fine.
3. Finally, remember that for all the vibranium weaponry and photonic energy projection and running and jumping and stabbing in the final battle of Endgame, it was ultimately Dr. Strange being in touch with his own inner knowing that defeated Thanos. Yes, I understand about Tony Stark and self-sacrifice and all of that. I know, he started and ended it all, he grew a real heart in place of his mechanical one, blah character arc blah. But let’s all be honest with ourselves for a minute and admit how clear it is that the entire film, and in fact the twenty-one other MCU films leading up to it, were based around a single premise: meditation will save the world. So if you’re feeling powerless, sit down and clear your mind for a few minutes. If that doesn’t bring you inner peace, you can probably think about the gray streaks around Benedict Cumberbatch’s temples and enjoy the same effects. Namaste.
