Are you afraid of the pandemic again? You can do that

For a minute, it felt like the pandemic was over. Now that a large percentage of people remain unvaccinated and the highly contagious Delta variant is making the rounds in the US, all we can do is talk about the virus. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 numbers are nowhere near as high as they were at the height of the pandemic, the sense of fear is growing.

More than half of the new COVID-19 infections are attributed to the delta variant. Because this variant is much more infected, people who are not vaccinated become more ill, increasing the number of hospitalizations and deaths. This, coupled with the fact that people are returning to their normal lives and relaxing their safety measures, has led to growing COVID-19 cases and fear.

Here’s what you can do to help alleviate these feelings:

What can you do to stay safe?

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Sometimes when things feel crazy and frightening, it helps to regain control. Go over the basics of what you can do now to stay safe: get vaccinated, avoid crazy large crowds, and wear your face mask when indoors with lots of pedestrian traffic. Put some limits on people who are not vaccinated.

You should go on living your life

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If you are vaccinated and new cases make you anxious, still try your best to live your life. Go to outdoor restaurants or bars and hang out with friends and family you haven’t seen during the pandemic. While it may feel anxiety-relieving at first, it is important to regain a sense of normalcy, especially if we will be living with this virus for some time to come.

Don’t use too much COVID-19 information

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While doom scrolling isn’t a great option, sometimes it’s inevitable. Still, try your best not to increase your anxiety by reading about what makes you extremely anxious. While knowing the rate of spread of COVID-19 in your community is important, managing your fear is also important. Limit how much COVID-19 information you consume and distract yourself with other things. Leave your house at least once a day to go for a walk, meet up with friends, or enjoy the weather.