We’re all really stressed right now, right?

The short answer is, well, yes. If you’re feeling irritable, distracted, worried more than usual, and restless, you’re probably having a normal reaction to an extraordinary situation. The truth is, the current situation we’re all living in is worrisome and distracting. The complete upending of our routines is irritating. Sheltering-in-place is confining, and restless-making. So, yes: we’re all feeling some amount of stress right now. For different people, that stress will take different forms. But the fact of it – the fact of feeling stressed right now – is not just “normal,” it’s expected.

But there’s a distinction to be made between having a normal reaction to an extraordinary situation and having clinically relevant anxiety, which likely requires some therapy to resolve. What’s the distinction? Keep reading, and see if you see yourself in any of these statements:

If you’re honest, the anxiety you’re feeling now isn’t new. 

You were feeling anxious before COVID-19 came along. It’s definitely worse now, but the anxious feelings – the persistent worry, invasive thoughts, irritability, sleeplessness, distractibility, intense fear over things you can’t control – those are feelings you’re familiar with.

Your anxious feelings are interfering with your ability to function. 

Maybe it’s getting in the way of your ability to do your job well (beyond what we would expect from any adjustment to working from home). Maybe your anxious feelings are making it difficult to fall asleep or to stay asleep. Your anxiety might be interfering with your eating habits, too: loss of appetite, or binge eating.

Your relationships are suffering.

It might feel like no one can understand how you’re feeling: the intense worry, the preoccupation, the bodily sensations. You may feel judged or criticized by your partner or others with whom you’re close when your anxiety spikes. You may withdraw as a means to avoid these (real or perceived) responses from people, or maybe you wind up rejecting first, to avoid being rejected yourself.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, you are probably experiencing something more than just COVID-related stress right now. You may be a good candidate for therapy – short-term, interactive, talk therapy – that can have a profound impact on your experience of being in the world, on your day-to-day functioning, and on your relationships.

Again, we’re all really stressed right now, in our own way. Many of us are not feeling quite like ourselves, but we’re pretty sure we will once life starts to get back to normal. If you’re not so sure you’ll feel better once the current crisis is behind us, or if your level of anxiety is starting to interfere with your ability to live your life, help is available. I’m providing online therapy (also called telehealth) until the social distancing measures are relaxed. You can drop me a line to set up a free initial consultation call, to see if we would be a good fit and to get a feel for what online therapy is like.