12 ms·

How coronavirus infected my brain: anxiety, the internet, and keeping up to date

158 points by karlicoss 7y ago

jokoon 7y ago
My country's subreddit (france) was already difficult to bear with, but the pandemic really made things much worse. It really got to me. What I'm afraid of is people who spread panic and are negative. I'm really bothered by people who keep criticizing the government over anything they can. Government are not superhero daddies. The news about the economy also seem unnecessary and irrelevant, in my view. I wish there was more focus on how third world countries are going to fight this, because I think it's going to be much uglier there.
- 101404 7y ago
  I very much agree about the last part. That is where the real catastrophe will likely happen, if there is no cure or vaccine found soon. But there is little that can realistically be done about it.
- Intermernet 7y ago
  The government of any nation, of all groups, should be designed and optimised to take criticism. Especially in times like this. If they aren't equipped to efficiently deal with criticism, then they aren't an ineffective government. It's literally part of the job description. Also, sometimes things are negative. The idea is to not panic, assess the situation, and enact the tasks that are most likely to be beneficial to the most people. This is the theory behind triage, and a whole lot of other, unpleasant realities. I agree with focussing more on third world countries. We're all in this together, and many countries just don't have the capacity to deal with what the next few months are going to deal out.
  - jokoon 7y ago
    Sure, criticism will be handled, but governments can't lose face either. There is a lot of childish criticism. I think people should act like adults here. Governments are made of humans, and scientists don't have all the answers either. Third world countries are at risk of becoming a new, worse migrant crisis.
    - Intermernet 7y ago
      A migrant crisis is the least important issue when it comes to third world countries. Massive death toll is the immediate worry.
- zo1 7y ago
  >"I'm really bothered by people who keep criticizing the government over anything they can. Government are not superhero daddies." But that's how they act, and how a lot of people expect them to be, so they have to. As a libertarian, it bothers me to no end that that's the case, but I don't think we should abstain from criticizing government. Especially when they also do have the ability and funding to solve a lot of the issues, but end up half-assing it (as the people you refer to are pointing out).
  - jokoon 7y ago
    I don't think I'm ready to listen to a libertarian during a pandemic.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- yodsanklai 7y ago
  > I'm really bothered by people who keep criticizing the government over anything they can. Disagree. I don't want to give a blank check to a government because there is a crisis. > The news about the economy also seem unnecessary and irrelevant It's totally relevant. We may suffer much greater loss (even human lives) from a collapsing economy rather than from the virus.
  - jokoon 7y ago
    I never talked about a blank check. > We may suffer much greater loss I don't think the economy is that much of a risk, when you consider the heath risk. As long as there's food, water and electricity, I don't see how the economy is a problem. If restaurants are closed, it's not such a big issue. I don't think there are problems of food security in modern, developed countries. And if there are, it means it was already being fragile in the first place.
    - yodsanklai 7y ago
      A lot of issues come with recessions. Hospitals get underfunded. Poverty generates problems such as addiction, health issues, depression. Crime raises. And so on...
      - jokoon 7y ago
        Those are caused by inequality The economy or money are not always relevant
        qplex 7y ago
        Indeed the more socialist systems (look at northern europe) are way more resilient to economic downturns. However a country absolutely needs to stay afloat in foreign trade, or secure domestic production of essential goods.
    - GekkePrutser 7y ago
      I'm already contemplating the point of life and the company scaling down our jobs is also not helping. The economy is a huge problem. And the lockdown is literally killing me mentally. I'd rather take a 1% chance of dying from the virus than a 25% chance of killing myself if this lasts a few months more. And I'm only 1 month in now.
- makomk 7y ago
  It's amazing how - for example - almost every country's press is managing to treat a global shortage of every single thing needed to test for coronavirus caused by massively increased demand as a unique political failing of their country's government that is literally killing people.
  - mercer 7y ago
    Treating it as a 'unique political failing' might be silly, but highlighting the problems of our JIT economies, and criticizing our governments about that, is in itself a good thing. From cursory reading it seems many experts have been beating the drum about these types of events (global 'catastrophes') and instead of 'wasting' a bit of money to keep stockpiles up, or implement other types of policies 'just in case', many of our governments have led us here in the name of optimization, efficiency, etc. I think it's fair enough for the media to bring that up.
    - makomk 7y ago
      One of the things that amazes me is that the US press has also managed to take their government's attempts to prepare for a scenario like this and twist them around to attack the government. For example, it turns out the US government had a really long-term, forward-thinking program to develop and stockpile cheap, mass-producable ventilators for exactly this scenario - and we're talking really long-term, with the design contract signed in 2014, FDA licensing last year, and delivery in the next presidential term. This is how ProPublica titled their article about this program: "A Company Promised Cheap Ventilators to the Government, Never Delivered and Is Now Charging Quadruple the Price for New Ones". [1] They literally took the existence of this long-term, forward thinking program and used it - together with a more normally-priced rush order of less cost optimised ventilators - to create a narrative of corporate and government malfeasance. [1] https://www.propublica.org/article/a-company-promised-cheap-ventilators-to-the-government-never-delivered-and-is-now-charging-quadruple-the-price-for-the-new-ones https://www.propublica.org/article/a-company-promised-cheap-...
  - GekkePrutser 7y ago
    Well look how the countries with decent healthcare are fairing, like Germany. Not many deaths per infected people. And the nordic countries. Look how Spain, Italy and France are fucking up after spending year after year cutting funding to healthcare ever since the 2007 recession. So yes it is their failure too. Maybe not totally as nobody could have prepared for this, but governments have been seeing healthcare as an 'indivual's problem' rather than a 'community problem' for far too long.
Fnoord 7y ago
Yup, and this is why it is a necessary evil that a website like HN penalizes the subject. I got cured from my obsession after I got the disease [and got cured] (supposedly, NL government does not have enough tests).
- tomerico 7y ago
  Just pointing out the irony of you being one of the first comments on a Coronavirus post, and claiming to be cured of the obsession :-)
  - Fnoord 7y ago
    Fair enough, but its relative. I was spending hours upon hours on COVID-19. Now I don't. 15 minutes a day, perhaps.
senectus1 7y ago
do smart people really have this sort of problem partitioning their brains? It doesn't matter what sort of horrifying stressful shit i read before going to bed... when I lay down, that stuff gets turned off and I focus on going to sleep. its never really a problem for me.
- opless 7y ago
  Assuming 'smart people' have a higher incidence of ADHD and Asperger's, you'll find the comorbids of depression and OCD etc following them. I learned meditation in my teens, so I can switch a lot of stuff off, but when I'm particularly stressed - it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid being overwhelmed. Imagine trying to go to sleep after being mugged or being in a car accident and having to deal with that adrenaline rush, then being asked to sleep. It's that kind of level of stress. Some people are just more susceptible to being overwhelmed that way. It's one reason why I avoid TV news, and Twitter ... Too many monkeys screaming panic
  - senectus1 7y ago
    ok didn't think of the ADHA / Aspergers/ Autism side of things... yeah those with conditions that make it hard to control input would be a problem.
- ta999999171 7y ago
  Are you sure you're not just less aware of the state of your body as its impacted by your subconscious? This doesn't make you a bad person, btw, just evolutionarily different.
lazyjones 7y ago
Why all this negativity? It is normal to feel anxious in this situation, to try to stay informed and to be confused about the consequences and necessary actions. You're mostly built to act on known facts and there are a lot of new unknowns right now. Refreshing HN and Reddit all day isn't any worse than gossiping with the neighbours (which is what they would have done 80 years ago), considering the circumstances it's actually much healthier. You will probably get used to the new situation quickly, like humans do, and find comfort in small things, like painting.
cirno 7y ago
This sounds very relatable to me with other topics. I have serious problems with obsessions in this vein that I believe to be pure-O (just the obsessive part of OCD) related, or in other words, an anxiety disorder. My mind latches onto things that are bad, and assumes that they will become way worse (as worse as possible), and it paralyzes me with anxiety to the point that I can't sleep some nights. I can't stop thinking about the worst possible case. Endless reading up on the subject, constantly trying to take steps to protect myself from the perceived threat. I hate it so much. I tried to take medication to deal with it, and it helped me tremendously to stop worrying so much, but the medication caused quite bad tinnitus (it is ototoxic), and I had to stop. I'm not discounting that coronavirus is scary, it definitely is. I wish I could take my own advice, but it would be far healthier if we could focus only on the present realities instead of fearing the worst case scenarios. If anyone knows how to do that, please advise!
- peteretep 7y ago
  Have you considered other medications? I take 20mg of Lexapro a day for it and it’s no exaggeration to say my life has experienced a sea change for the better. There are many meds to try all with different side effect profiles and different efficacies in different people.
  - cirno 7y ago
    The one I tried that caused it was Zoloft. I assume the other SSRIs will also cause tinnitus by way of raising serotonin levels. But for the brief week before the tinnitus hit, it very much felt like a sea change for the better.
    - peteretep 7y ago
      As I understand it, Buspirone might be worth asking your doctor about — it’s not an SSRI or a benzo, and appears in some studies to lower serotonin levels in animal brains. Anyway, worth bringing up with your doc if SSRIs are out.
  - GekkePrutser 7y ago
fxtentacle 7y ago
Since you're American, I believe that your root problem is that you have bought into the notion that it is good and desirable to be productive all the time. People then extend this to trying to better themselves by amassing more knowledge. Have you tried sitting alone in a room with no music, no TV, and no phone for an hour? It's actually quite liberating. And if you call it digital-detox meditation, it's fashionable, too.
- op00to 7y ago
  This has nothing to do with nationality. I work for a global company, and EVERYONE feels the same stuff no matter where they live.
  - lnsru 7y ago
    Well, panicking co-workers are bad. I have quite opposite. My manager keeps repeating, that this is just another flue. Personally I don’t care. Isolation isn’t nice, but as long as I sit home, nothing bad will happen. I am not cashier at understaffed grocery store, not nurse in failing hospital. Life is good, keep calm!
    - yodsanklai 7y ago
      > as long as I sit home, nothing bad will happen. As long as food comes on your table. I'm not worried about the virus (because I'm lucky enough to be able to work from home). I'm worried about the economic consequence.
      - lnsru 7y ago
        Trust me, food will come. The riches and puppet governments do not need revolts. Seasonal field workers will get 10€/hour or even 15€/hr instead of 5€/hr like earlier and it will be all good.
  - nicoburns 7y ago
    It definitely does vary by location. Within a company it may not, but that company's culture will most likely be influenced by its founders/executives background. Here in the UK there's a really noticeable difference between London and the rest of the country. In London it is considered normal to stay at work late until 6pm/7pm or later. In the rest of the UK it's considered normal to leave at 5pm/5:30pm. I hear talk of 70+ hour weeks in the US for tech workers in the US. That isn't too much of a thing here in the UK. Especially outside of London.
kome 7y ago
hey yankee, just chill ;) being improductive is also good. why are you being so anxious about productivity in the first place? survival, more money, glory? all fine. just take your measures and whatever makes you feel ok, life is very very very very short. a sneeze and you are 60 years old.
Protostome 7y ago
You're describing more or less a classic case of OCD, It's very good that you are able to identify the rituals/compulsive behavior that comes with it. You have to stop that immediately. Those compulsions are what's fueling your obsessions and causing your anxiety. You have to stop checking your news, disinfecting your phone, etc, and simultaneously stop avoiding your usual routine tasks (exercise, etc). I have been suffering for 10 years from OCD (hypochondriasis) which has debilitated me almost a 1/3 of my life. Only recently I got it under control with meds and intensive CBT therapy.
- op00to 7y ago
  Your advice is not good for people with health oriented OCD. The typical advice from health professionals there is to basically stop washing your hands for a period of time. Not recommended anymore.
sci_prog 7y ago
Are you me? Jokes aside, taking a break from the media helped a lot. I've come to a conclusion that no comment on reddit can be trusted because I wouldn't be surprised if the foreign countries spreading misinformation, trying to create more chaos in the States.
- marcus_holmes 7y ago
  This, well, this except for the US Exceptionalism bit (other countries are also affected by this). All I need to do is stay at home and keep myself uninfected (washing hands, avoiding contact with others, keeping myself healthy, etc). I am not needed to pass on urgent information to friends or family. I do not need to understand the science, or how it spreads (though I did enjoy Plague Inc). I'm not part of the solution, and I can avoid being part of the problem by taking sensible precautions. I don't need daily updates on the progress of the virus to do that. To the OP: I know it's tough, but you need less information, not more. The product you describe sounds great, but it's not going to solve your problem. Solving your problem will mean redefining your relationship to social media so it becomes healthy. That's not going to be something the social media apps will do for you. That's something you're going to have to work out for yourself.
emptyfile 7y ago
Had a similar experience 2-3 weeks ago when Italy, which is right next to my country, started blowing up. Going into "lockdown" and starting a new routine working from home actually calmed me down, just the notion of doing everything I can to keep safe and keep others safe. That first week I couldn't sleep and lost like 10 pounds in 5 days, most of my working day was refreshing the number of cases in my country and smoking e-cigarettes on the balcony.
HSO 7y ago
Okay. Now, please leave my head.
fergonco 7y ago
I am happy that I quitted all social networks before the corona crisis. I decided that contempt, destructive critic and all that were not the circuits in my neuronal network that I wanted to activate every day. Even if you have a very interesting timeline, you read a bunch of negativity mixed with the interesant bits. With the crisis in China and Italy I got properly informed in meneame (Spanish reddit-like site). I could prepare me and my family in advance. And the keywords are "in advance". It was very useful before the thing blowed up in our faces. There was a lot of important information about how the virus is transmitted, etc. Now we are all full of dirt and social media is about who's fault it is. There is nothing in there that can be useful anymore. Moving on.
- GekkePrutser 7y ago
  Well, I can't really blame the population for not taking it seriously. Even the Spanish government talked it down strongly. And to be fair, it could have fizzled out like SARS version 1 did in the early 2000's. This is SARS version 2 after all.
puranjay 7y ago
While I've been following all Covid-19 related news and keeping track of the numbers with near morbid fascination, I've found that being in lockdown has made me happier. It has also given me perspective on life. As cliche as it might sound, I've realized that what truly makes us happy is family, friends and time to devote to hobbies. I've been chatting with my family everyday, calling friends, playing board games with my wife. I'm producing music again, learning new things again as opposed to just being "productive". I used to order in food 3-5x a week. Now I'm making all meals from scratch and really diving into what makes good food taste, well, good. I haven't bought anything except groceries in a month and honestly, I haven't even missed it. I really don't know how I'll approach the world post-Covid-19. The thought of going back to the old life and routines seems a little absurd now.
- gpderetta 7y ago
  Having a 1 hour break to have lunch with my wife and kids has been a very pleasant change. Not wasting two hours to commute and spending that time with my family has also been great. And after a period of adaptation (and after buying a proper monitor, keyboard and chair), I can say that I'm back to being productive enough even when WFH.
  - 7777fps 7y ago
    I made sure to take the dual monitors, dock and office chair home with me when we were sent to work from home and I suspect my colleagues, who didn't do the same, regret that decision now. Seeing them hunched over their laptop screens makes me cringe for their backs. My setup isn't ideal (I didn't get the monitor brackets!) but it's a lot better than it could have been.
- ithkuil 7y ago
  I agree with the general sentiment, but: I have two small kids and I spend a lot of time just dealing with the chaos that results having no preschool, and then I have to work because, yes we're all in the same boat, but many people either don't have kids or have older kids, or have been in lock for a shorter period of time than where I live (schools here are closed since 23 feb). On top of that I'm a bit workaholic too, and I'm having trouble letting go some projects dear to my heart. The net effect is that the my levels of stress have really gone up. Yes, in the evenings I do feel blessed I have a nice family and I have a general feeling of happiness resulting from it, but I think I had that before the lockdown too (I think? how can I know ... it feels like ages ago) EDIT: I was working from home already; I now realize I was taking for granted things like lunches with the family
tilolebo 7y ago
I felt this way around mid-March: I was spending hours checking the news and Twitter and I felt unable to concentrate on work. After a week of constantly feeling worried and overwhelmed by the situation, I changed some things. I now check news online news once a day and watch the local evening news on TV. I managed to dive again into my work routine and stopped checking twitter every 10 minutes. I feel much better now. Of course I'm still worried, especially about the consequences of this on the economy (because it will affect a lot of people, obviously). My CEO keeps repeating a sentence that might sound dumb but which actually helps a lot: "Focus on the things that are in your control and be thankful for the things you have".
- draugadrotten 7y ago
  You may like the old Serenity prayer, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer and with music by Sinead O'Connor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LoZqvMryMs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LoZqvMryMs
DoreenMichele 7y ago
Inaccurate title. This person is not infected. The post is about anxiety causing them to slip into old bad habits, not about a brain infection. It's really more like "How a global pandemic is affecting my mind and personal habits."
- onion2k 7y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor
  - zkid18 7y ago
    I find article more clickbait rather than metaphoric
  - DoreenMichele 7y ago
    It's click bait. HN guidelines suggest the title should be changed in such cases. Your handle is plenty old enough to understand that much about HN.
    - onion2k 7y ago
      The title is a metaphor (or, more strictly, rhetorical hyperbole.) It's not meant to be taken literally.
      - DoreenMichele 7y ago
        Yes. I know that. There is also absolutely no way to tell that until you click into it. "Rhetorical hyperbole" is a fancy way of saying "click bait." Edit: To be clear, I only read it because I was expecting a medical piece, not the usual whining about First World Problems where so many people don't know how to stop wringing their hands about our 24/7 news cycle (which isn't remotely unique to the current crisis) and then don't actually want reassurances that "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine." It was a waste of my time. My father fought in WW2. My mother grew up in Germany during WW2 and its aftermath. The world has been on the brink before and come through it. The same world that was all "Meh, not my problem" when I was homeless also doesn't want to hear "The world can, in fact, get through this." So I find it hugely personally grating to read this overwrought nonsense, frankly.
boneitis 7y ago
Hello, fellow native Sacramentan (and the many HNers here finding this post relatable). Addressing your items piecemeal might get things started in restoring some balance. Or, doing something more sweeping... who knows. Anyway, if I may share my take on one of those pieces: > And of course, I’ve managed to mix in some guilt: > at the fact that I get to safely work from home, taking on less risk but not actually being able to contribute anything useful to the larger situation Understandably, one might very well be looking to do more. In any case, may I suggest the idea that you are, in fact, diligently doing your part by trying to not unnecessarily put yourself out into public? That's already more than a start. I'm not a particularly patriotic person. In fact, I'm also intentionally unregistered to vote. But, the whole distancing exercise thing is one of probably a few opportunities I'll ever have to feel like I am meaningfully serving my country. (Never mind for a moment that I'm running dry and have been trying to rejoin the workforce :) There are quite a lot of informal reports out there of the healthcare sector being slammed.
- jborichevskiy 7y ago
  Hello! (author here) Great point you bring up about doing my part -- I've definitely come to that perspective in the time since writing this. There are people much more skilled dealing with things and my job is to get out of the way and not make their job harder. Stay safe. I'd love to grab a coffee/drink once this all blows over if you're still in Sacramento!
  - boneitis 7y ago
    Of course. Pulled an all-nighter; I'll reach out later to the listed email. And you, as well. Cheers.
yread 7y ago
If you needed more anxiety: COVID-19 can do that in rare cases: COVID-19–associated Acute Hemorrhagic Necrotizing Encephalopathy: CT and MRI Features https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2020201187 https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2020201187
toss1 7y ago
>> ...at the fact that I get to safely work from home, taking on less risk but not actually being able to contribute anything useful to the larger situation Please note and take comfort in the fact that by staying home and taking less risk, you ARE DEFINITELY CONTRIBUTING something very to the larger situation by that act alone -- you are actively reducing the risk for everyone else. If we can also contribute other benefits, that would be a bonus for sure, but give yourself a break and don't add that unnecessary guilt to your burdens. Stay well!
- jborichevskiy 7y ago
  This is very true and I’m much more appreciative of that fact now. Thanks - you stay safe as well!
mcphilip 7y ago
I’ve been following the coronavirus news since mid January, spending hours a day on twitter and reddit looking at virus and financial news. There are days I take a break from it all, but overall I feel like I want to bear witness to the events as much as possible. I firmly believe the outbreak and the economic devastation are the most important events of my lifetime and it’s worth staying informed no matter how grim the news. I don’t recommend everyone do the same, and I definitely don’t pass on all shear weight of all that’s going on to my wife, but someone’s got to try and keep up with the zeitgeist and make informed decision for the sake of my family. My hunch is we’re in for some bad socioeconomic times, worse than most are predicting, and I’m trying to do due diligence spotting trends as they start happening. Ideally I’ll look back at this post and laugh at all the wasted energy chasing the impossibly fast news cycle... One thing I’ve been doing is creating a list of predictions about where we are headed in order to be able to look back and evaluate whether I was able to process the firehouse of news into consequences. At least that part is fun.
- mercer 7y ago
  > There are days I take a break from it all, but overall I feel like I want to bear witness to the events as much as possible. I've been an information junkie for most of my life, and over time I've taken the approach of taken (at most) a few topics that I 'stay on top of', and do my best to restrict going down too many other rabbit holes. In the past I've tried to ration all my information intake, but I've come to the conclusion that there's definitely a value to 'experiencing' things as they happen, even if it's mostly the online information firehose. The coronavirus being possibly (and hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing, makes it one of those topics. The one reason why I sometimes shy away from the 'full experience' is when I notice the topic depresses me or causes anxiety. With the coronavirus, for some reason, I don't feel any of that (yet).
- Trasmatta 7y ago
  I'm glad there are some people taking this approach, but I just can't do it. There's way too much, and the majority of it is fear based and predicated on incomplete models and assumptions. And it just feeds my anxiety with information that is rarely actionable. I also feel like there's a danger of getting so caught in the weeds of the day to day headlines that the bigger picture is somewhat lost, leading to less accurate personal predictions. So I'm staying informed, but mainly through local news (because that's where the majority of actionable information will come from).
gameswithgo 7y ago
sars-cov2 has actually infected some people’s brains, making this title a bit... awkward
zouhair 7y ago
That level of anxiety the author feels is what a poor person feels daily about how the next rent and food money gonna come from. That stuff takes a toll.
notacoward 7y ago
I know people like this. While it's good to stay informed about some very significant events, but some people just get sucked in by its gravity (pun intended). They obsess over every detail, especially numbers and projections. They can't get anything else done. Probably sleep and eat too much, exercise not enough. All signs of classic depression, and pretty much expected TBH. The advice I've seen from the therapeutic community is to check news a couple of times a day for new information and safety recommendations. Otherwise, do things that help you and those around you remain calm. For some people that might be productive work, and good for them, but for most it's a mix of that with other things. Don't feel guilty about being at less than full strength. And practice "anxiety distancing" to avoid making others feel more worried than they probably already are by themselves.
jborichevskiy 7y ago
Author here! It's been a few weeks since I've written this and I'm pleased to say things have improved significantly with diligent focus on my healthy habits, consistent exercise and meditation, and less infinite scrolling. Regarding the title: it was meant to be cheeky but I do apologize if it confused anyone given how little we know about the virus. I think a better one would've been `How Coronavirus Infected My Mind` but I didn't think of it then. Stay safe and sane everyone!
- vinni2 7y ago
  Ya it is a kind of clickbaity title but I didn’t regret reading it.
luxuryballs 7y ago
I’ve been tempted to do a week long phone and news fast while I am stuck here. Maybe I’ll hide my browser and make myself only go online from a computer like the old days.
- jborichevskiy 7y ago
  Even a period of a few hours of being unplugged has been so relaxing, particularly if done in the evening before bed.
freepor 7y ago
I try to minimize my exposure to non-actionable news. Once we went into total lockdown almost all news became non actionable so I’ve insulated myself from pretty much all of it. Just working through the $2000 of food we stocked up.
egypturnash 7y ago
so much stress, so little productivity despite optimizing my life around Not Going In To An Office, definitely relatable.
mancerayder 7y ago
I keep reading from here, "Gosh I'm working so hard all the time because I'm so bored and locked in all day." Folks, I think I'm crazy, or very different from you. I'm much more, "Gosh, I can't even BEGIN my work for the day. I'm drowsy, spending two hours daily chasing delivery, talking to family overseas because I'm 6 hours behind and they're around during my work day, and WORK IS MEANINGLESS." And I like my job!
- enchiridion 7y ago
  This is similar to what was happening with me too. Someone had to basically say "get to work now". So maybe it will help you to hear too. Sit down, make a list, work through it.
closeparen 7y ago
I'm so worried about what lockdown is doing to my mental state that I'm taking better care of myself than ever, and actually coming out ahead. Running three days a week is now a delightful excuse to get outside, rather than a chore. Strength training with bodyweight and exercise bands at requires less activation energy / admits fewer excuses than going to the gym. Cooking at home is now the only real option, instead of something I just feel guilty about not doing. Accidentally working 24x7 is such a real threat that I'm deliberately ending my day, switching to the other side of the kitchen table, and working on my own stuff. Usually I would get home and still be in a half on / half off state, surfing Reddit and work email at the same time. I do find that media about the pandemic delivers a lot of anxiety and little signal. I'm keeping it down to a quick glance over NYT for anything urgent, and otherwise just bite-sized chunks of The Economist daily at breakfast, plus an episode of This Week In Virology on the weekends. It seems like a decent balance.
- jborichevskiy 7y ago
  Sounds like you've got a pretty good routine established. Have also noticed runs becoming a highlight as well.
- GekkePrutser 7y ago
  Yeah well at least you can go out to run. Here in Spain we're completely imprisoned :( It's a nightmare and really detrimental to our health (especially mental). I'm actually trying to work 24/7 as much as possible because it keeps the anxiety at bay a bit.. But there's 4 days off from tomorrow which is going to be the hardest yet. And the government just announced they want to extend it until at least the 10th of May.
  - closeparen 7y ago
    I assume that's coming for us too; want to use my freedom while I still have it.
    - GekkePrutser 7y ago
      You're right :'( The day the lockdown was announced I was gearing up for a big walk in the mountains but people were already getting scared and my friends advised me not to go.. Which I followed. I soo regret not going now. Make the most of it while you can!
Avalaxy 7y ago
This title is clickbait. Some viruses _can_ actually infect your brain, as I first-hand witnessed by having half my face paralyzed for a month last year. Being obsessed with the news has nothing to do with that. In times where there is already a lot of panic-spreading of medical nonsense, please just keep the headlines accurate.
twomoretime 7y ago
This is a good time to learn to practice meditation. I recommend the Waking Up app by Sam Harris. It's a good guide for someone trying to learn.
deleted 7y ago
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jdnordy 7y ago
it's been pretty rough. I'm currently part of a software engineering immersive program for the sake of a career change. In three weeks, I'll be job hunting to get a job to support my wife and I. The job market has my feeling pretty anxious right now.
pinopinopino 7y ago
I really enjoy the lock down, I walk in nature, have time for the kids. The air is cleaner and there are a shitload of birds. I dunno, I am not anxious at all. I don't want to go back to the previous state either. I also stopped buying crap I don't need anyway. Stopped drinking. EDIT: I have to state, we are not in full lockdown. We are allowed to walk around outside, as long as we don't have close contact with others. We have been in lockdown for 3 weeks now.
FabricioFFC 6y ago
I usually don't watch the news, but after covid-19 I've started to follow a similar pattern as you. But in the second week, I felt very anxious and too much worried, imaging many outcomes that this disease could bring to my family and me. So I decided to stop to consume news and to try to put in practice a knowledge that is very difficult to practice: "don't care about things that are out of your control." So since then, I am avoiding the news, practicing social distance, and helping my family to do the same and trying to keep my work and studies. The only thing about the pandemia that every day I search on google is: "coronavirus cure". To know about new vaccines and medications that are under test.

158 points by karlicoss 7y ago

My country's subreddit (france) was already difficult to bear with, but the pandemic really made things much worse. It really got to me. What I'm afraid of is people who spread panic and are negative. I'm really bothered by people who keep criticizing the government over anything they can. Government are not superhero daddies. The news about the economy also seem unnecessary and irrelevant, in my view. I wish there was more focus on how third world countries are going to fight this, because I think it's going to be much uglier there.

101404 7y ago
I very much agree about the last part. That is where the real catastrophe will likely happen, if there is no cure or vaccine found soon. But there is little that can realistically be done about it.
Intermernet 7y ago
The government of any nation, of all groups, should be designed and optimised to take criticism. Especially in times like this. If they aren't equipped to efficiently deal with criticism, then they aren't an ineffective government. It's literally part of the job description. Also, sometimes things are negative. The idea is to not panic, assess the situation, and enact the tasks that are most likely to be beneficial to the most people. This is the theory behind triage, and a whole lot of other, unpleasant realities. I agree with focussing more on third world countries. We're all in this together, and many countries just don't have the capacity to deal with what the next few months are going to deal out.
- jokoon 7y ago
  Sure, criticism will be handled, but governments can't lose face either. There is a lot of childish criticism. I think people should act like adults here. Governments are made of humans, and scientists don't have all the answers either. Third world countries are at risk of becoming a new, worse migrant crisis.
  - Intermernet 7y ago
    A migrant crisis is the least important issue when it comes to third world countries. Massive death toll is the immediate worry.
zo1 7y ago
>"I'm really bothered by people who keep criticizing the government over anything they can. Government are not superhero daddies." But that's how they act, and how a lot of people expect them to be, so they have to. As a libertarian, it bothers me to no end that that's the case, but I don't think we should abstain from criticizing government. Especially when they also do have the ability and funding to solve a lot of the issues, but end up half-assing it (as the people you refer to are pointing out).
- jokoon 7y ago
  I don't think I'm ready to listen to a libertarian during a pandemic.
deleted 7y ago
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yodsanklai 7y ago
> I'm really bothered by people who keep criticizing the government over anything they can. Disagree. I don't want to give a blank check to a government because there is a crisis. > The news about the economy also seem unnecessary and irrelevant It's totally relevant. We may suffer much greater loss (even human lives) from a collapsing economy rather than from the virus.
- jokoon 7y ago
  I never talked about a blank check. > We may suffer much greater loss I don't think the economy is that much of a risk, when you consider the heath risk. As long as there's food, water and electricity, I don't see how the economy is a problem. If restaurants are closed, it's not such a big issue. I don't think there are problems of food security in modern, developed countries. And if there are, it means it was already being fragile in the first place.
  - yodsanklai 7y ago
    A lot of issues come with recessions. Hospitals get underfunded. Poverty generates problems such as addiction, health issues, depression. Crime raises. And so on...
    - jokoon 7y ago
      Those are caused by inequality The economy or money are not always relevant
      - qplex 7y ago
        Indeed the more socialist systems (look at northern europe) are way more resilient to economic downturns. However a country absolutely needs to stay afloat in foreign trade, or secure domestic production of essential goods.
  - GekkePrutser 7y ago
    I'm already contemplating the point of life and the company scaling down our jobs is also not helping. The economy is a huge problem. And the lockdown is literally killing me mentally. I'd rather take a 1% chance of dying from the virus than a 25% chance of killing myself if this lasts a few months more. And I'm only 1 month in now.
makomk 7y ago
It's amazing how - for example - almost every country's press is managing to treat a global shortage of every single thing needed to test for coronavirus caused by massively increased demand as a unique political failing of their country's government that is literally killing people.
- mercer 7y ago
  Treating it as a 'unique political failing' might be silly, but highlighting the problems of our JIT economies, and criticizing our governments about that, is in itself a good thing. From cursory reading it seems many experts have been beating the drum about these types of events (global 'catastrophes') and instead of 'wasting' a bit of money to keep stockpiles up, or implement other types of policies 'just in case', many of our governments have led us here in the name of optimization, efficiency, etc. I think it's fair enough for the media to bring that up.
  - makomk 7y ago
    One of the things that amazes me is that the US press has also managed to take their government's attempts to prepare for a scenario like this and twist them around to attack the government. For example, it turns out the US government had a really long-term, forward-thinking program to develop and stockpile cheap, mass-producable ventilators for exactly this scenario - and we're talking really long-term, with the design contract signed in 2014, FDA licensing last year, and delivery in the next presidential term. This is how ProPublica titled their article about this program: "A Company Promised Cheap Ventilators to the Government, Never Delivered and Is Now Charging Quadruple the Price for New Ones". [1] They literally took the existence of this long-term, forward thinking program and used it - together with a more normally-priced rush order of less cost optimised ventilators - to create a narrative of corporate and government malfeasance. [1] https://www.propublica.org/article/a-company-promised-cheap-ventilators-to-the-government-never-delivered-and-is-now-charging-quadruple-the-price-for-the-new-ones https://www.propublica.org/article/a-company-promised-cheap-...
- GekkePrutser 7y ago
  Well look how the countries with decent healthcare are fairing, like Germany. Not many deaths per infected people. And the nordic countries. Look how Spain, Italy and France are fucking up after spending year after year cutting funding to healthcare ever since the 2007 recession. So yes it is their failure too. Maybe not totally as nobody could have prepared for this, but governments have been seeing healthcare as an 'indivual's problem' rather than a 'community problem' for far too long.

Fnoord 7y ago

Yup, and this is why it is a necessary evil that a website like HN penalizes the subject. I got cured from my obsession after I got the disease [and got cured] (supposedly, NL government does not have enough tests).

tomerico 7y ago
Just pointing out the irony of you being one of the first comments on a Coronavirus post, and claiming to be cured of the obsession :-)
- Fnoord 7y ago
  Fair enough, but its relative. I was spending hours upon hours on COVID-19. Now I don't. 15 minutes a day, perhaps.

senectus1 7y ago

do smart people really have this sort of problem partitioning their brains? It doesn't matter what sort of horrifying stressful shit i read before going to bed... when I lay down, that stuff gets turned off and I focus on going to sleep. its never really a problem for me.

opless 7y ago
Assuming 'smart people' have a higher incidence of ADHD and Asperger's, you'll find the comorbids of depression and OCD etc following them. I learned meditation in my teens, so I can switch a lot of stuff off, but when I'm particularly stressed - it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid being overwhelmed. Imagine trying to go to sleep after being mugged or being in a car accident and having to deal with that adrenaline rush, then being asked to sleep. It's that kind of level of stress. Some people are just more susceptible to being overwhelmed that way. It's one reason why I avoid TV news, and Twitter ... Too many monkeys screaming panic
- senectus1 7y ago
  ok didn't think of the ADHA / Aspergers/ Autism side of things... yeah those with conditions that make it hard to control input would be a problem.
ta999999171 7y ago
Are you sure you're not just less aware of the state of your body as its impacted by your subconscious? This doesn't make you a bad person, btw, just evolutionarily different.

lazyjones 7y ago

Why all this negativity? It is normal to feel anxious in this situation, to try to stay informed and to be confused about the consequences and necessary actions. You're mostly built to act on known facts and there are a lot of new unknowns right now. Refreshing HN and Reddit all day isn't any worse than gossiping with the neighbours (which is what they would have done 80 years ago), considering the circumstances it's actually much healthier. You will probably get used to the new situation quickly, like humans do, and find comfort in small things, like painting.

cirno 7y ago

This sounds very relatable to me with other topics. I have serious problems with obsessions in this vein that I believe to be pure-O (just the obsessive part of OCD) related, or in other words, an anxiety disorder. My mind latches onto things that are bad, and assumes that they will become way worse (as worse as possible), and it paralyzes me with anxiety to the point that I can't sleep some nights. I can't stop thinking about the worst possible case. Endless reading up on the subject, constantly trying to take steps to protect myself from the perceived threat. I hate it so much. I tried to take medication to deal with it, and it helped me tremendously to stop worrying so much, but the medication caused quite bad tinnitus (it is ototoxic), and I had to stop. I'm not discounting that coronavirus is scary, it definitely is. I wish I could take my own advice, but it would be far healthier if we could focus only on the present realities instead of fearing the worst case scenarios. If anyone knows how to do that, please advise!

peteretep 7y ago
Have you considered other medications? I take 20mg of Lexapro a day for it and it’s no exaggeration to say my life has experienced a sea change for the better. There are many meds to try all with different side effect profiles and different efficacies in different people.
- cirno 7y ago
  The one I tried that caused it was Zoloft. I assume the other SSRIs will also cause tinnitus by way of raising serotonin levels. But for the brief week before the tinnitus hit, it very much felt like a sea change for the better.
  - peteretep 7y ago
    As I understand it, Buspirone might be worth asking your doctor about — it’s not an SSRI or a benzo, and appears in some studies to lower serotonin levels in animal brains. Anyway, worth bringing up with your doc if SSRIs are out.
- GekkePrutser 7y ago

fxtentacle 7y ago

Since you're American, I believe that your root problem is that you have bought into the notion that it is good and desirable to be productive all the time. People then extend this to trying to better themselves by amassing more knowledge. Have you tried sitting alone in a room with no music, no TV, and no phone for an hour? It's actually quite liberating. And if you call it digital-detox meditation, it's fashionable, too.

op00to 7y ago
This has nothing to do with nationality. I work for a global company, and EVERYONE feels the same stuff no matter where they live.
- lnsru 7y ago
  Well, panicking co-workers are bad. I have quite opposite. My manager keeps repeating, that this is just another flue. Personally I don’t care. Isolation isn’t nice, but as long as I sit home, nothing bad will happen. I am not cashier at understaffed grocery store, not nurse in failing hospital. Life is good, keep calm!
  - yodsanklai 7y ago
    > as long as I sit home, nothing bad will happen. As long as food comes on your table. I'm not worried about the virus (because I'm lucky enough to be able to work from home). I'm worried about the economic consequence.
    - lnsru 7y ago
      Trust me, food will come. The riches and puppet governments do not need revolts. Seasonal field workers will get 10€/hour or even 15€/hr instead of 5€/hr like earlier and it will be all good.
- nicoburns 7y ago
  It definitely does vary by location. Within a company it may not, but that company's culture will most likely be influenced by its founders/executives background. Here in the UK there's a really noticeable difference between London and the rest of the country. In London it is considered normal to stay at work late until 6pm/7pm or later. In the rest of the UK it's considered normal to leave at 5pm/5:30pm. I hear talk of 70+ hour weeks in the US for tech workers in the US. That isn't too much of a thing here in the UK. Especially outside of London.

kome 7y ago

hey yankee, just chill ;) being improductive is also good. why are you being so anxious about productivity in the first place? survival, more money, glory? all fine. just take your measures and whatever makes you feel ok, life is very very very very short. a sneeze and you are 60 years old.

Protostome 7y ago

You're describing more or less a classic case of OCD, It's very good that you are able to identify the rituals/compulsive behavior that comes with it. You have to stop that immediately. Those compulsions are what's fueling your obsessions and causing your anxiety. You have to stop checking your news, disinfecting your phone, etc, and simultaneously stop avoiding your usual routine tasks (exercise, etc). I have been suffering for 10 years from OCD (hypochondriasis) which has debilitated me almost a 1/3 of my life. Only recently I got it under control with meds and intensive CBT therapy.

op00to 7y ago
Your advice is not good for people with health oriented OCD. The typical advice from health professionals there is to basically stop washing your hands for a period of time. Not recommended anymore.

sci_prog 7y ago

Are you me? Jokes aside, taking a break from the media helped a lot. I've come to a conclusion that no comment on reddit can be trusted because I wouldn't be surprised if the foreign countries spreading misinformation, trying to create more chaos in the States.

marcus_holmes 7y ago
This, well, this except for the US Exceptionalism bit (other countries are also affected by this). All I need to do is stay at home and keep myself uninfected (washing hands, avoiding contact with others, keeping myself healthy, etc). I am not needed to pass on urgent information to friends or family. I do not need to understand the science, or how it spreads (though I did enjoy Plague Inc). I'm not part of the solution, and I can avoid being part of the problem by taking sensible precautions. I don't need daily updates on the progress of the virus to do that. To the OP: I know it's tough, but you need less information, not more. The product you describe sounds great, but it's not going to solve your problem. Solving your problem will mean redefining your relationship to social media so it becomes healthy. That's not going to be something the social media apps will do for you. That's something you're going to have to work out for yourself.

emptyfile 7y ago

Had a similar experience 2-3 weeks ago when Italy, which is right next to my country, started blowing up. Going into "lockdown" and starting a new routine working from home actually calmed me down, just the notion of doing everything I can to keep safe and keep others safe. That first week I couldn't sleep and lost like 10 pounds in 5 days, most of my working day was refreshing the number of cases in my country and smoking e-cigarettes on the balcony.

HSO 7y ago

Okay. Now, please leave my head.

fergonco 7y ago

I am happy that I quitted all social networks before the corona crisis. I decided that contempt, destructive critic and all that were not the circuits in my neuronal network that I wanted to activate every day. Even if you have a very interesting timeline, you read a bunch of negativity mixed with the interesant bits. With the crisis in China and Italy I got properly informed in meneame (Spanish reddit-like site). I could prepare me and my family in advance. And the keywords are "in advance". It was very useful before the thing blowed up in our faces. There was a lot of important information about how the virus is transmitted, etc. Now we are all full of dirt and social media is about who's fault it is. There is nothing in there that can be useful anymore. Moving on.

GekkePrutser 7y ago
Well, I can't really blame the population for not taking it seriously. Even the Spanish government talked it down strongly. And to be fair, it could have fizzled out like SARS version 1 did in the early 2000's. This is SARS version 2 after all.

puranjay 7y ago

While I've been following all Covid-19 related news and keeping track of the numbers with near morbid fascination, I've found that being in lockdown has made me happier. It has also given me perspective on life. As cliche as it might sound, I've realized that what truly makes us happy is family, friends and time to devote to hobbies. I've been chatting with my family everyday, calling friends, playing board games with my wife. I'm producing music again, learning new things again as opposed to just being "productive". I used to order in food 3-5x a week. Now I'm making all meals from scratch and really diving into what makes good food taste, well, good. I haven't bought anything except groceries in a month and honestly, I haven't even missed it. I really don't know how I'll approach the world post-Covid-19. The thought of going back to the old life and routines seems a little absurd now.

gpderetta 7y ago
Having a 1 hour break to have lunch with my wife and kids has been a very pleasant change. Not wasting two hours to commute and spending that time with my family has also been great. And after a period of adaptation (and after buying a proper monitor, keyboard and chair), I can say that I'm back to being productive enough even when WFH.
- 7777fps 7y ago
  I made sure to take the dual monitors, dock and office chair home with me when we were sent to work from home and I suspect my colleagues, who didn't do the same, regret that decision now. Seeing them hunched over their laptop screens makes me cringe for their backs. My setup isn't ideal (I didn't get the monitor brackets!) but it's a lot better than it could have been.
ithkuil 7y ago
I agree with the general sentiment, but: I have two small kids and I spend a lot of time just dealing with the chaos that results having no preschool, and then I have to work because, yes we're all in the same boat, but many people either don't have kids or have older kids, or have been in lock for a shorter period of time than where I live (schools here are closed since 23 feb). On top of that I'm a bit workaholic too, and I'm having trouble letting go some projects dear to my heart. The net effect is that the my levels of stress have really gone up. Yes, in the evenings I do feel blessed I have a nice family and I have a general feeling of happiness resulting from it, but I think I had that before the lockdown too (I think? how can I know ... it feels like ages ago) EDIT: I was working from home already; I now realize I was taking for granted things like lunches with the family

tilolebo 7y ago

I felt this way around mid-March: I was spending hours checking the news and Twitter and I felt unable to concentrate on work. After a week of constantly feeling worried and overwhelmed by the situation, I changed some things. I now check news online news once a day and watch the local evening news on TV. I managed to dive again into my work routine and stopped checking twitter every 10 minutes. I feel much better now. Of course I'm still worried, especially about the consequences of this on the economy (because it will affect a lot of people, obviously). My CEO keeps repeating a sentence that might sound dumb but which actually helps a lot: "Focus on the things that are in your control and be thankful for the things you have".

draugadrotten 7y ago
You may like the old Serenity prayer, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer and with music by Sinead O'Connor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LoZqvMryMs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LoZqvMryMs

DoreenMichele 7y ago

Inaccurate title. This person is not infected. The post is about anxiety causing them to slip into old bad habits, not about a brain infection. It's really more like "How a global pandemic is affecting my mind and personal habits."

onion2k 7y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor
- zkid18 7y ago
  I find article more clickbait rather than metaphoric
- DoreenMichele 7y ago
  It's click bait. HN guidelines suggest the title should be changed in such cases. Your handle is plenty old enough to understand that much about HN.
  - onion2k 7y ago
    The title is a metaphor (or, more strictly, rhetorical hyperbole.) It's not meant to be taken literally.
    - DoreenMichele 7y ago
      Yes. I know that. There is also absolutely no way to tell that until you click into it. "Rhetorical hyperbole" is a fancy way of saying "click bait." Edit: To be clear, I only read it because I was expecting a medical piece, not the usual whining about First World Problems where so many people don't know how to stop wringing their hands about our 24/7 news cycle (which isn't remotely unique to the current crisis) and then don't actually want reassurances that "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine." It was a waste of my time. My father fought in WW2. My mother grew up in Germany during WW2 and its aftermath. The world has been on the brink before and come through it. The same world that was all "Meh, not my problem" when I was homeless also doesn't want to hear "The world can, in fact, get through this." So I find it hugely personally grating to read this overwrought nonsense, frankly.

boneitis 7y ago

Hello, fellow native Sacramentan (and the many HNers here finding this post relatable). Addressing your items piecemeal might get things started in restoring some balance. Or, doing something more sweeping... who knows. Anyway, if I may share my take on one of those pieces: > And of course, I’ve managed to mix in some guilt: > at the fact that I get to safely work from home, taking on less risk but not actually being able to contribute anything useful to the larger situation Understandably, one might very well be looking to do more. In any case, may I suggest the idea that you are, in fact, diligently doing your part by trying to not unnecessarily put yourself out into public? That's already more than a start. I'm not a particularly patriotic person. In fact, I'm also intentionally unregistered to vote. But, the whole distancing exercise thing is one of probably a few opportunities I'll ever have to feel like I am meaningfully serving my country. (Never mind for a moment that I'm running dry and have been trying to rejoin the workforce :) There are quite a lot of informal reports out there of the healthcare sector being slammed.

jborichevskiy 7y ago
Hello! (author here) Great point you bring up about doing my part -- I've definitely come to that perspective in the time since writing this. There are people much more skilled dealing with things and my job is to get out of the way and not make their job harder. Stay safe. I'd love to grab a coffee/drink once this all blows over if you're still in Sacramento!
- boneitis 7y ago
  Of course. Pulled an all-nighter; I'll reach out later to the listed email. And you, as well. Cheers.

yread 7y ago

If you needed more anxiety: COVID-19 can do that in rare cases: COVID-19–associated Acute Hemorrhagic Necrotizing Encephalopathy: CT and MRI Features https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2020201187 https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2020201187

toss1 7y ago

>> ...at the fact that I get to safely work from home, taking on less risk but not actually being able to contribute anything useful to the larger situation Please note and take comfort in the fact that by staying home and taking less risk, you ARE DEFINITELY CONTRIBUTING something very to the larger situation by that act alone -- you are actively reducing the risk for everyone else. If we can also contribute other benefits, that would be a bonus for sure, but give yourself a break and don't add that unnecessary guilt to your burdens. Stay well!

jborichevskiy 7y ago
This is very true and I’m much more appreciative of that fact now. Thanks - you stay safe as well!

mcphilip 7y ago

I’ve been following the coronavirus news since mid January, spending hours a day on twitter and reddit looking at virus and financial news. There are days I take a break from it all, but overall I feel like I want to bear witness to the events as much as possible. I firmly believe the outbreak and the economic devastation are the most important events of my lifetime and it’s worth staying informed no matter how grim the news. I don’t recommend everyone do the same, and I definitely don’t pass on all shear weight of all that’s going on to my wife, but someone’s got to try and keep up with the zeitgeist and make informed decision for the sake of my family. My hunch is we’re in for some bad socioeconomic times, worse than most are predicting, and I’m trying to do due diligence spotting trends as they start happening. Ideally I’ll look back at this post and laugh at all the wasted energy chasing the impossibly fast news cycle... One thing I’ve been doing is creating a list of predictions about where we are headed in order to be able to look back and evaluate whether I was able to process the firehouse of news into consequences. At least that part is fun.

mercer 7y ago
> There are days I take a break from it all, but overall I feel like I want to bear witness to the events as much as possible. I've been an information junkie for most of my life, and over time I've taken the approach of taken (at most) a few topics that I 'stay on top of', and do my best to restrict going down too many other rabbit holes. In the past I've tried to ration all my information intake, but I've come to the conclusion that there's definitely a value to 'experiencing' things as they happen, even if it's mostly the online information firehose. The coronavirus being possibly (and hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing, makes it one of those topics. The one reason why I sometimes shy away from the 'full experience' is when I notice the topic depresses me or causes anxiety. With the coronavirus, for some reason, I don't feel any of that (yet).
Trasmatta 7y ago
I'm glad there are some people taking this approach, but I just can't do it. There's way too much, and the majority of it is fear based and predicated on incomplete models and assumptions. And it just feeds my anxiety with information that is rarely actionable. I also feel like there's a danger of getting so caught in the weeds of the day to day headlines that the bigger picture is somewhat lost, leading to less accurate personal predictions. So I'm staying informed, but mainly through local news (because that's where the majority of actionable information will come from).

gameswithgo 7y ago

sars-cov2 has actually infected some people’s brains, making this title a bit... awkward

zouhair 7y ago

That level of anxiety the author feels is what a poor person feels daily about how the next rent and food money gonna come from. That stuff takes a toll.

notacoward 7y ago

I know people like this. While it's good to stay informed about some very significant events, but some people just get sucked in by its gravity (pun intended). They obsess over every detail, especially numbers and projections. They can't get anything else done. Probably sleep and eat too much, exercise not enough. All signs of classic depression, and pretty much expected TBH. The advice I've seen from the therapeutic community is to check news a couple of times a day for new information and safety recommendations. Otherwise, do things that help you and those around you remain calm. For some people that might be productive work, and good for them, but for most it's a mix of that with other things. Don't feel guilty about being at less than full strength. And practice "anxiety distancing" to avoid making others feel more worried than they probably already are by themselves.

jborichevskiy 7y ago

Author here! It's been a few weeks since I've written this and I'm pleased to say things have improved significantly with diligent focus on my healthy habits, consistent exercise and meditation, and less infinite scrolling. Regarding the title: it was meant to be cheeky but I do apologize if it confused anyone given how little we know about the virus. I think a better one would've been `How Coronavirus Infected My Mind` but I didn't think of it then. Stay safe and sane everyone!

vinni2 7y ago
Ya it is a kind of clickbaity title but I didn’t regret reading it.

luxuryballs 7y ago

I’ve been tempted to do a week long phone and news fast while I am stuck here. Maybe I’ll hide my browser and make myself only go online from a computer like the old days.

jborichevskiy 7y ago
Even a period of a few hours of being unplugged has been so relaxing, particularly if done in the evening before bed.

freepor 7y ago

I try to minimize my exposure to non-actionable news. Once we went into total lockdown almost all news became non actionable so I’ve insulated myself from pretty much all of it. Just working through the $2000 of food we stocked up.

egypturnash 7y ago

so much stress, so little productivity despite optimizing my life around Not Going In To An Office, definitely relatable.

mancerayder 7y ago

I keep reading from here, "Gosh I'm working so hard all the time because I'm so bored and locked in all day." Folks, I think I'm crazy, or very different from you. I'm much more, "Gosh, I can't even BEGIN my work for the day. I'm drowsy, spending two hours daily chasing delivery, talking to family overseas because I'm 6 hours behind and they're around during my work day, and WORK IS MEANINGLESS." And I like my job!

enchiridion 7y ago
This is similar to what was happening with me too. Someone had to basically say "get to work now". So maybe it will help you to hear too. Sit down, make a list, work through it.

closeparen 7y ago

I'm so worried about what lockdown is doing to my mental state that I'm taking better care of myself than ever, and actually coming out ahead. Running three days a week is now a delightful excuse to get outside, rather than a chore. Strength training with bodyweight and exercise bands at requires less activation energy / admits fewer excuses than going to the gym. Cooking at home is now the only real option, instead of something I just feel guilty about not doing. Accidentally working 24x7 is such a real threat that I'm deliberately ending my day, switching to the other side of the kitchen table, and working on my own stuff. Usually I would get home and still be in a half on / half off state, surfing Reddit and work email at the same time. I do find that media about the pandemic delivers a lot of anxiety and little signal. I'm keeping it down to a quick glance over NYT for anything urgent, and otherwise just bite-sized chunks of The Economist daily at breakfast, plus an episode of This Week In Virology on the weekends. It seems like a decent balance.

jborichevskiy 7y ago
Sounds like you've got a pretty good routine established. Have also noticed runs becoming a highlight as well.
GekkePrutser 7y ago
Yeah well at least you can go out to run. Here in Spain we're completely imprisoned :( It's a nightmare and really detrimental to our health (especially mental). I'm actually trying to work 24/7 as much as possible because it keeps the anxiety at bay a bit.. But there's 4 days off from tomorrow which is going to be the hardest yet. And the government just announced they want to extend it until at least the 10th of May.
- closeparen 7y ago
  I assume that's coming for us too; want to use my freedom while I still have it.
  - GekkePrutser 7y ago
    You're right :'( The day the lockdown was announced I was gearing up for a big walk in the mountains but people were already getting scared and my friends advised me not to go.. Which I followed. I soo regret not going now. Make the most of it while you can!

Avalaxy 7y ago

This title is clickbait. Some viruses _can_ actually infect your brain, as I first-hand witnessed by having half my face paralyzed for a month last year. Being obsessed with the news has nothing to do with that. In times where there is already a lot of panic-spreading of medical nonsense, please just keep the headlines accurate.

twomoretime 7y ago

This is a good time to learn to practice meditation. I recommend the Waking Up app by Sam Harris. It's a good guide for someone trying to learn.

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jdnordy 7y ago

it's been pretty rough. I'm currently part of a software engineering immersive program for the sake of a career change. In three weeks, I'll be job hunting to get a job to support my wife and I. The job market has my feeling pretty anxious right now.

pinopinopino 7y ago

I really enjoy the lock down, I walk in nature, have time for the kids. The air is cleaner and there are a shitload of birds. I dunno, I am not anxious at all. I don't want to go back to the previous state either. I also stopped buying crap I don't need anyway. Stopped drinking. EDIT: I have to state, we are not in full lockdown. We are allowed to walk around outside, as long as we don't have close contact with others. We have been in lockdown for 3 weeks now.

FabricioFFC 6y ago

I usually don't watch the news, but after covid-19 I've started to follow a similar pattern as you. But in the second week, I felt very anxious and too much worried, imaging many outcomes that this disease could bring to my family and me. So I decided to stop to consume news and to try to put in practice a knowledge that is very difficult to practice: "don't care about things that are out of your control." So since then, I am avoiding the news, practicing social distance, and helping my family to do the same and trying to keep my work and studies. The only thing about the pandemia that every day I search on google is: "coronavirus cure". To know about new vaccines and medications that are under test.