Wendy Suzuki, New York University neuroscientist Learn to breathe yourself calm Start by making a list of actions you can take, for example, to ensure you stay connected with your far-flung family this winter: Host a video chat, write a letter, plan to take an online cooking class together. Your 'what if' list is the list you make in your head about all the things that could go wrong - like what if I can't get on a plane to see my mom this winter? Instead of sitting there stewing, do something when you feel worried, says Suzuki. Suzuki also suggests changing your 'what if' list into a 'to do' list. It's that 'quick hit of cortisol,' along with adrenaline, that helps a mother lift a car off her toddler. It helped our ancestors escape lions, she says. Suzuki, who is the author of a book coming out this month called Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion, says instead of approaching anxiety as a negative emotion that must be suppressed, we should think of it as a superpower that motivates us to act. Life Kit You Don't Have To Be An Olympian To Prioritize Your Mental Health So what are some ways we can manage our anxiety as the news gets scary again and we pull the masks back on?

All this is leaving some of us feeling a little anxious, to say the least. People have been doing this a long time, and they thought by now things would be in a different position,' says Vickie Mays, a psychology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.Īs cases surge, there's a new need to take precautions and questions about whether we can socialize safely. 'It felt like I finally had a great excuse to just be present and enjoy the breeze and warmth of the bowl of tea and the reflections that I could see on the surface,' she says.Īs the winter wears on, and the omicron variant spreads infections and uncertainty, it's clear the next couple of months won't be the 'life as usual' we all hoped for. One neuroscientist finds that simply savoring a cup of tea as a daily morning ritual has helped her quell anxious thoughts in pandemic times.

Anxiety by Danny Winter