A Bigger Pandemic Than COVID-19?

As I stand in the middle of Safeway and look around, I notice the lack of eye contact between me and other shoppers, the hurried walking, the empty shelves where toilet paper used to be stacked to the ceiling, and the anger radiating from those who believe they set the rules about how others “should” be wearing their masks and where they should be standing… Not to mention the bullying coming from those who feel they are the biggest victims. Those who assume a higher role just because they feel more fear.  

Well, news flash: We are all as susceptible to catching this or any virus. And to the same degree. And no amount of anger or anxiety is going to change the rate or change the probability that you are going to, or not going to, contract this, or any, virus in the future.

As a board certified hypnotist, I find it interesting to watch how people typically deal with everyday stressors. Things from job loss to grieving the loss of a family member. From fear of public speaking to phobias of lizards and other animals. From anxiety around gaining weight to dating and relationship problems. After working with people for about six years, I have found that at least 90% of what comes in my door is rooted in one thing. The biggest pandemic of all - Anxiety and fear. Anxiety that happens as a result of perceived powerlessness over one’s life and perceived lack of control due to low confidence and self-esteem. 

All over the news COVID-19 has been slapped with this label of a “pandemic”, but we forget the other pandemics that are and have been sweeping this world much longer than COVID-19. And with many more deaths. And in watching people’s response to this “pandemic”, the real pandemic here is not a virus. But is the people’s response to the virus. The looting, the anger, the frustration, the fear, the blame, the violence, the uneasiness, and helplessness that people all over the world are feeling due to a learned helplessness. Or not being deserving of a higher confidence or feeling better about one’s self. All of this which originates in childhood and compounds over time. How people deal with stress, whether it’s a public speaking presentation or a virus, is the real issue here. Understanding the things we can control and the things we cannot. A lack of boundaries or a sense of entitlement. All of this is being reflected on the news, in the newspapers, and all over social media all day every day.

For as long as people have been around, anxiety has been a driving force of people’s habits and their lives. And because this phenomenon starts typically outside of one’s self-awareness, people perceive it as some other driving “force”, something separate from themselves, and something that they have to fight every single day to be in control of their lives, their weight, their relationships, their money, their job, and everything else. 

Let me ask you one thing. What if you didn’t have anything you needed to control anymore? What if you no longer had to “manage” your symptoms every single day. Have you been taught that what you are dealing with with medication is something you would have to “manage” forever? What if things like panic attacks, anxiety attacks, acid reflux, emotional eating, smoking, conflict avoidance, procrastination, that whirlwind feeling in our heads, that lack of focus, and other sabotaging habits could just ease up and become a non-issue all together? 

That is where people come to my door. At some point, people begin to realize that their anxiety begins to bring back a negative ROI. That they are losing more than they are gaining by living their lives in fear. That this hypervigilance is costing them everything such as their relationships, their health, and their happiness. And that is when people decide to try “anything” and “everything”. That there is nothing left to do besides the “holistic” and “natural” methods. And the line I always throw into my consultations at some point during the conversation is, “this is and will be your last stop”.