Coronavirus and collective stress around the world. Why is this moment so anxiety-producing and how can we stay resilient in the face of it?
"Many different fears right now are converging all at once on people in a way that is really overwhelming, and confusing and hard to sort out," Jonathan Kanter, director of the Center for the Science of Social Connection at the University of Washington, said On Point's Meghna Chakrabarti.
And it's not just the coronavirus we're afraid of. It's also the changes the coronavirus is causing, Kanter says.
"The fears of being confined, being isolated, of being alone, of losing our routines, of losing our normal sources of social contact," he says.
But there are ways for us to deal with our stressors. Dr. Elissa Epel has some tips.
"I think it's so important for us to see our faces and see when we smile. I'm on the phone every day about COVID coping calls for our university, our psychiatry department. And it's very serious. And when someone makes a joke, It's such a relief to see their face on Zoom, laughing. It makes me laugh. It's just instant relief. So the quick answer is ... use this science for good. Spread smiles when you can, spread calm when you can. "