Post COVID anxiety: how to eliminate cleaning rituals

Practical tips to combat anxiety when leaving behind disinfection routines.

While for many people leaving behind certain restrictions and coronavirus protection measures represents a relief, for others it can become a source of discomfort.

Paradoxical as it may seem, withdrawing rules of this kind may reveal the presence of psychological problems associated with anxiety and fear of contagion, such as the difficulties in letting go of the cleaning and disinfection routines that we set up months ago to prevent raised months ago to prevent the contagions when touching surfaces.

Understanding post-COVID anxiety

Post-COVID anxiety has to do with the way in which we adapt to a reality in which it no longer makes sense to adopt certain infection prevention measures, either because the presence of the virus in our region has decreased or because some of these actions and regulations have proven to be ineffective and represent a useless effort.

The fact is that many people find it difficult to "let go" of the virus. many people find it difficult to "let go" of certain self-care and protection routines in the face of the coronavirusAlthough from an intellectual point of view they know that nothing happens if they stop performing certain preventive actions, when they put them into practice they feel that something is wrong, that they have become very vulnerable to the disease. This is an irrational phenomenon that does not seem to follow logic, something very characteristic of anxiety disorders in general (for example, it is clearly seen in phobias).

Thus, post-COVID anxiety has to do with how difficult it can be to stop associating certain actions with the avoidance of a source of anxiety or fear: by dint of reinforcing this overlap between concepts over the months, this link becomes so strong that breaking with it on an emotional level is very difficult. And in this sense, letting go of the cleaning and disinfection routines that have been part of our daily lives for a long time is a hard task.

How do problems arise from cleaning rituals?

We have already started to see what the psychological mechanism behind these coronavirus protection rituals is; let's now focus on the case of cleaning rituals.

Once upon a time, the habit of washing hands thoroughly and disinfecting purchases made during the day was a way of minimizing the risk of coronavirus transmission. For some people, however, it was something else. In particular, these routines became a way to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission, these routines became a way of interposing a psychological defense between oneself and the fear of getting sick or transmitting the disease to loved ones. to loved ones.

The objective act of wiping hands and spraying or wiping objects with disinfectant wipes went from being a rational measure to combat the pandemic to being a ritual, an emotionally charged action that served as a reference to distinguish between situations of relative safety and those of danger.

After thinking over and over again about the importance of carrying out these cleaning actions and incorporating them into daily routines, these became fused with the concepts of "safety" and "protection" that some people maintain in their thinking schemes, i.e., those maps of ideas and beliefs from which they interpret reality. Therefore, by dint of consolidating this fusion, the end of these recommendations and regulations does not mean that this link between actions and concepts is immediately undone.Sometimes it is necessary to go through a process of readjustment to normality.

This kind of problem has characteristics in common with psychopathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Although both are much more severe than what we can understand by post-COVID anxiety and always require psychological treatment, in these disorders we see how there are certain emotional inertias that do not listen to reason, and that lead the person to adopt certain strategies for managing anxiety and stress that can become dysfunctional and "continue to feed" the problem.

What to do to leave this vicious circle behind?

These are some tips that usually help to break these dynamics caused by anxiety (although the best way to remedy them, and the most effective, is to go to the psychologist and get a personalized and tailored treatment).

1. Identify problematic routines

At first, just monitor your routines and detect those that, in particular, show that you are not managing post-COVID anxiety well. That way, you will you will be clear on which fronts you need to make progress..

Focus on this goal for the first couple of days to make sure you meet it.

2. Set simple goals that are small victories

Don't try to be all-encompassing when combating anxiety.. Limit yourself to propose one small goal after another, making simple and modest progress but that will follow one after another constantly, without taking steps backwards. For example, set a goal to reduce the time you spend washing your hands by several seconds if you usually do it without leaving the house, just because you have touched a surface in your home that you are "suspicious" of.

3. Direct your attention towards new stimuli

Instead of trying to "block" those insecure thoughts that make you feel anxious, just accept that they will be on your mind for a while and direct your attention to other, more pleasant stimuli.

4. If necessary, go to therapy

If nothing works, do not worry, it does not mean that this discomfort will remain in your life forever. Tnly seek professional help by going to psychotherapyYou can get an anxiety intervention program that takes into account your characteristics and your specific way of life.

Do you need professional psychological assistance?

If you are considering psychological therapy to improve your emotional and impulse management skills, please contact me.

My name is Javier Ares Arranz and I am a General Health Psychologist expert in emotional and anxiety-related problems, as well as in couple therapy.

My way of working is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy combined with therapeutic resources such as Mindfulness and relaxation techniques, elements that allow people to gain fluency in the modulation of their emotions and behavior patterns in their daily lives. Ask me without obligation about my online therapy services by video call.