April 3, 2024 — When the COVID-19 Four years ago the pandemic hit, Jenn Kearney was extra grateful for her years of therapy.
The 34-year-old digital communications manager from Boston said her 11 years of therapy — specifically cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT — prior to the pandemic had given her skills and “ways of coping and adapting that not only benefited me came, but also the people around me,” she said.
“I had spent a lot of time working with my therapist, especially managing my anxiety from unexpected incidents,” she said.
That came in especially handy when her husband contracted COVID in late April 2020.
“I was able to use what I knew about my anxiety to loosen its grip on my thoughts and judgment, to prepare myself in case it happened to me too,” she said, noting that using affirmations like “This will all work out” helped her, especially when she tested positive for the virus a few days later.
“I was able to recognize when my thinking pattern changed to ‘what if’. I used what I had been working on with my therapist: I made a conscious effort to think about what I was grateful for,” such as the fact that neither she nor her husband required hospitalizations, no one else in their family was sick was and the The couple ‘had the ability to rest and care for each other’. That mentality kept Kearney’s anxiety in check.
It is no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused emotional turmoil worldwide. A report from the World Health Organization found that anxiety and depression increased by as much as 25% worldwide in the first year. But one new study discovered that people were diagnosed tension who received two commonly available forms of therapy experienced less stress than others during the pandemic, even during the toughest days of lockdown.
Researchers at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School followed 764 outpatients with moderate anxiety. These patients had undergone one of two treatments: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). CBT is a form of talk therapy that emphasizes the influence a person’s thoughts can have on their feelings. DBT helps patients iidentify thought patterns that can cause anxiety.
The patients were divided into four groups: those who started treatment before December 31, 2019; those who started treatment between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020; those who started treatment between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020; and those who started treatment from January 1, 2021. (The The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020.)
The researchers expected to find that the stressors caused by peak times during the lockdown – particularly from March 2020 to July 2020 – would worsen these patients’ anxiety.
Instead, they found that patients who started CBT or DBT before the start of the pandemic saw reduced symptoms of anxiety. The researchers found that CBT and DBT had a protective effect in these patients. This means that patients showed fewer symptoms related to anxiety than many people who had no anxiety at all but were feeling the stress of lockdown.
Furthermore, CBT or DBT started at any time can help many people build the same resilience so that major world events or personal turmoil won’t cause their mental health to deteriorate, the researchers said.
“I was surprised by how robust the intervention was,” says the study’s lead author David H. Rosmarin, PhD, a clinical psychologist at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, and associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge. “Yet with CBT and DBT we really teach people not to fear fear. Fear will not kill you, even though it feels like death to some patients. We are conditioned to fear fear, but what we really need to do is increase our tolerance for uncertainty.”
As the patients in the study progressed through treatment, they began to demonstrate this resilience.
“Patients felt more prepared to tolerate COVID-related anxiety because they felt comfortable being less prepared,” he says Henry J. Eff, PsyD, supervising psychologist at the Center for Anxiety in Brooklyn, NY, where patients in the study were seen. “Those who experienced higher levels of anxiety before the pandemic but who had learned CBT and DBT skills felt better equipped to manage and, more importantly, tolerate the uncertainty of COVID.”
Read on to better understand anxiety and how this groundbreaking research can be used preventively to improve quality of life during unexpected times of crisis, as well as in everyday life.
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
Signs of anxiety typically include nervousness, tension, restlessness, a rapid heart rate, and faster breathing. Sweating, shaking, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, digestive problems and sleep problems can also be symptoms. You can read more about fear here.
How does CBT help manage anxiety?
In short, CBT can help you build your ‘toolbox’ for when feelings of anxiety strike.
CBT helps change the way a patient thinks they are not helpful. Recognizing that your thoughts influence your actions gives you a sense of control and allows you to make choices that help you better respond to the stresses in your life that make you anxious.
CBT also helps you build emotional strength because it helps you face and overcome challenges.
“CBT is like going to the gym for your emotions,” Rosemarin said.
How does DBT help manage anxiety?
DBT, on the other hand, focuses on acceptance to give a sense of control to those experiencing powerful feelings.
“DBT can help us manage the intense emotions we experience with anxiety,” says Eff. For example, during the pandemic, “we worked with patients to accept the realities of COVID: isolation, worry for our loved ones, and complete disruption to normal activities. Accepting this unfortunate situation will help us cope better and reduce suffering.”
Can fear sometimes be positive?
The energy that fear produces can be used as a powerful motivator – a great tool to push you to achieve whatever you want.
“It can be counterintuitive to push through fear and feel your feelings. We think of fear as something we need to get rid of, but fear can be a catalyst for things like change,” Rosemarin said. “Fear can be harnessed; it can be used as a tool.”
The key is to control the amount of anxiety you feel.
“Normally, you don’t turn the knob on a stove all the way up or your food will burn,” Eff explains. “However, if you turn it off completely, your food will not cook. There are times when the burner – or your fear [in this case] — is higher, and that’s okay. Once we can begin to recognize and name our different levels of anxiety, we can better manage them and learn how to use them to our advantage.”
Most people experience some level of anxiety, Rosemarin said. “We don’t want to ignore it or suppress it.”
Is CBT or DBT right for you?
If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, see your doctor, who can assess your overall health. If you diagnosed with anxietya psychologist can determine whether CBT or DBT can benefit you and prepare you to deal with unexpected life events.
As for Kearney, the skills she gained through therapy have helped her in all aspects of her life, not just during the pandemic.
“I am a better parent, partner, friend, sibling, daughter and colleague,” she said. “I learned invaluable communication and coping skills, as well as a better understanding of my mind, how it works and how to use my unique way of thinking to my advantage.”