I always feel like I'm going to be "yang", what should I do?

Recently, a new "unknown disease" - "phantom positive syndrome" has frequently appeared on the Internet.

Many netizens have expressed that they have experienced many "symptoms" of this disease:

1. I always feel uncomfortable somewhere in my body, such as sore throat, headache, muscle aches...

2. Repeatedly comparing your own symptoms with those of friends and relatives who have tested positive online or around you, being overly alert and checking your physical sensations, such as swallowing saliva multiple times to determine if your throat is dry and sore, measuring your body temperature when you feel hot, worrying if your muscles are sore that you have symptoms, testing for antigens multiple times a day, etc.;

3. Pay attention to relevant information, such as who around you has tested positive, what are the symptoms of testing positive, how many people have tested positive, and what will happen after testing positive...

4. Repeatedly ask, analyze, and judge whether you have the possibility of contact with positive people or environments and the time of contact, etc.;

5. Worrying about whether you are positive or not, but also hoping to get it out as soon as possible.

In this regard, Xu Yuanhong, a psychotherapist at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology of the Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, and Wang Meijuan, an attending physician, gave answers. Both experts said: "Phantom Yang" is anxiety about unknown situations, which is a normal reaction, and you should not be afraid blindly.

On social media platforms, netizens are hotly discussing "phantom yang syndrome". Image source: The Paper reporter Chen Sisi

The above experts said that from the perspective of psychology, there is of course no such thing as "phantom positive syndrome". The appearance of "phantom positive" actually reflects the psychological discomfort of everyone in the face of the rapid changes in the epidemic in a short period of time. Behind the ridicule of "phantom positive" is everyone's anxiety about the unknown situation after the positive test: teenagers are worried about the impact on their studies, middle-aged people are worried about the impact on their work progress, and they are also very worried about what to do if the elderly and children at home are infected, and the elderly are worried about the harm to their physical condition, etc.

"After three years of fighting the epidemic, everyone has experienced various uncertainties, big and small. Faced with unknown and uncertain situations, worry and anxiety are normal reactions. Even if you have experienced a lot, they may still appear. What we need to do is not to be afraid and worry about uncontrollable things, panic, and try our best to avoid negative situations, but to try to maintain a moderate emotional response and adopt positive, reasonable and effective ways to deal with them." Xu Yuanhong said.

So, what should we do if we are faced with the possibility of infection and feel anxious all the time?

Wang Meijuan said that the future is always full of unknowns, and trying to control uncertainty is ultimately futile. The more you want to control, the more uneasy and anxious you become. What we need to do is not to control the uncontrollable parts, such as whether the people and environment we come into contact with every day are positive, and when and where we have come into contact with which people and things; but to do well in the parts we can control, such as personal life and family epidemic prevention. Specifically, you can try the following:

1. Understand your normal anxiety response caused by the current environment.

2. Pay attention to authoritative platforms and official scientific information, and do not pay attention to epidemic news for too long. Divert your attention in a timely manner to reduce excessive exposure to information bombardment that makes it difficult to screen and identify.

3. Take personal protection, scientific prevention, and appropriate preparations, but reduce unnecessary excessive hoarding and looting. If you blindly follow your anxiety and make inappropriate prevention and reserves, it will not help relieve anxiety, and may even strengthen anxious behavior.

4. Try to maintain your normal rhythm of study, work and life, eat well, drink well, eat healthily, supplement nutrition appropriately, and ensure adequate rest for your body and mind.

What should you do if you really become "impotent"? Two experts said: Trust authority and keep your emotions stable.

Xu Yuanhong pointed out that although the transmission ability of the Omicron variant has increased, its harm to human body functions has indeed decreased. Most infected people show mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. Therefore, if you really test positive, you should not have too much psychological burden. Instead of thinking about it, it is better to keep your emotions stable, which is more conducive to recovery. You can refer to the following points:

1. Pay attention to authoritative scientific information guidance, view physical symptoms rationally, and reduce catastrophizing the severity of physical discomfort;

2. Take the medicine correctly and rest. If the symptoms cannot be relieved or worsen, please go to a medical institution for treatment in time;

3. Don’t worry too much about the impact on study, work and family after the virus. You should understand your current predicament, reduce unnecessary self-blame and internal attribution, and shift your attention from thoughts to effective actions that can be taken, such as resting well to recover as soon as possible, and trying to do daily activities within your ability under limited conditions and circumstances.

In general, we should pay appropriate attention to the information related to the epidemic and epidemic prevention. We should neither pay too much attention to it and affect our normal life, nor be too optimistic and take it lightly. More importantly, whether we have no Yang, "Yang is too strong" or "Yang is healthy", maintaining a good and stable emotional state can help us improve our ability to deal with various situations.

Finally, if you find that "pseudo-yang" cannot be alleviated through self-regulation, or even gradually develops into "yang phobia" and has a certain impact on your normal work and life, it is recommended that you seek help from mental health professionals in a timely manner.

Source: The Paper