The human mind is powerful! There are millions of Americans who suffer from some type of mental illness. The COVID-19 pandemic is making life very difficult for people with mental illness.

There are all kinds of medically recognized forms of mental illness. This article will only focus on anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorder is a condition in which the human body reacts to stress in an abnormal way. Human beings experience stressors every day. There is work stress, family stress, financial stress, religious stress, marital stress, parenting stress, and many more stressors. Stress is like a sledgehammer hitting your body. If left untreated, it can kill. How your body reacts to these stressors is critical to your overall health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there are additional stressors affecting the lives of millions of Americans. I will list some of them, but there are many more.

The threat of disease and death. The threat of losing a well-paying job. The threat of loved ones getting sick and dying. The uncertainty of the future. The threat of the economy collapsing and losing your retirement. The threat of running out of essential supplies for your family. The threat of famine or not having enough food to eat. The threat of homelessness. The threat of isolation from family and loved ones. The threat of being judged negatively by society if you test positive for COVID-19. The stress of homeschooling children while working. The stress of childcare when there are no daycare centers open. The stress of paying your staff or keeping your small business open. The stress of paying the bills.

Let’s be honest, these stressors are enough to send any human being into the condition called anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorder in its simplest form is where your body reacts negatively to stress. It is much like a fight or flight response to stress. A person’s brain literally can’t take long before it causes a mental breakdown.

According to Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx (President Trumps Covid-19 Task Force), the following are the top three signs that a person may have contracted the COVID-19 virus:

1. Fever

2. Dry cough

3. Shortness of breath

They have since learned that every patient is different. Many patients may experience fatigue, chills, muscle aches, redness around the eyes, headache, nausea, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain.

Some patients are asymptomatic and carry COVID-19 but have no symptoms.

As a result of these common symptoms and asymptomatic carriers, it is difficult to say that all patients have the COVID-19 virus without getting tested. People are being told to assume everyone has the virus because the symptoms are so common.

Anxiety disorder manifests in the body in many similar ways. It is not uncommon for a patient under extreme stress to exhibit the following symptoms:

1. Muscle aches

2. Headache

3. Nausea

4. Fatigue

5. Weakened immune system causing fever.

6. Diarrhea

7. Shortness of breath

8. Chest tightness

9. Muscle weakness in legs and arms

10. Disorientation

11. Outbursts of anger and frustration

A person may believe that they have contracted COVID-19, when in fact they have a severe anxiety disorder.

The first thing you should do is make an appointment with your doctor and get medical advice. Other steps you can take are removing all social media and media from your life, exercising regularly, staying away from caffeine, and getting enough sleep. There are also recipes that your doctor can prescribe that are not addictive but will help calm your body and reduce your anxiety.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, the most important thing you can do is pray. Ask Jesus to help you in your anxiety and give you grace to live with it.

For the follower of Jesus Christ, they are never alone. God is always with them and works for their good. He is the source of his strength and will give them the grace to overcome the anxiety disorder. Jesus cares about every detail of their lives, especially the anxiety disorder. He will help you in your time of need.

COVID-19 and anxiety disorder are very real threats and with government shutdowns, job layoffs, and illnesses, people with mental illness are struggling. I hope this article gives the reader peace of mind that they will know the difference between the virus and anxiety and not panic if they start to develop symptoms.