Anxiety Really Is Contagious—These 8 Tips Will Help Keep You From Catching It - Article Health

Just like you can catch a cold or the flu, you can catch anxiety too, be it from a friend venting about her job troubles or watching a TV interview with survivors of a natural disaster. Given how the human brain is wired, “it’s all too easy for us to 'catch' emotions,” Carla Marie Manly PhD, a clinical psychologist in Santa Rosa, California, tells Health.

“Mirror neurons” may play a part in our tendency to soak up anxiety from external sources. These specialized brain cells fire up not only when we perform an action, but when we witness it happening to someone else. “Stress contagion—the tendency to absorb others’ stress, anxiety, and tension--is a form of this human propensity,” Manly says. The more empathetic you are, the more susceptible you may be.

Make a positive pivot
Let’s say your friends are venting about politics (again) and all you wish is to enjoy your dinner out, not worry about the next election. Validate their point and angle the conversation in a more positive direction, Jennifer L. Taitz, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and instructor of psychiatry at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, tells Health. Try this: “Ugh, this is a tough time…. Can we each share one thing that we’re actually grateful for?” “Topics do set the tone and you can have some say,” says Taitz.

Label your emotions
Giving a name to your emotions as you notice them “is a powerful way to regulate your feelings, rather than feel consumed by them,” Taitz says. “I’m feeling anxious because Maggie’s stressed about her job and I’m empathic because my job security also seems shaky," for example, helps you get control over anxiety by confronting what's making you feel anxious and identifying why.

Mentally remove yourself from the situation
“Imagine yourself detaching and ‘floating above’ the situation as though you’re a researcher or photographer,” Manly suggests. As you do, release any judgment. “It also helps to breathe deeply, as full and focused breathing supports the calming action of your parasympathetic nervous system,” she says. This strategy can help you recognize that you don’t need to be involved in the stress of others; you can distance yourself, emotionally and mentally.

Take action
When anxiety starts bubbling up inside you, ask yourself: “Can I do anything about this issue?” If the answer is no, then exhale deeply and visualize letting it go. On the other hand, if the answer is yes, “take some sort of action,” Manly suggests. Let's say the more news you read, the more anxious you get. Even a small step—like turning off news alerts on your phone or limiting your time on Facebook—is a small, positive move toward changing the situation. “Your body and mind will register that something is being done,” Manly says.

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