If you’ve noticed egg shortages at the grocery store, you’ve probably heard about H5N1, also known as the bird flu. It’s possible—even likely—that you’re feeling some level of anxiety around this news, whether that’s related to immediate needs (like eggs) or rooted in longer-term issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the state of public health in the U.S.
Part of what makes this an anxious time is the unknown nature of the situation with H5N1. To a certain degree, H5N1 feels out of our personal control, which can easily balloon into feeling uncontrollable in our lives.
If you’re someone who is COVID-conscious, this might feel like a wolf at the door, as it may point to a deeper polycrisis in public health. If you’re no longer taking COVID precautions, H5N1 might still feel overwhelming in its unfamiliarity.
If you’re part of the queer community, you probably also know that public health issues tend to impact queer folks and other historically marginalized groups more acutely than others, which just makes all of this more difficult to deal with, right? Maybe it feels too difficult, even, and you just try not to read the news anymore.
All of these reactions are valid. I’m not here to choose a side or question your experience. But I am here to support you as you navigate anxiety that stems from public health issues. As a clinical social work intern at Divergent Path Wellness, I am deeply interested in the impact that public health can have on our personal mental health. I can also remember the time in 2020 when COVID-19 had disrupted our social norms so much that anything seemed possible. It is this radical hope, in part, that I think can be instructive to us now, as we consider what the future of H5N1 may hold. But more on that in a bit.
Cute Animal Videos
Are you still here with me? I know that a lot of what you’ve read so far might feel triggering. It can seem easier to avoid the feelings that come up when you think about public health, from the personal to the political, and where we might be headed with H5N1. So, I totally understand if you’re thinking of closing this tab and finding a cute animal video to watch instead. I get it.
However, instead of clicking away just yet, I invite you to take a minute to try tapping as a way to address the anxiety you may be feeling. Okay, full disclosure: I don’t actually have any cute animal videos. Those are easy to find on your own. But I can offer this simple tool that you’ll be able to use any time you feel anxious, even while watching cute animal videos if you need more than that to calm your mind and body.
Also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) tapping, this practice combines principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. Tapping is an easy practice you can do at home or at work, sitting or standing in any position, and without any special expertise or tools. It helps reduce stress, lower cortisol, and reduce anxiety, among other benefits. It’s also really adaptable if you have mobility needs or chronic fatigue.
Getting Started with Tapping
To start tapping, sit or stand comfortably and identify the primary issue that is causing you anxiety in this moment. If you’re able, think of a phrase that acknowledges what’s bothering you but also offers full acceptance of yourself. For example, “Even though I’m anxious about how H5N1 may impact my health and the people I love, I fully accept myself.”
Think about this phrase as you begin to tap, using your fingertips on both hands to gently tap along your body’s pressure points, or meridians. There’s a great diagram and explainer here, which goes into more depth about how, where, and why you’re tapping. Though it might be helpful to look at the diagram at first, tapping can also be done with your eyes closed once you get the feel for it.
Go slowly and tap each point for roughly twenty seconds, using each hand on the corresponding side of your body, in tandem. Breathe regularly and allow yourself to feel whatever comes up as you move to each of the different points. Once you’ve tapped each set of points, feel free to repeat or simply take a minute to reflect on how you feel afterwards.
Reflecting on Your Experience & Returning to Radical Hope
So, how’d that go? Hopefully, the tapping process helped ground you in your body and begin to accept uncomfortable feelings of anxiety in a nonjudgmental way. Either way, here are some thoughts to consider:
How did it feel to sit with your affirming statement while you tapped?
Did tapping produce any mental or physical sensations that you found surprising?
Were there any thoughts or images that came to mind as you tapped?
I don’t know about you, but when I practice tapping, I sometimes feel lovingly aware of my physical self and how little I know about the millions of processes that take place within it. This awareness fills me with a sense of awe at my very existence and reminds me that the unknowable can be a space of possibility rather than cause for anxiety… which brings me back to the radical hope I mentioned above.
Which is to say, even when the unknowable future feels overwhelming and you don’t know where your next moment of calm (or carton of eggs) will come from, it is my hope that you will feel a little more able to give yourself time to slow down and connect with your body, and the space to practice radical hope and care for yourself and others.
Sarah Lawson
Clinical social work intern
Student therapist at Divergent Path Wellness
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