As the coronavirus pandemic and the associated panic escalates, psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg has shared his tips for remaining calm during the crisis.

“There is a likelihood that people who are inclined to be anxious are going to be more anxious. There’s no question about that,” he told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.

“We’ll be looking at a spike in mental heath problems during this time, but there’s things we can do to stay sane at home.

“We’ve already seen from the panic buying that there might have been a little bit of resilience deficiency already, and this has just heightened it.”

Michael Carr-Gregg’s tips for staying calm:

• Look after your physical health

“There’s nothing wrong with you exercising, going for a walk,” Dr Carr-Gregg said.

“There are a whole range of online workouts, so even if you don’t want to go to a gym you can do that.”

• Stay connected

“It’s really important to stay connected with family and friends,” Dr Carr-Gregg said.

“I’ve said to you many times that the greatest predictor of wellbeing is contact with a rich repertoire of friends.

“You might not be able to see them, necessarily, quite as much, but social interaction is one of the six pillars of health.”

• Eat healthy

“Cook and bake healthy food. This is your opportunity to come up with a signature dish so you can reframe this as an opportunity to learn something new,” Dr Carr-Gregg said.

• Consider online e-therapy

“There’s some wonderful websites that you can go to and do courses to help you think in a more healthy way,” Dr Carr-Gregg said.

For Adults:
Ecouch – ecouch.anu.edu.au/welcome
This Way Up – thiswayup.org.au
OCD? Not Me! – ocdnotme.com.au

For Anxious Teens and Children:
Moodgym – moodgym.com.au
The Brave Program – brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au

Facetime consultation with Michael Carr-Gregg – michaelcarrgregg.com

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