Swine flu? What swine flu? What economic crisis? I don't watch the news on purpose because I am also an anxiety-prone person and I get so tired of all the negativity, but of course I have heard about the flu because everyone is talking about it (and the economic crisis because that's all anybody talks about). But I am not worried (about either). I just keep having my kids wash their hands frequently like they usually do. Last I heard one person had died in the United States (for some reason, people feel obligated to inform me of the tragedies I purposely avoid by not watching the news). I don't know how many people live in the U.S., but 1 person is not very many percentage-wise so if I'm going to worry about the swine flu, I may as well also worry about all the other rare illnesses and diseases I have no control over.
I used to get anxiety very badly. I still struggle with anxiety, but I have much more control over it now instead of letting it control me. Some things that have helped me is to take control of what I can control by not watching the news, taking care of my health through proper sleep, healthy eating, and exercise (that always helps us our emotional well-being as well), and by taking ownership and control of my thoughts. That last thing was very hard for me. It was difficult to acknowledge that I actually am in charge of what thoughts I dwell on. It's not mentally healthy or productive one bit to worry about things we can't control, so I try to replace those thoughts with empowering ones about what I can control--myself--or with happy memories. I acknowledge my fears, then dismiss them as not based in reality if they indeed are not. Most of my worries are irrational and not based in reality. For example, my husband travels frequently and I would worry that his plane would crash. I acknowledge that while that is a real possibility (acknowledging my fear--trying to ignore them doesn't work for me), realistically and statistically he most likely will be safe. It's more dangerous to drive a car than to fly in a commercial airplane. Dealing with reality instead of my own irrational thoughts helps soothe me. When acknowledging my fear that his plane crash I tell myself that that is not my reality now, and I will deal with if it becomes my reality instead of not enjoying the healthy husband I have due to my fear. I tell myself that I am strong and capable and I can handle anything that comes my way. Tragedies can occur at any moment, which is a thought that can paralyze me if I let it, but I feed myself empowering thoughts. Yes, my husband could die. Yes, me or my kids could get the swine flu. But, no, it's my reality at this moment, and, yes, I am strong and can handle it if it does become my reality. Sorry to ramble. I understand the anxiety struggle and I wanted to share of my experiences and what has helped me.
P.S. There's a book titled "Scared to Death" about all the media-hyped paranoid frenzies we go through that really turn out to be minimal. Why get worked up over things that repeatedly turn out to be fine? Don't be a puppet for the media to manipulate.
P.P.S. The only way we've let this new "epidemic" affect us is by buying Lysol and Johnson & Johnson stocks :)