Wearing a mask while sleeping at home sounds a little crazy. But Wu Keying did so during the novel coronavirus outbreak. "I feared that I would be infected. Now I know it's not necessary to do so. But I am still worried about when the epidemic will end, " said the 13-year-old from Chengdu, Sichuan province. Being stuck inside makes her feel anxious.
In fact, many people have experienced feelings like Wu. Nearly 80 percent of people are deeply worried about the outbreak, while 40percent strongly fear it, according to a survey released on Jan 27 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
These emotions (情绪) are normal for people who are going through stressful events, according to Wang Weihua, an expert on positive psychology (积极心理学)。"Some stressful reactions (反应) can help us fight the virus, " Wang said. "We take more protective actions, such as wearing masks and washing hands often, for example. "
But if these feelings last too long, it will be bad for our mental (心理的) health, Wang added. So how can we stay positive?
First, we should learn to accept unexpected changes in life, wrote Xiong Kewei, a psychological consultant (咨询师) at Beijing Normal University. We might learn new lessons from these changes, like respecting (尊重) nature and being more responsible (有担当的)。
Another useful way to stay positive is to stick to a normal routine (正常作息)。
"The key is to take good care of the body, arrange a reasonable schedule, ensure adequate sleep and diet, and get the necessary rest and relaxation, " Zhang Hong, deputy chief physician of Wuhan Mental Health Center, told China Daily.
a. wearing masks
b. being stress—free
c. staying positive
d. washing our hands