CHARLOTTE, N.C. — At times, 2021 may bring about memories of last year while we all continue to deal with the struggles of COVID-19. But experts say the mental strain of this ongoing battle against the virus can take a toll if you let it.
Instead, doctors provide some advice to help keep you cool, calm, and collected.
“You have to control what you can control," WebMD Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Whyte said. "The reason why we have so much anxiety is the uncertainty of it all.”
Dr. Whyte says not only are we in a pandemic involving an infectious disease, but a mental health pandemic as well. The main difference between now and last year is that we have more tools to help combat the virus, like vaccines, booster shots, treatment options, and at-home rapid tests.
All tools that can continue to make the difference to help keep deaths and hospitalizations down.
“Now is not the time to take your foot off the gas," he said. "I’d say now is the time to actually put your foot on the gas and say 'how do we power through it'.”
Dr. Whyte's best advice is to continue to live your life, but to do so cautiously.
“Don’t get overly scared, get informed, then do what you can do to protect yourself," he said.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.