20 | AUGUST 6 • 2020
M
ichigan has gone from being a
state with some of the largest
numbers of coronavirus cases to
a state that officials have said is on track to
contain the virus. Michigan Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer has slowly begun to reopen the
state, although she has indicated in recent
weeks that she may reverse course as more
COVID-19 cases are detected.
While some people regard these gains in
liberty as positive, others have coped and
continue to cope with great anxiety and
fear about going out into a world where the
coronavirus still poses a threat.
Lori Kanat Edelson, LMSW
, ACSW
,
a psychotherapist and owner of the
Birmingham Maple Clinic
in Troy, said she has seen
about 60 to 65 percent of her
clientele express anxiety over
the fear of leaving what has
essentially been an at-home
lockdown. She said her cli-
ents felt shocked to go into a “bubble” but
within a month seemed to become comfort-
able living within that bubble.
“Now … they are looking at all kinds
of opportunities to emerge into the larger
world. Knowing they have no control of
how other people behave or take precau-
tions scares them,
” Edelson said. “Once you
introduce options (of going out), then you
start facing the fact that people have differ-
ent reactions and philosophies of going out.
”
Catherine Frank, M.D., chair of psychia-
try and behavioral health services at Henry
Ford Health System, said she
and her mental health col-
leagues have counseled many
people who are “very, very
anxious.
”
“
Anxious as in fearful and
anxious as in excited,
” she
said.
She qualifies this by saying that it’
s nor-
mal to feel this way in such a tumultuous
time.
“It’
s important to realize anxiety doesn’
t
equal pathology,
” she said. “These are anx-
iety-provoking times. There’
s a whole con-
tinuum when it comes to anxiety.
”
Nicole Pollack, MSW
, CSW
, a therapist
with Beaumont Children’
s
Center, works with kids as
young as 5 up through ado-
lescents in high school. She
said she has been unable to
conduct her in-person group
sessions with her young
clients, but is staying in touch with them
virtually. Although many of her kids don’
t
or can’
t articulate exactly what they feel, she
works with them to get in touch with how
they are coping with the unknown.
“I work with a lot of my patients on
self-awareness and self-care,” she said.
“That helps to navigate these uncertain
times.”
Pollack has listened to kids about the
struggles they have faced while being at
home and how hard home schooling has
been on them and their parents. She said
she knows that “a lot” of her young clien-
tele were already socially isolated before
the pandemic hit. She encourages them to
talk about their feelings.
“We talk a lot about negative thought
replacement,” she said. “I tell them, don’
t
focus on the unknown but focus on what
you can control.”
All three therapists say there have been
good things to come out of the last four
months of the stay-at-home order, namely
the fact that people have been forced to
take a break from the daily grind, focus on
family and pursue their own interests.
“Some people have actually appreciated
the opportunity to slow down, get back to
basics and spend time with their families
or (spend time) alone and do things they
like to do,” Edelson said. “Hopefully, peo-
ple will learn to appreciate there are some
very basic pleasures and basic relationships
that are very important. Staying busy and
distracted and having an overfilled social
calendar is not as desirable as we thought
they were.”
Pollack encourages her young patients
and their parents to take advantage of the
summer weather to get out and spend
more time in nature.
“How many walks and bike rides do we
take where we say afterwards, ‘
That didn’
t
make me feel good?’
” she said. “It’
s import-
ant to get out, but to do it safely.”
Edelson advises people to respect their
own feelings about where they go out now
that restrictions are lifting.
“Listen to your heart and listen to what
your common sense is telling you,
” she said.
“You have to find your own compass. While
you may have to push yourself a little, you
push yourself. You re-engage at a pace that
is comfortable for you.
”
Frank said that people need to educate
themselves about the coronavirus and use
their best judgment in what freedoms they
take advantage of.
“Social distancing, I think, is an unfortu-
nate choice of words,
” she said. She prefers
the term “physical distancing.
”
“We don’
t want people to social distance
and lose touch with their families and
friends,
” she said. “Make informed deci-
sions about where you should go or don’
t
go. There isn’
t any evidence that everyone
should stay at home and not do anything.
It’
s about the protection you use, the masks
and the hand hygiene. Those are really
important.
”
The state of Michigan has established an online
mental health portal called ‘
Stay Well,” which lists
a variety of resources for those coping with the
emotional difficulties of staying safe during the
pandemic. Visit Michigan.gov/StayWell.
FOGO —
the Fear of Going Out
With stay-at-home restrictions lifting, three therapists
advise on ‘
coping’
with more freedom.
ELIZABETH KATZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Jews in the D
“Don’t focus on the
unknown but focus on
what you can control.”
— NICOLE POLLACK