As the COVID crisis was revealing itself to us in late February, I was just finishing up a book on uncertainty. But over the past few months, we’ve become subject to a heightened level of uncertainty we’ve never known before that is creating much anxiety. That’s why I, with help from my husband Doug, have written a short new book with tools to cope with the unique uncertainties we are all facing NOW.
Health: Will I or my loved ones get sick and die? Are my elderly parents safe? Are these body sensations signs of Covid-19? Dare I go back to work?
Finances: Do I have enough money? Can I get government aid? Will my retirement fund recover? Can I pay my rent or mortgage? Will I lose my job? Will the company I work for reopen?
Supplies: Toilet paper, flour, rice, medications, meat—will there be enough?
Social: How much should I social distance? How much should I connect online? Will I lose my friends and connections?
General: How long will this last? Will my children fall behind academically? Do our elected officials know what they’re doing?
The Anxiety Virus addresses the uncertainties we face today, and every day for the foreseeable future. I believe this crisis is an opportunity. We can either contract, and try to white knuckle our way through this, or we can expand our capacity to accommodate everything that’s happening. This book gives strategies to help us not only survive this crisis, but to actually thrive.
COVID-19 has plunged us all into an atmosphere of extraordinary uncertainty, but with the right strategies, we can respond and adjust. Resilience to uncertainty is what we need right now. It will give us the flexibility and confidence we need to master any crisis!
This book comes with additional online audio meditations and downloadable worksheets!
Because of the urgent timeline, we decided to self-publish The Anxiety Virus on Amazon. It is now available both in Kindle and paperback format, and I invite you to order a copy. If you find it useful, I hope you’ll take the time to rate it, or if your so moved, leave a few words of review. Without a publisher, we’ll need some help to get the word out!
Since the “Look Inside” preview is not yet activated at Amazon.com, you can take a look inside and learn more here.
Endorsements…
“Jennifer Shannon has written a timely, readable and completely relevant guide to managing anxiety in these uncertain times. She has a knack for simple phrases that capture profound truths — such as “let fear metabolize” and “reasonable precaution enables reasonable risk”. Her conversational story-telling style universalizes these insights and guides the reader to a gentle practice of venturing out.”
Sally Winston, PsyD
Co-author of Needing to Know for Sure: A CBT-Based Guide to Overcoming Compulsive Checking and Reassurance-Seeking and Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts,
“You can’t solve each new crisis that arises. But you can master the ability to tolerate uncertainty. The task is difficult, but it is simple. Spend some time with Jennifer Shannon’s book, and your body and mind will thank you for it.”
Reid Wilson, PhD
author of Stopping the Noise in Your Head
“Great suggestions for quieting inner turmoil, complete with specific examples of how we might cope with the challenges of media overload, fearing shortages of toilet paper, taking sniffles as a sign of death, and more. Great reading while you shelter in place!
Dave Carbonell, PhD,
“Coach” of the popular self-help site, anxietycoach.com, is the author of Panic Attacks Workbook, The Worry Trick, Fear of Flying Workbook, and Outsmart Your Anxious Brain: Ten Simple Ways to Beat the Worry Trick
