It's a stressful time. We’re understandably anxious as we face a dangerous and unprecedented situation, and an uncertain future. Ordinarily, we would reach out to family, friends and co-workers for a supportive hug or gather together to talk things through. These are the natural ways we manage stressful situations. Yet during this time of the coronavirus, we have to be physically distancing from others. We want to make sure that our loved ones are safe, yet our mere presence can endanger them. We need to handle complex, unprecedented situations quickly and competently, yet our impulse may be toward panic, anxiety and therefore avoidance.

Dr. Michael Tompkins, co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy and assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley, specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders. He’ll spend an hour with us and share a few strategies that may help us to manage our anxieties more effectively. He'll lead us in a few exercises and answer questions we may have.