The advice of psychiatrist Serge Hefez to manage the growing anxiety related to Covid-19

INTERVIEW

He noted a climate of generalized concern.

Guest of the show 

for the reissue of his book 

, the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Serge Hefez explains to Anne Roumanoff's microphone that his colleagues are "all overwhelmed with consultation" following the anxieties generated by the health context.

He gives his professional advice to prevent these feelings from taking over. 

>> Find all of Anne Roumanoff's shows in replay and podcast here

An uncertainty also linked to policies

According to the psychiatrist, the concerns of the French are not only linked to the threat of the disease.

They come more from the vagueness created by the health crisis and the difficulty in projecting oneself into the ensuing future.

"People are much more anxious at the moment, because we are in a period of absolute uncertainty, that all our benchmarks are wavering", observes Serge Hefez.

And according to him, this uncertainty is partly due to the political class.

"There are contradictory injunctions that are given to us constantly. I do not blame our leaders, but there is great uncertainty about what this epidemic is and what will be its evolution", develops he.

And the contradictory injunctions, added to the uncertainty, create a completely explosive mixture.

People are very, very badly, they are very, very anxious. "

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Focus on the short term to overcome anxiety

However, solutions exist to get better, according to Serge Hefez.

"The question of knowing how to refocus, how to find your center of gravity," he theorizes.

"Once you calm the anxiety, the personal work can be done. But someone paralyzed by the anxiety will not even be able to think for himself. Which is the fabric of a psychotherapeutic work of In General."

A theoretical explanation which takes concrete form in practical advice.

"When it is difficult to envision the future, I believe in being a little modest and giving yourself very short-term goals" suggests the healthcare professional.

"You have to structure your daily life, give yourself tasks to do every day. But also think of others before thinking of yourself. That is to say, get out of yourself and your own concerns to say to yourself 'What what can I do for others today? '

eg. It's those kinds of things that help get out of anxiety. " 

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The psychiatrist doubly affected by the Covid-19 

His advice, the psychiatrist applied it to himself.

It must be said that the health context did not spare Serge Hefez.

"It was not easy for me. First I caught Covid-19, I was very sick," he explains.

"Then I lost my mother. She died of the virus in an nursing home."

Two difficult moments to live.

But Serge Hefez explains how he managed to get through his personal trials.

And his work as a psychiatrist is no stranger to the equation.

“It's always the same thing: you have to find the weapons to face it,” he recalls.

"And maybe it's being of service to others every day that helps me the most."

An easy solution to apply on a daily basis, even if you are not a psychiatrist.