I am worried about my brother and wondering if there is any way to help him through his fear of Covid. It’s prevented him going out for all but essential errands and appointments since the beginning of the pandemic (neither he nor his wife go out to work). At the root of it is a very understandable concern about infecting his wife, who has some underlying health conditions. But they were happy to socialise for many years before Covid – the risk of catching coughs/colds etc was not a major concern (they’re both healthy in other ways). Sadly the lockdowns seem to have triggered a general paranoia about germs, infection and mingling with other people. This is despite also being fully vaccinated and boosted.
I’ve gently tried to coax him into socialising in a safe setting – at the park with just me and my wife, getting a coffee outside, and offering to do LFTs in advance for extra reassurance – but he’s still anxious about face-to-face contact and declines. My worry too is that he and his wife are subconsciously feeding each other’s fears – made especially intense with them being at home all day – and that they can’t get themselves out of this way of thinking and behaving.
