Streaming shows launched to offer expert advice on coping with anxiety

Chinese online audio platform Ximalaya has launched a series of streaming programs to help with pandemic-related psychological distress.

On the shows, doctors and other experts take turns to give professional advice and answer questions.

Pan Xiao, a psychologist at Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, said during his online show on April 6: "Most of us are stressed. Really stressed. Due to the pandemic, many people are staying home and feeling upset. Because of the stress of social isolation from friends and family, and from missing milestones such as birthdays and graduation ceremonies, pressure mounts."

Suggestions are offered by Pan, such as making a list every day to keep to a healthy and regular lifestyle.

"There are many options to make your day more orderly, such as getting up early, cooking, doing physical exercise, reading and listening to music," Pan said.

"I offered psychological counseling to people in Shanghai recently and realized that they were coping with similar psychological issues such as growing anxiety, depression and panic attacks. If you can identify the things that you can control, and then engage in healthy behavior, you can relieve some stress."

Zheng Li, a psychologist and member of the China Association for Mental Health, said on her online streaming show: "Many parents asked me about issues they have with their children, who have to attend virtual school activities.

"Parents sometimes easily unleash their temper on their children and find it hard to deal with their own emotions. They first need to cope with these emotions, because their behavior, such as losing their temper, may be harmful to their children. Parents and children can make daily plans together and relieve stress through activities such as cooking, painting and reading."

Yin Qiming, Ximalaya's vice-president and chief editor, said it took just three days to gather together doctors and other experts, who welcomed the invitation to join the online programs in the hope of making a contribution to winning Shanghai's battle against the latest outbreak of COVID-19.

"People's lives have been heavily affected by the pandemic, which has led to emotional and psychological problems. Doctors and other experts give professional advice, and the online streaming shows also offer people a space to talk about their experience and anxiety during this difficult time," Yin said.

Since early 2020, Ximalaya has offered viewers programs focusing on mental health, Yin added. For example, during Spring Festival that year, when the pandemic hit China heavily, psychologists gave online shows to teach people how to tell if they needed help and what they could do for themselves when faced with such a stressful situation.

The platform also invited a growing number of online influencers to tell of their struggles with mental health, encouraging more people to speak up on social media.

Yin said: "In some ways, our stress over the pandemic has brought us together. We're all under a great deal of stress. It's OK to be stressed sometimes, but it is not OK if we don't do something about it."