Editorial: It's OK not to be OK -- you're not alone. Here are some ways to cope with the times we're in.

There's a tightness across your chest and you feel short of breath.

Is it COVID-19?

A heart attack?

Call your doctor, of course. But if your health checks out, it might be you're suffering from stress, anxiety, or panic attacks, even if that's never happened to you before.

The world is falling down, or so it seems, and many are caught in a full-on avalanche of sleeplessness, an endless loop of worries and fears and physical symptoms that mimic some of the manifestations of the dreaded disease that helped kick off 2020's bad-news chain of events.

That's compounded by daily challenges of juggling work-at-home and kids' schooling, being a front-line medical worker, being out of a job, returning to a job before you're ready, being isolated and lonely, struggling with divisions in our society.

It might help to know that if you're feeling the effects of stress and anxiety, you aren't alone.

"It's OK not to be OK," a friend says on Facebook.

Some responses: "I am not OK."

"I'm not OK."

"Nope. Not OK."

"Same."

Take a deep breath. No, really. Slow, deep, deliberate breathing is one way to cope with a stress response, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Grounding" techniques can help distract from distressing thoughts in the short term, giving time for a racing heart and rapid breaths to subside, according to Clarity Clinic, which has offices in Arlington Heights.

Say the multiplication tables or a poem or prayer, visualize or describe the steps of a task you like doing, identify how many shades of any particular color are within your view.

Managing stress doesn't mean becoming oblivious to all that's going on around you. The world needs your talents, ideas, empathy and action to move past this difficult time.

But try to save your emotional energy for what's important and identify and avoid what is not. Reading rants on social media? Endless cable news? Learn to notice when your anxiety levels ratchet up, and take a break.

Connect with others, says the CDC, which offers a wealth of resources at cdc.gov/coronavirus. That includes contacting your doctor's office or employee assistance program if you don't feel able to cope on your own.

If you fear you might harm yourself, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1 (800) 273-8255.

Those with a long lens on life might have an advantage of having learned resilience.

The world did not end with the turmoil of the Great Depression, World War II, Vietnam, 1968, 9/11 or 2008. Coping is easier if you have a deep expectation that things will get better.

That's a hope all of us can dwell on.