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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit 4 years ago, Jenn Kearney felt extra thankful for her years of therapy.

The 34-year-old digital communications manager from Boston said her 11 years of doing therapy, specifically cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, prior to the pandemic had given her skills and “ways to cope and adapt that not only benefited me, but the people around me,” she said.

“I had spent a lot of time working with my therapist on, specifically, managing my anxiety through unexpected incidents,” she said. That was especially useful when her husband contracted COVID at the end of April 2020.

It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic caused worldwide emotional upheaval. A report from the World Health Organization found that anxiety and depression increased globally by a staggering 25% during its first year. But a new study found that people diagnosed with anxiety who received two widely available forms of therapy experienced less stress than others during the pandemic, even during the toughest days of lockdown.

Head over to WebMD to read the full story.