Americans seem to be taking the government’s sharp new limitations on their lives in stride. They are making sacrifices now to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus, which otherwise could overwhelm our hospitals with sick elderly people and lead to difficult decisions about who should get care and who should not. Though most people are staying calm, a measure of the public’s anxiety was the nationwide run on food stores late last week, or, as it had been dubbed on social media, “The Invasion of the Grocery Snatchers.” Evidently worried they would be stuck at home for weeks without the ability to shop, Americans frantically stripped aisles of meat, pasta and other foodstuffs, buying far more than usual and leaving their fellow citizens temporarily without. Cleaning products also took a hit. The most notable item for hoarding was toilet paper. It almost seemed like a mass psychosis, reminiscent of the reaction — ever since the Great Blizzard of ’78 — to reports of snowflakes in the weather forecast. Stores are quickly emptied of milk and bread. This time, milk and bread seemed among the things still available. You have to wonder what will become of all that toilet paper. Will people be selling it off at yard sales later this spring? And why toilet paper? The symptoms of the coronavirus would seem to suggest a run on facial tissues and cold products instead. President Trump urged Americans on Sunday to stay calm. “There is no need for anybody in the country to hoard essential food supplies,” he said. “You don’t have to buy so much. Take it easy. People are going in and buying more … than they buy at Christmas,” the president said. “Relax. We’re doing great. It all will pass.” He noted he had talked to leaders in the food industry who are committed to restocking shelves and certain that the food supply chain is not at risk. Some of this grabbing goes to human psychology. In times of stress, people want to regain a sense of control over their lives. Stocking up is one way they can make themselves feel powerful. Franklin Roosevelt, inaugurated as the president for the first time on March 4, 1933, during the Great Depression, famously declared: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” That certainly seems true in this case. Our economy — which was roaring when the virus hit — is strong enough to provide a cushion during this period. The genius of capitalism is working, including by keeping grocery stores stocked. Good people are toiling overtime to fill the shelves. The best minds in the world are working on vaccines, tests and treatments for coronavirus. Viruses by their nature tend to peak and then fade quickly. This will pass. In the meantime, Americans are on a sharp learning curve about technology — working remotely from home, getting educated online, etc. This may end up helping us better diffuse knowledge, control disease and improve our lives. And when this is over, people will feel good, and the economy will take off. In the meantime, let’s try to stay calm and do our best to care for each other.