he World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic on the March 11, 2020, and we saw a dramatic change in our lives from that moment onwards. There has been an impact on our family life, our social life, our work life and our medical health. The COVID-19 pandemic is a clear threat to our physical health, both directly and through the consequences of not accessing help for our physical health out of fear of getting COVID-19. However, it has also been affecting our mental health.
Going through the periods of restrictions, isolation and uncertainty have an effect on our emotional well-being.
Persons are fearful of becoming ill, and persons who test positive have to cope with anxiety about their condition and the isolation of being separated from family and friends.
Fear, worry, and feelings of stress are normal responses to perceived threats. In this situation these ‘threats’ have included coping with unemployment, working from home, and a lack of physical contact with family members, friends and colleagues.
Children have been at home with online schooling, and parents may have to supervise this while working from home or caring for other family members.
The front-line workers have been working hard to keep us safe, and they are at heightened risk of these mental health outcomes. As the time of the pandemic has continued, this ongoing stress has led to increased rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts. Persons are feeling worn out and question if there will indeed be a possibility of ‘normal’ life once more.
These mental health consequences are of concern and we need to look at how to lessen them. Thinking of the basics is a good place to start. These include maintaining a healthy diet, getting sleep, and daily exercise. We can have safe socialisation using social media platforms and social contact as allowed by the official protocols. Structuring our day as much as we can is helpful when we are in challenging and uncertain times.
Having morning, afternoon and evening activities, can give us some control of our immediate activities.
There is the risk of turning to alcohol or other drugs to cope with psychological stress. However, these substances will interfere with your ability to cope and worsen your psychological symptoms. Though one may feel isolated, remember to ask for help. This may be speaking to a family member, a friend or neighbour, through to seeking professional psychological help.
We now have access to vaccinations for COVID-19, but there will still be concerns about how life will be after the pandemic. There will be uncertainty and anxiety, and this is to be expected. The pandemic has been a significant stressor in in everyone’s lives, and has overwhelmed the world for over a year. It seems likely that we may have to wear face masks even after vaccinations become widespread.
Seeing the face mask is a constant reminder that all is not well. Seeing the faces of persons is an important part of our social interaction, and not seeing the faces removes that feeling of connection. Given a traumatic event like COVID-19, it is not unusual to have flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, anger and fear. These are symptoms included in posttraumatic stress disorder, which we associate more with having witnessed or experienced a serious accident or assault.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic can have a similar effect with an emotional reaction to the trauma that could last longer than expected.
We usually have an intense response initially, but these symptoms often recover naturally over time. If they are persistent, and cause you to feel unable to function, then it would be important to seek help.
If we have a mindset of expecting the worse, that actually increases the risk of experiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. We need to be aware of what we say to ourselves, because a negative thought leads to a negative emotion. Then we may carry out a behaviour such as substance use, which actually makes us feel worse. We need to pause when a negative thought occurs, take a breath, see how the thought can be re-structured, before we act on the thought. We need to break down the time we spend looking ahead into smaller portions of time. Looking ahead a month may give us a sense of doom; if we focus on the next few minutes, we can probably manage that.
Becoming more connected to our everyday lives and more appreciative of the things that we take for granted, can give a greater sense of meaningfulness and faith in our own abilities to manage a situation. Some persons have used the time of social distancing to carry out household projects such as clearing out clutter, which gives them a feeling of decluttering their minds. This can provide satisfaction and stress relief.
There is anxiety about the prospect of going out in public again, and we will need to have a flexible approach, understanding it is possible for the situation to change suddenly. By recognising this, we are more prepared.
The pandemic created the space for many persons to slow down, reflect on what is important and connect with each other in new ways.
An important concept is acknowledging that we can get through this together. This has been a worldwide event and we are part of the global community that has been undergoing this difficult experience at the same time. The pandemic has also highlighted our sense of resilience, and having the feeling of being connected both locally and globally helps to protect against stress-related consequences.
Dr Sharon Harvey is a member of the Barbados Association of Psychiatrists FEAR, WORRY,
OF STRESS ARE
RESPONSES
THREATS.
WORRY, AND FEELINGS
ARE NORMAL
TO PERCEIVED THREATS.
