Online Support for COVID-19 Stress
Pandemic-related stress can be aggravating and frustrating. It can worsen mental and physical problems and learning to manage stress (whether it’s related to the pandemic or not) is a life skill worth learning.
Pandemic-related stress can be damaging to your mental and physical well-being.
Uncertainty
Most of us feel uncertainty about many things related to the pandemic, but the most common questions seem to be: When will this end? When will things return to normal? Realizing that we might not know the answers to these questions can be anxiety-provoking and feel daunting.
Isolation Fatigue
Responsible public health reactions like social distancing have the side effect of making us feel lonely. For some of us, phone calls and texting are not enough—this quarantine fatigue can increase stress and anxiety, and it takes extra energy to fight back against these feelings of isolation.
Fear & Anxiety
COVID is a new disease, and since we are still learning about its effects, many people feel fear and anxiety about what could happen if they or a loved one contract the disease. This can be overwhelming for both adults and children and can amplify negative and unhelpful emotions and thoughts.
Social Pressures
The pandemic and the situation around it also put extra pressure on all types of relationships. Smaller issues between family members, roommates or partners can inadvertently snowball because of the simple fact that everyone is on edge due to the current situation.
Stress is Natural.
Stress is an unavoidable reality of life. It’s normal to feel some stress across multiple life domains, including at work, school or home. However, the addition of pandemic-related stress on top of a normal or already-high stress level can have detrimental effects on health and wellbeing.
When pandemic-related stress begins to interfere with daily life, therapy can be very helpful.
When Pandemic-Related Stress Becomes a Problem
Stress related to COVID can cause many issues that could exacerbate pre-existing problems.
Anxiety About Your Health
You want to stay healthy, and now there’s an invisible virus that may constrain your ability to thrive. This is a frightening time, and sometimes we can’t avoid worrying about what could happen. However, chronic worry or anxiety can have adverse effects on your health.
Difficulty Concentrating
Another symptom of pandemic-related stress is difficulty sleeping or concentrating, both of which are also symptoms of anxiety and depression. With so much going on, it makes sense people are having trouble focusing or thinking clearly, and it can cause a lot of frustration.
Mental Health Decline
Many people were already struggling with mental illness or mental health conditions before the pandemic arrived. Now, with the extra pressure and the uncertainty of the duration of the measures being taken, people are experiencing heightened symptoms of mental health conditions, even those who did not struggle with them before.
Physical Health Decline
Physical activity is incredibly important to sustain a healthy lifestyle. However, it’s not easy to exercise while socially distancing, and many struggle with the motivation to continue their workout routines. Many people have adopted more sedentary lifestyles, worsening physical health problems or even creating new ones.
Frustration with Others
Another aspect of COVID stress is watching others react to the pandemic. We cannot control how other people act, and if they do not act in the way we believe they should, it can cause anger and frustration.
Fueled by Stress
Frustration and anger related to the pandemic often come from stress. We become angry with others and the way they react to situations because we are stressed about the possible health consequences When we are better able to deal with the stress, we are also better able to control our anger and frustration.
Redirected Anger
When you feel angry at others, you might bring that anger into your relationships with others. Also called displacement, redirected anger is more common in situations of high stress. Fights between partners might increase, for instance, even though primary distress is actually coming from sources outside the relationship.
Levels of Reaction
A big part of feeling frustrated is watching others who don’t seem to be taking the situation seriously, especially if they are family and you are worried about their health. On the other hand, some people feel their loved ones are taking it too seriously. It can often seem like there is no middle ground.
People React Differently to Stressful Situations
There are many factors that play a role into how a person reacts to the pandemic. A person’s background, social and financial situation and their mental and physical wellbeing all play an important role. Furthermore, people are highly influenced by their community and the media they consume.
People who may respond more strongly to the stress of a crisis include:
People who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 such as elderly people and those with specific underlying medical conditions
Children and teenagers
Essential workers who might come into contact with infected people, such as frontline workers in the medical field or those who work in the food industry
Those who have recently gone through a major life transition, such as moving to a new city or ending a long-term relationship
People caring for loved ones and family members
People who have existing mental health illnesses or conditions
People who have had changes in their employment, like losing their job or having their hours reduced
People in some racial and ethnic minority groups
People who are socially isolated from others, such as people who live alone or in less densely-populated areas
People who do not have access to information or cannot access essential information in their primary language
People who use drugs or substances or have a substance use disorder
People experiencing homelessness or living in crowded situations
People who have disabilities or developmental delay
Healthy Ways to Cope with COVID Stress
Although stress caused by the pressures of the pandemic may be difficult to bear, there are ways to help manage its intensity and put you on a healthier path.
Be Informed
First and foremost, you have to know what to do if you happen to get sick. Learn where to get treatment and find all the resources you may need. Not only will this help in case you do get sick, but it will give you peace of mind knowing that you are prepared for the worst.
Take Care of Yourself
Pay attention to your mental and emotional health and make sure you are doing things to keep yourself mentally healthy. Similarly, your physical health is important: take walks, exercise, get good sleep and avoid alcohol or drug use.
Take Breaks
Hearing about the pandemic every moment of the day can be upsetting. Take breaks from pandemic-related news and make sure to give yourself time to do the things you enjoy. Take up a new hobby or get back into an old one, but don’t feel pressure to be productive with every moment of your day.
Connect with Others
Make sure you keep connecting with others throughout the pandemic. It’s not easy communicating solely through our devices, but maintaining social relationships is one of the most important aspects of a healthy life. Talk to those you love and share your feelings and concerns.
Pandemic-related stress can be aggravating and frustrating. It can worsen mental and physical problems and learning to manage stress (whether it’s related to the pandemic or not) is a life skill worth learning. Therapy can be incredibly useful to develop the skills to manage stress, for this year and for many to come.