We need to sustain ourselves for a potentially protracted time of living with COVID-19 and make some persistent changes to our functioning for the long journey.
By Dr Cait McMahon OAM
As we progress on the path of living with COVID-19, the social and emotional responses across communities have changed within a short amount of time. First came the shock – the immediate and fast-changing impacts felt around the world. I call this Phase One of the diseases, characterised by intense fear and anxiety.
We all had to make behavioural and emotional changes when the government and external regulations where imposed. We had to adjust to shelter in place, accommodating a new reality of food and daily living items being in scarce supply, and not seeing friends and family face to face. Being exposed to high rates of death and grief has taken an enormous toll on our psychological, social, physical, and existential selves individually and collectively.
Nonetheless, humans are adaptable creatures. As time goes on, we adjust, for better or worse. In a noticeably short time, we move to a place of acceptance of these new limitations on freedom and of resources. I call this adaptation phase, Phase Two of living with COVID-19.
As we settle into the ‘new normal’ through this pandemic, I also realise that I come from a place of privilege – I still have an income, a safe and beautiful home that I share with a loving partner, and we have not been personally touched by the direct impact of this virus. We live in a country, which took relatively swift, decisive, and humane action, and our national illness and mortality numbers are low. Our leaders, despite one’s political affiliations, have maintained significant humanity and have led with clarity and heart.
Managing mental health
In the current adaptation stage, we all have a little more information about the disease – our anxiety may still be present, but it is not as acute. There as a daily, underlying ripple for some, like a white-water rapid for others – but always present. Grief and distress may ebb and flow. Sometimes manageable and sometimes overwhelming, but it is now familiar.
We now understand that this pandemic will not be over quickly and we need to sustain ourselves for a potentially protracted time and make some persistent changes to our functioning for the long journey. Prolonged stress impacts us in four main areas – our Behaviour, Emotions, Existential being and our Physicality. I often say, under stress humans BEEP!
Here are some practical tips to help cope with the stress of living in the times of a pandemic:
Do a behavioural check-in
Become literate about your signs and reactions to stress. Doing an internal check-in with how you are doing mentally, physically, emotionally, and existentially/spiritually gives one the signposts to take necessary action. For instance, you may ask yourself: Am I acting more aggressively with others? Am I staying in bed longer than is healthy? Am I avoiding work more than usual, or conversely am I working more than is healthy for me now? Becoming cognizant of our usual behavioural styles when not in a stressed state is a good benchmark. Once you learn what your ‘default under stress behaviours’ are, you can use these as indicators to augment self-care.
Monitor your emotions
It is important to develop emotional intelligence. Heightened emotions are normal during a pandemic. Anxiety, grief, distress, sadness, fear is pervasive, and even those not often effected by such emotions are visited by their impact. Acknowledging this and recognising that these are not ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ feelings but part of a normal response to threat may be helpful. Ensure you connect with loved ones, friends, and peers. Create a daily plan of activity and prepare for when your mood darkens. You may undertake activities such as writing a journal to get your thoughts out, reaching out to someone else to give support to take the focus off your own pain.
Cultivate a sense of purpose
Existential/spiritual reactions to stress often lead to lack of trust in a benevolent and just world. It makes you question the universe/God. What is the use of life when such illness is so pervasive? You question leaders, their decisions, and may feel betrayed. In such moments, it’s helpful to use techniques such as encouraging gentle and positive self-talk, focussing on acts of kindness, generosity and humour. Perhaps, you could speak to a friend or loved one, instead of sitting alone with your despair – its load is halved when it is shared. Invest in activities that give you a sense of purpose and achievement – learning a new skill that adds value to your life; online volunteering to reach out to isolated people; bringing joy to the lives of others and your own.
Take care of your body
Our physical being is suffering from lack of activity, exercise, and for some of us, eating and drinking too much! Include activities such as yoga, mindfulness mediation, or online gym into your daily schedule. Develop a sleep routine that has you putting down your online devices at least 40 minutes before bed so that you do not impact your sleep pattern with blue light.
In conclusion, be kind to yourself. Self-reflect on your own BEEP indicators and share the knowledge with others. While you focus on physical distancing, remember to keep the social connectedness intact. We weather the same storm, though not necessarily from the same boat!
(The author is a Melbourne-based psychologist and founding managing director of Dart Centre Asia Pacific).
