Managing Stress During a Pandemic
Midife can be taxing with all the changes that we have going on around us and of course to us. Throwing a pandemic on top of all these changes can push us right to the edge. A bit of stress in our lives helps to protect us in life by engaging our fight or flight response. However, continuous stress can aggravate that response and have a negative effect on our body. It’s important to recognize what stress is, the effects it has on our body, and what to do to mitigate those effects. This post is all about how to manage your stress during a pandemic.
A recent review of the latest studies by Xiong and colleagues (1) discusses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health. The review indicated highly significant levels of psychological distress that should be a public health priority. As someone with anxiety at the best of times, I find myself struggling more in these past 11 months with managing my stress during this pandemic. Extra stress, especially in the middle of a pandemic is inevitable, but it can be controlled.
Covid related Stressors:
Along with all the ongoing stress in our daily lives, we can have these added Covid stressors:
- Isolation and loneliness
- Stress/anxiety from being isolated with family or friends
- Disruption of routines
- Loss of wages or income insecurity
- Burnout from frontline healthcare workers or essential workers
- Worsening health issues from not seeking treatment
- Fear and anxiety about getting sick or dying or having friends and family become ill
- Stress from being sick with Covid-19
- Caring for loved ones with Covid-19
- Being off work due to being quarantined
- Constant news updates regarding Covid-19 spread and mortality rates
Signs and Symptoms of Stress:
Everyone experiences stress differently in their lives. The following is a list of signs and symptoms that you might experience:
- Anxiety
- Depression or general unhappiness or negativity
- Irritability
- Sense of impending doom
- Inability to relax
- Inability to do activities that you enjoy
- Chronic fatigue (physical, mental or emotional)
- Shutting down, withdrawing from family/friends (ie: not socializing, keeping to self)
- Lack of interest in activities of daily living (ie: showering, keeping house clean)
- Brain fog (impaired concentration, distracted, forgetful, difficulty with making decisions)
- Headaches
- Muscle strain and muscle spasms
- Weakened immune system (frequent illness)
- Weight gain or loss that is unintended
- Stomach/abdominal issues (irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, heartburn)
- Poor sleep or changes in sleep patterns
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Increased use of alcohol, drugs, tobacco or medication
- Worsening of medical conditions
Worsening Signs and Symptoms:
When the unresolved stress becomes chronic and unmanageable, you can develop worsening signs and symptoms such as:
- Heaviness in chest
- Rapid heart rate
- Panic attacks
- Worsening depression and anxiety
- Loss of pleasure and interest in activities you usually enjoy
- Extreme fear or paranoia
- Increased aggression or conflict with others
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
If you recognize any of these signs and symptoms in your life (even if minor) that you cannot manage and/or are struggling with, please talk to your doctor or counsellor, or contact a stress/crisis line. Learning to reduce your stress before it becomes too overwhelming is important for your wellbeing.
Resources for support during Covid-19 (and beyond):
- In Saskatchewan we have the 811 Health Line which can be used for professional health or mental health and addictions advice, education and support. It can be accessed by dialing 811 or going to https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/health/accessing-health-care-services/healthline for more information.
- Wellness Together Canada. A website for adults and youth that provides support and resources for mental health and substance use. It is found at https://ca.portal.gs/
- Farm Stress Line. Toll Free: 1-800-667-4442. The line is specific to farmers and ranchers experiencing stress or conflict. It operates 24 hours per day/ Seven days per week.
- Breaking Free Online is a resource for substance use recovery and support is available online as well as with a companion app found at https://www.breakingfreeonline.ca/
- Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. It is found at https://www.hopeforwellness.ca/ or by calling the toll-free Help Line at 1-855-242-3310, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- BounceBack® is a free program offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association that helps you build skills to improve your mental health. It is found online at https://bounceback.cmha.ca/
18 Tips to Manage Stress During a Pandemic:
Finding ways to deal with your stress in a healthy way will help you and your family ease through this pandemic. The following are 18 ways that I use to manage my stress. And while I still have stress, and it varies from day to day, I do feel much better overall by making sure to use some of these strategies often:
- Limit news – especially sensationalized news sources. Stay informed with trustworthy and unbiased news sources.
- Decrease the use of social media and shared information that comes from dubious or biased sources.
- Don’t overcommit yourself. Know your limits!
- Rest- find an activity that encourages you to relax and rest (ie: Yoga, reading, music, soaking in a tub). Find 15-30 minutes of “self care time” every day and spend it doing something you enjoy that is relaxing.
- Get active! This is so helpful to decrease stress and muscle tension.
- Connect with positive people via video calls, phone, text, etc.
- Focus on what you can control. We can’t control when the pandemic will end, what others think or how they act. We can control how reduce our own risk for contracting Covid and potentially spreading it to others, our responses to constant changes, and our planning for potential issues and the management of those issues.
- Realize no one is perfect and many are struggling with their own issues and frustrations, so decrease your expectations of others and try to be patient with them.
- Be kind to yourself! Allow yourself to have the emotions and not be OK for a bit. Validate your feelings and understand that we can’t always be happy and joyful. Writing them down in a journal helps with this- it helps us to validate them, understand them, and then let them go.
- Show others kindness, and help out when you can. Helping others has a beneficial effect on our mental health.
- Get out in nature if you can. Even if it’s the great white (and cold!) north.
- Make healthy food choices. Healthy nutrients give us energy, make us feel good, and help strengthen our immune system.
- Decrease stimulants like caffeine and nicotine as well as alcohol and cannabis (or other drugs if you can). Seek help with this if you need it.
- Be grateful. Make a list each day of things you are grateful for. Focus on the good things in your life. Writing this down in a journal allows us to encourage the gratitude and keep the focus on the good.
- Try to keep a routine of some sort. This is difficult with things changing so quickly and often, which disrupts our routines that we have established. Routines can help keep us calm.
- Get support- if not from friends and family, then seek help from a professional (see above).
- Educate yourself with trusted resources. Know what to do if you do get sick. Being prepared decreases our stress levels.
- Be accountable for your own health and well-being. See my Year of Wellness Series for ideas on what you can do to improve your health and happiness starting in January 2021.
I hope that some of these tips can help you keep your stress levels manageable now, and when we are finally out of this pandemic situation. What are you doing to manage your stress during this pandemic? Do you have any other tips? Please share them below in the comments- we can all use extra ideas for self care. Stay safe and healthy and know this too shall pass!
Please note that while I am a Registered Nurse, I am not your nurse and my opinions above do not constitute or replace medical advice. Be sure to discuss any questions or concerns with your physician or healthcare provider. Also, see my disclaimer here for more information.
Take care,
Referenced articles:
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