The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health
In year 2020, we started to see the world affected by an unprecedented pandemic. Alongside the health risks, COVID-19 has created mental health challenges for many individuals around the world. Our psychologist at Positive Wellbeing Psychology have worded to support several individuals manage the multitude of stressors that resulted from COVID-19. It is no surprise that many individuals noticed heighted levels of anxiety and depressed mood in ways they never have reported experiencing.
What is the psychological impact of the Covid-19 crisis? The Biopsychosocial model is an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the aetiology of mental and physical disorders. It explores how biological, psychological, social factors interact in their development. For instance, for an individual who is feeling less connected and therefore socially isolated, they may notice change in their psychological wellbeing such as increased anxiety and low mood. Should they overtime start to feel a little more connected to the community and loved ones, their anxiety will reside overtime and therefore their mood will improve. Therefore, should one factor change (i.e., biological, psychological, or social factor) for the better it may effect change on the other levels. Of course, it is harder to change biological factors, but we will keep it simple for the sake of providing an example of the interaction between the factors. We'll now explore why this is relevant to the psychological impacts of Covid-19. To date, researchers have identified three clear causes of anxiety and depression during the pandemic: isolation, (1) risk to our health, and (2) financial impact. I would like to add another cause: (3) identity. When we can’t do what we normally do, or see the people we may normally see, it starts to have a significant impact on us. The small things often make the most difference to individuals mental health and wellbeing. For an individual that loved attending the local Pilates studio each Tuesday and Thursday, or another individual that enjoyed catching up with friends on Friday after the working week, or perhaps after work "knock-off" each Thursday, these usual events may have allowed the individual to feel connected to those whilst participating in an activity that aligned with their interest. When the individual had to quit these pastimes due to Covid-19 restrictions, it may be difficult for them as those activities made up such a huge part of who they are as individuals and members within their community. Without important activities that are meaningful to them, there is this void in life that doesn't seem capable of being filled by anything else outside what we're used to. As our identity changes over time, so does how much influence certain activities can have on us and our "happiness" levels. As many activities that are meaningful to us, have been paused due to the pandemic (to keep us safe and reduce the risk of spread of the virus), we find ourselves feeling a little more lost. What are the physiological impacts of Covid-19 crisis? The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to feel heightened levels of anxiety on a constant basis. This physiological shift in our bodies may feel like panic and ongoing anxiety due to the perceived threat that our brains are picking up on in our environment - on the news, in the Facebook feed, daily updates on the numbers, a person coughing next you in the Coles line. The Fight-Flight response is the body's natural reaction to a fear inducing event. When our brain perceives a 'threat' in our environment, we notice a shift in our body physiologically. When we are in this mode, our heart rate usually increases, and blood gets rushed to certain parts of our body so that we can get ready for action. It may also result in feeling lightheaded. When you experience an increase in your anxiety, your heartbeat speeds up and your breathing quickens. This is why blushing often occurs. The adrenaline coursing through your system helps prepare these vital organs for battle by sending them extra oxygenated blood via constricted veins while simultaneously relaxing muscles elsewhere, giving an added boost before fleeing at top speed out of a dark alley if someone started chasing after you. In the context of the pandemic, you may notice these changes in the body physiologically when you watch the news, reading about a hotspot near to your house, or waiting for a news announcement. During this time, so many of our normal supports may not be available to us (e.g., gym, school, yoga facilities, footy, parents or friends house) during the pandemic because of restrictions, but we always have our bodies. Our body does have the ability to help make us feel better mentally and physiologically - with a walk or quick run, yoga, or deep breathing practice to name a few! What are helpful coping strategies to better manage the Covid-19 crisis? Depression is a common mental health difficulty that can be caused by numerous reasons. Anxiety and depression are often existing together, therefore it's really important to reach out for professional support with a psychologist to better manage the symptoms. There are many ways you can use coping strategies for anxiety, such as the following: 1. Try out a new activity or revisit an old one you used to enjoy but have neglected for some time. For example, art therapy, writing, drawing. This may provide you with an outlet where there was not one before when dealing solely within themselves 2. Mindfulness practices such as yoga. For more examples, visit our Facebook and Instagram as these are updated for you weekly. Many people rely on their own bodies to help manage and cope with anxiety. Body oriented coping strategies are an easy way for us to use our body, even if it's a bit tough sometimes in the beginning. Physical activity is hard when feeling anxious, however stick in there and set small steps to get started. How to reduce worry and associated behaviours that maintain the anxiety? Worry is a sticky, ever-present emotion that often feels like to spreads through our minds and bodies. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what it means for most of us, as worry can be mental, emotional, or physical in nature. You may start to think about times when things went wrong. Alternatively, you may worry about what might go wrong! Some thoughts often sound like "what if something terrible happens again". Even though these worries may feel ridiculous --we still feel them over and over. And even worse than worrying thoughts are bad memories - ones which cause us to feel despair every time we remember them. Perhaps the worry started about one areas of life such as university studies, but when this worry is persistent for a long period of time, we start to notice that we generalise our worries to other areas in life such as work, family, and other domains in life! Everything seems to become distorted by stress hormones until finally nothing seems right. Our perception of ourselves and the world around us seems to be viewed through a negative lens - no matter what we do! Worry and anxiety are both useful in ways we can't fully comprehend. Our ancestors would have been great worriers, as they had a constant struggle to make ends meet with limited resources for survival. Anxiety does more than just create frustrations--it motivates us to take action when faced with danger or uncertainty that might lead future problems if left unchecked. However, when we constantly worry and find minds thinking up negative and unhelpful thoughts (not true or rational thoughts!), we start to notice the constant feeling of anxiety and depression. These negative thoughts are worries that maintain our anxiety and depression, which ultimately impact out behaviour. In this instance we need to start recognizing these unhelpful and negative thoughts and ask our self - is this fact or belief?
At this stage, we need to write down more rational ways to think about an event of situation. Look at positive and negative or evidence for and evidence against this thought. When we start to shift the thinking patterns, we start to after a bit of time, find relief. You may like to start keeping a thought diary, to track your thoughts. You can pause when you notice a sudden shift in your mood. Write it down on paper, what you are feeling physiologically, what you are thinking. Start to observe your thoughts and the impact on your emotions. You may then like to start looking at evidence for the thought being true, and evidence for this thought not being true. Reframing thoughts can improve your mood and self-esteem.
How to best adapt to the ever-changing demands of the Covid-19 crisis?
As the world moves and changes, so do our standards. We might feel it is important to work hard or be good parents, but we also have many new demands that come with a changing government. A few of these may include home-schooling or working from home and social distancing due to isolation. COVID-19 has demanded that we make repeated, rapid changes to our lives.
Deciding on the best course of action in these modern times can be difficult. Society is changing, and people are getting more confused about what to do with their lives as a result. There have been many changes over time - from new regulations that affect you personally or your profession.
How Positive Wellbeing Psychology can help during this Covid-19 crisis?
You may benefit from talking to one of our warm and compassionate psychologists at Positive Wellbeing Psychology to better understand some of the factors that may be maintaining symptoms of anxiety, stress, depression, or burnout. A highly skilled psychologist will be able to assist you in exploring techniques that can be introduced to help reduce symptoms. By finding a psychologist that suits your individual needs and therapy goals, you will start to notice improved mood, self-esteem and strengthen your relationships. Individuals who experience high levels of anxiety due to prolonged stress or burnout will benefit greatly from speaking to a psychologist.
Reach out today!
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