What Is All This Stress Doing to You?
Several weeks after the start of the pandemic, many of us are working in survival mode. Actions as simple as going to the grocery store or talking to a stranger in person took on new and sinister meanings. Our level of anxiety is off the charts. This raises an alarming question for the future: yes, someday this will all end, but for now, what are the long-term implications of this prolonged period of high stress?
“The prolonged, unrelenting stress we see can cause decision paralysis,” says Sue Varma , board-certified psychiatrist and assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University in Langon . This affects our concentration and ability to make good decisions. If depression occurs, it can also lead to a loss of motivation.
Fight-flight-freeze response
Our body reacts to stressful situations with a fight-flight-freeze reaction. While we often think of the fight-or-flight response, we are currently in one of those dangerous situations where you cannot fight or flee. It is impossible to infect a virus or escape an infection. Instead, there are only quiet, measured responses, such as staying at home. But this does not mean that we do not experience the same physiological responses that are triggered in other types of hazardous situations.
Think of freezing, which can also be called reactive immobility or attentive immobility , as holding or fighting. You are preparing to defend yourself. All of the physiological changes that accompany the fight-flight-freeze response work, but instead of immediate action, the body simply prepares for its next steps.
For those of us who stay at home, we are like the proverbial possums forced to freeze in the face of danger. There is little we can do but remain in a constant state of alertness.
Long-term stress has physical and mental consequences
The fight-flight-freeze response is short-term and designed to get people out of a dangerous situation. The effects of prolonged stress can be both physical and mental.
“Heart disease, obesity, stroke, premature death, as well as depression, anxiety and PTSD are all potential physical and mental consequences,” Varma says. In such situations, people also tend to make bad judgments. It is noteworthy that recently the number of cases of domestic violence has sharply increased.
As harmful as these effects are, there are ways to deal with them, the first of which is to contact your healthcare provider if you feel the effects are becoming too severe for you. But even before you get to that point, you can take preventive measures, including developing healthy coping mechanisms to help you get through particularly difficult times.
4 m
“Learning how to effectively manage stress [through] adaptive coping skills is one of the most important abilities to [develop], and it can predict mental health and longevity,” Varma says. She suggests that people practice the 4M mental health on a daily basis: mindfulness, meaningful participation, mastery (which includes creative pursuits of any kind), and movement. Listen to your body and your mind, and don’t ignore what they tell you. However, stay in touch with friends and family by practicing safe physical distancing. Take your time with what you love. And don’t forget to exercise even if you can’t leave the house.
In addition to these measures, it is also important to do everything possible to slow the spread of the virus through measures such as hand washing and physical distancing; Yes, these are effective health maintenance measures, but they are also completely under our control – and knowing that you are doing everything you can to protect yourself and your family can have a calming effect.