How to Manage Stress as the Pandemic Continues
4 minute read.
How to Manage Pandemic Stress
I wrote a post earlier in the year about managing stress during the winter months of COVID-19, then I wrote about the benefits of teletherapy during and after the pandemic, and finally, I posted about managing anxiety as the world opened up again.
Two weeks ago, my husband and I had a series of difficult discussions about reimplementing boundaries to keep us and our loved ones safe are COVID-19 variants continue to plague the US and vaccinations rates remain low.
Despite being privileged enough to be vaccinated ourselves, we were not interested in risking our health or that of others, and sadly decided to cancel plans, a trip and begin the grieving process once more.
I have had to personally reassess the tools that I began utilizing 18 months ago (both maladaptive and adaptive) and figured that a refresher was necessary. This time, updated and retooled! (cue trumpets blaring)
*Disclaimer - This piece is being written by a straight, cis, white woman. Intersectionality (coined by lawyer, civil rights advocate, scholar and philosopher Kimberlé Crenshaw) tells us that ethnicity, class, sexuality and gender that differ from the above identifiers encounter more hardship and oppression.*
1. Remember what worked before, and what didn’t.
What changes did you put into practice that were helpful? Harmful? Were there new hobbies that you started and have added to your daily life? Did unhealthy behaviors took more control than you want to admit?
If binge watching TV and learning French helped, keep it up or put a new spin on it (French Creole or Canadian, maybe?)! If binge drinking and staying in bed all day was ineffective and made you depressed, do your best to keep these behaviors at bay.
2. Remember your warning signs to mental illness.
If you experienced burnout, worsening mental health, self-harm, passive death wishes or suicidal thoughts/gestures, etc. it may not feel like an enjoyable exercise to recall the warning signs. But knowing your warning signs can help prevent further pain for you and loved ones in the future.
Make appointments with your therapist (find a new one, if needed - this helped me A LOT), schedule phone calls and safe social calls, have coping strategies that are easily accessible, familiarize yourself with your local crisis center, etc.*
3. Collectivism.
In the US, our addiction to individualism became all too clear during 2020. In collectivism, decisions are made based off of what is best for the group rather than the individual.
Generally speaking, the results are more social support, love/care towards others which releases happy chemicals in the brain, and a higher reported quality of life. Do things that will be good for others, and by proxy for yourself.
Sustainable living? Composting? Baking bread and dropping it off for your elderly neighbor? Find something that you can do that will satisfy both you and someone else.
This type of lifestyle will also help counterbalance anger and frustration held by groups and individuals that perpetuate hate and ignorance in these times.
4. Remember that Humans are adaptable.
An ever present truth, you have gotten through everything that life has thrown at you thus far. Maybe you have not fully healed and maybe you bare physical or emotional scars, but your survival is noted.
Keep this in mind when what you see in the world feels unbearable. Believe me when I say this, you are not in this alone.
More to come, stay tuned.
Thank you for reading!
Email contact@teletherapywithsarah.com with questions/comments/concerns.
Pennsylvanians - ready to start therapy? Reach out to contact@teletherapywithsarah.com for a free 15 minute consultation.
Very nest,
—Sarah
Find a therapist:
includsivetherapists.com
therapyden.com
zencare.co
thrivingcampus.com
*National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. Learn more
800-273-8255
