Covid and your mental health
With the uncertainty, overwhelm, fear, loss and sadness effecting people’s lives all around the globe during this COVID-19 pandemic, there are understandable reports of significant increases in stress and anxiety.
This blog post takes a look at what happens at a brain level when we feel under threat, what can help with turning down the anxiety, and tips for staying connected and mentally well.
Our brains – What happens when we are in threat mode, and what can help?
We are hard wired to overestimate threat and to underestimate our ability to handle these threats. If we think about this in evolutionary terms it makes sense – Those of our ancestors who feared the saber toothed-tiger were more prepared for attack and more likely to survive. Through the process of natural selection, this ‘threat sensitivity’ has become a permanent feature of the human brain.
In modern times, many of those immediate predatory threats have disappeared. However, at times of threat our brain responds as if we are under that immediate attack. When faced with a threatening situation, our thalamus sends signals to both the amygdala and the cortex. If the amygdala senses danger, it makes a split-second decision and begins the fight-or-flight response before the cortex has time to overrule it. Once in ‘fight or flight’ mode adrenaline is released leading to increased heart rate, blood pressure, shaking, sweating, more rapid breathing etc – all these are bodily responses are designed to help us flee or fight our ‘predator’.
So in other words, the amygdala triggers a sudden and unconscious emotional response that shuts off the cortex – this makes it hard to think clearly about the situation.
So what can we do to engage the cortex and turn down the stress response?
• Try engaging in a daily mediation / relaxation to turn down the volume of the threat response – there are lots available online. We at Tunbridge Wells Psychologist are also happy to send you details of some – just get in touch.
• Remember to engage the cortex in facts versus worries. The brain is hard wired to predict the worse – try and come back to what is known, rather than dwelling on what is feared.
• Listen out for hopeful stories – stories of recovery for example. The threat systems in your brain will be encouraging you to de-prioritise these/ not pay attention to them -so it’s vitally important you consciously override that and seek them out.
Here are some more tips for staying mentally well in this time of uncertainty.
Stay connected:
Social connection is the single biggest protector of our Mental Health. At a time when we are facing the prospect of being isolated from our nearest and dearest, as well as all our other daily human contacts (many which we may take for granted), it is vital we think to the other ways in which we can stay connected:
• Book in video group calls with friends and family.
• Make contact with friends and family you haven’t spoken to for some time. Reach out in particular to those who are on their own. If you are on your own, ask people to stay in touch and let them know you are feeling isolated.
• Many streets are setting up WhatsApp groups for purposes of staying connected and helping more vulnerable people with practical tasks/food etc. Are there ways in which you can build a sense of community around you, such as this?
• Print out some photos of friends and family to put up around the home as a way of feeling connected to those important people in your life, who may be physically distant right now.
It’s an odd time – people are crossing the street to avoid each other, and leaving large gaps between themselves and others. Try and maintain eye contact with passers-by and smile, so that physical distance doesn’t have to equal complete human disconnection.
Enable space around yourself:
The prospect of being in the same building for long periods of time is anxiety provoking for anyone. For some, this can lead to intense feeling of claustrophobia. Enable a sense of space around you where possible:
• Open your windows and look up to the sky – the can help give you a sense of space if you are feeling claustrophobic from being indoors for long periods.
• If you can, regularly change the rooms you are spending time in.
• Spend time in your garden, or if you are not symptomatic, go to local outdoor parks and breathe in fresh air.
Minimise checking behaviours
It’s important to stay up to date with important global and national updates, but equally, it can feel overwhelming to be exposed to distressing images and statistics multiple times, and on a daily basis. It is important to create some respite for our minds.
• Follow positive news outlets such as upworthy.com to support the mind to not become biased just towards the negative stories.
• Only look at reputable news sites and try and avoid sources of rumour and speculation.
• Try not to re-read the same news articles, and consider ‘news-free’ periods of time (e.g. a 24 hour news break) to allow you to engage and focus on something entirely different (turn off your phone / news alerts during these ‘news free’ zones).
An alternative to a ‘news free’ period of time might be to just check the news once a day (never too close to bedtime)
If you are noticing anxiety related to hand washing or you are worried you are washing excessively then try setting some limits:
• Wash for no longer than the recommended 20 seconds
• Wash only at key appropriate times (such as entering and leaving the home, after using the toilet, before and after preparing and eating food, or if you have sneezed / coughed onto your hand).
• Let others know you are struggling and reach out for professional support.
How The Tunbridge Wells Psychologist can support you
Here at the Tunbridge Wells Psychologist we have moved all our current client appointments to video consultations from 16th March.
If you are not a current client but you are struggling with feeling anxious, isolated or overwhelmed by fears about the future please get in touch with us.
As well as our usual courses of therapy, we are now also offering one off sessions to people who would like a supportive and practical space to think through how to manage their anxiety in this time of uncertainty.
We have various mediums in which we can talk to you online so please get in touch.
