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Date: 4/20/2021
GREATER SPRINGFIELD – April may be Stress Awareness Month, but after more than a year of coping with the coronavirus pandemic, few need to be reminded that we’re living in a stressful time.
But is the stress we’re all feeling as we begin to see life returning to some kind of normal different from the earlier stress of the pandemic? How can we best cope until the masks finally come off?
To get a sense of where we’ve been, and how we can make it to the goal of containing COVID-19, Reminder Publishing reached out to several local behavioral health professionals. Here are some insights, and tips, to help us all make it through this last lap.
We’ve come a long way
“We have gone through different phases over the last year with COVID-19” Dr. Stuart Anfang, vice chair of psychiatry for Baystate Medical Center explained to Reminder Publishing. “In the first phase, the first several months, people were kind of hunkering down, it was a short term siege mentality”
During these early months of the pandemic, Anfang said there was a “we're all in this together” kind-of mentality, similar to when communities face an event like a hurricane or other natural disaster.
”From a behavioral – or mental – health perspective, we were doing OK,” Anfang observed. “Even people with mental health conditions were able to pull things together.”
But then, as we all know, the pandemic continued, and with it, more everyday stressors, including “the stress of losing loved ones [to COVID-19], economic stress” of job losses for many, plus the challenges of kids being out of school, parents working, often from home, and also acting as de-facto teachers as children went to school at home, and everyone continuing to live together in lockdown, said Anfang. “We began to see more and more stress building over the summer and fall.”
Anfang said by fall behavioral health professionals like himself began to see increasing referrals for anxiety, depression and substance abuse issues. With the COVID-fueled social isolation among kids and teens, there was also an uptick in referrals for anxiety, depression and even suicidal issues with this group as well.
Now as vaccine distribution ramps up, Anfang said we’re experiencing a different kind of stress. “We have an image of a light at the end of the tunnel, but of course we’re not there yet [and] data shows that people are getting impatient with the message of ‘just hold on a little longer.’” Anfang said.” You turn on the T.V. and see states with less restrictions [than Massachusetts]
We’re also seeing infection rates begin to climb again, as they did around the holidays when individuals relaxed their guard, Anfang said.
“COVID fatigue is genuine,” Anfang said. “We’ve come through a very difficult situation and we are turning a corner but not as quickly as we would like.”
How stressed are you?
Most of us are familiar with the classic physical manifestations of stress - the rapid heartbeat, the sweaty palms, the fast breathing, the dizziness.
But there are other, more subtle clues that stress is sneaking up on you, according to Dr. Julie Aste, director of Easthampton outpatient services for River Valley Counseling, which is affiliated with Holyoke Hospital.
Those clues can include “difficulty sleeping or nightmares, times when you are waking up early or having a difficult time falling asleep, change in appetite - overeating or undereating - problems concentrating, forgetting things, having trouble making decisions, losing your patience, feelings of fear, anger sadness, or worry,” Aste said. “You might feel numb or frustrated or notice you have an increase in use of drugs and alcohol or tobacco.
Feelings of being overwhelmed and burnout are also common, Aste noted.
“You might not notice how much stress is impacting your health,” Aste continued. “You- might think ‘it’s just a headache’ but you might be having more headaches, or trouble making decisions lately - and it might be related to the stress of the pandemic.”
And despite all the pandemic stages we’ve already been through, Aste said the weeks and months ahead might actually prove to be more stressful.
“We’re really looking like a new normal ... things are not necessarily going back to how it was [pre-pandemic],” Aste opined. “It’s going to look different and that can be unsettling for some people.
“When I say it will look different, I mean some of the things we have been doing are going to be staying [like] the ways we do business will stay, some people who are working remotely will stay that way, it will be very different from being in the office.”
Aste said even as vaccine distribution ramps up, offering more freedom from lockdown restrictions, so are stress levels for many.
“There’s anxiety around people actually gathering, whether going to a restaurant is now safer ...just because we’ve been doing it [quarantining] for so long for the past year,” Aste observed. “It’s so hard to sit in that kind of state of ambivalence when you just don't know what [the new normal] is going to look like.”
Aste said the silver lining in this shared COVID-19 stress is the potential for post-traumatic growth and resiliency. “We see it a lot with people who are refugees, they lost their homes and families, come to the United States and rebuild their lives. They have this spirit about them and happiness about them.”
For example, over the past year many have discovered “being home was not so bad, they took walks, were able to spend time with their kids, discovered hiking and [enjoyed] having more family time,” Aste said. “We’re finding some of that can be good for people.”
Self- help tips
Bradley Harmon, executive director of mission integration for Mercy Medical Center, has been in the thick of the pandemic stress for the last year, helping doctors and nurses on the front line cope with the often overwhelming need to care for critical and dying patients 24-7.
“It was like they were in a war,” Harmon shared with Reminder Publishing. With help from Mercy’s director of Addiction Services, Harmon said he developed a series of practices and techniques that were shared with hospital staff to help them cope with work on the front lines.
"One of the biggest things was [learning] mindfulness,” Harmon said. “We did teach them some breathing techniques, [and had] the nurses already doing it affirm the effectiveness.”
One of those mindfulness breathing exercises is called the “4-7-8” Harmon said.
“You can Google it, it’s highly effective, it’s taught to Navy Seals,” Harmon shared. “It’s four counts for an in breath, hold [the breath] for seven counts, exhale for eight counts. That's the repetition.”
According to a Google search, the optimum repetition is four breathing patterns.
Another stress-busting strategy was talking about “the importance of gratitude,” Harmon said.
“Celebrating the moment, being present in the moment. Gratitude blocks toxic emotions of envy, resentment, depression and regret. There are tons of studies [that prove it]” Harmon said. “These are important things – being conscious of what drags [down] your energy – what drags your life and what revives you [energizes you, restores you] – a nice cup of coffee, savoring the moment, studies show that this builds resilience,” Harmon said.
Aste added additional coping strategies that include “stretching so that you don’t feel so numb, exercising, making time to do things you enjoy, taking a walk and spending time in nature.”
Another great stress-busting technique is “keeping a routine. We’ve noticed with clients, those who can't keep to a routine struggle more,” Aste said. Overall, it’s important to “pay attention to your well-being.”
Anfang said to combat what he calls “media fatigue” over the pandemic, “turn off the tv and the 24-7 news [and] social media and go do something else to distract yourself” such as a hobby or exercise.
Aste reiterated, “Remind yourself that you can’t control all of it; focus on what you can control and let go of other things you can’t control.”
When stress is too much…
Both Aste and Anfang said an increased dependence on substances – be it drugs, alcohol or tobacco – are indications stress is starting to overwhelm you and it might be time for some outside help.
So are an increase in some of the stress symptoms listed earlier, such as trouble sleeping or concentrating. “Things that are impairing your ability to function at work or at home,” Anfang said.
For children and teens, signs of depression or suicidal talk or thoughts are definite warning signs.
Aste said your primary care provider is a good place to start looking for help coping with stress. He or she can help you find the appropriate referrals.
In a life-threatening crisis however, “call 911 or the suicide prevention hotline [800-273-8255],” Aste said.