by Katerina Papamarkou, MAPS
EO Melbourne Resident Psychologist
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 early this year, many of us have experienced a roller coaster of emotions including fear, anxiety, anger, frustration and feelings of sadness and grief. We have watched the constant media coverage and followed the case numbers in Australia and across the globe. For the first few months, we were buoyed as it appeared that Australia had successfully clamped down on COVID-19, and our spirits were lifted as the restrictions began to be relaxed. Unfortunately, this hope was short-lived for Melbournians as a serious outbreak in June quickly spread and we found ourselves back under Stage 3 restrictions. To further control the spread of the virus, tighter Stage 4 restrictions were introduced on the 2nd of August, including a curfew. Victoria’s state-of-emergency declaration has now been extended to Sunday, September 13, in line with the end of the six-week lockdown.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed the way we live, and the ongoing lockdown has certainly tested the resilience of many of us. As those early days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, many people have reported feeling tired and exhausted; ‘lockdown fatigue’ appears to be setting in. As a consultant psychologist, I am hearing common challenges from people across different workplaces. These challenges include loss of motivation, reduced tolerance, difficulty focusing, lack of work/life balance, loneliness, missing friends and family, ongoing struggles with homeschooling, sleeping difficulties and feelings of grief and sadness at the loss of our ‘old life’.
As individuals, whilst we have no control over the virus and the emergency laws applied, it is critical for our mental health that we exercise choice as to how we respond and remain proactive. Being aware of how we are feeling and knowing how to look after our physical and mental wellbeing is an important part of staying healthy during this challenging time.
Ten helpful tips:
1. Acknowledgment of Emotions (e.g. Anxiety). Our feelings are often a natural response to our circumstances. For example, anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It is a feeling of fear, frustration or apprehension. Given the world is amid a global pandemic, anxiety is a natural and common response; one that is being experienced by many other people around the world. If you see anxiety in itself as being ‘bad’, try to deny it, avoid it, ‘get rid’ of it or overreact to it, your anxiety is likely to get worse. It is important to ‘acknowledge’ and ‘accept’ our feelings. By accepting our reality and our feelings, resisting any impulse to act on those feelings and instead focussing our attention on taking action according to a valued direction, we allow ourselves to move forward and live a meaningful life even during a pandemic.
2. Mind your Thoughts. When we feel stressed, our thoughts can be negative and unhelpful. Thoughts such as “I cannot deal with this” whilst often triggered by stressful situations are not usually helpful. Remember, your thoughts are not always true. It is important to challenge negative thoughts (e.g. ask ‘what evidence do I have that I can’t cope’?) or simply recognise when thoughts are negative and unhelpful and bring our attention back to the present moment or our goals.
3. Remember What’s Important & Take Positive Action. Focus your attention on what you value and care about. We will not get this time back in our lives – it can be helpful to ask ourselves how we would like to spend this time in our life (within the restrictions we have)? Set goals and take action according to your values and goals. Practice being mindful of where your attention is and practice bringing your attention back to the present moment, to your goals and what you can do at the moment. For example, whenever you recognise you are getting stressed, ask yourself, ‘What do I need to do to help manage this situation?’.
4. Maintain Physical Health. There is a direct relationship between lifestyle factors of exercise, diet/nutrition and sleeping patterns with our overall health and wellbeing. Whilst the restrictions can make it challenging to maintain a physically active lifestyle, it is critical to make time to look after your physical health and routinely exercise (e.g. taking a daily walk or run). It is also very important to maintain healthy eating habits and to prioritise our sleep.
5. Get Organised and Maintain Routine. Our emotional health is strongly affected by regular routines, which not only help to get us organised but give us a sense of achievement and accomplishment. A good antidote to stress is to get organised and make plans. Set goals with structure and routine for each day.
6. Stay Connected. A key strategy for maintaining mental wellbeing is to stay connected and engaged with people. Use technology such as Zoom and FaceTime to connect socially with others.
7. Do Things you Enjoy. Engaging in activities and hobbies which we enjoy is another key strategy for staying mentally healthy. Making a plan to do fun things regularly gives us something to look forward to. For example, many have taken online lessons to learn to play a musical instrument or to learn a new language; others have taken up woodwork or a home building or gardening project; whilst others have regular online social gatherings or they might enjoy watching a television series or have a regular movie night.
8. Limit Media. Stay informed but limit or avoid unhelpful media or misinformation. The more we hear about it, the more stressed and anxious we can become. Set a daily limit on the time and frequency of consuming information. Give yourself regular breaks and focus on other things.
9. Maintain Perspective and Hope. When we are stressed it is easy to catastrophise and see things worse than they are. This time can be an opportunity for reflection and to focus on the positives in our lives. Have confidence that things will improve and hope that things will get back to normal. It is important to reflect on past outbreaks of infectious diseases in history and remember that ‘this too shall pass’.
10. Know When to Seek Help. Given we are in a pandemic, it is common for us all to experience a range of emotions (e.g. frustration, anxiety, sadness, stress). It is important to seek professional assistance if our reactions/symptoms are: (i) severe (ii) present for an extended period or happen too often and/or (iii) impacting our lives.
EO has engaged Ariston Consulting Solutions to provide counselling support to its members during this difficult time. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to make an appointment or have any questions.
Katerina Papamarkou MAPS Psychologist Ariston Consulting Solutions E: katerina@ariston.net.au M: 0438 117 137