After 2 months of experiencing stay-at-home orders, you may start to find yourself feeling not your normal self. A lot of people feel alone in how they are experiencing the impact of the global pandemic of the spread of COVID-19. While everyone does have a different life experience, we are all experiencing this trauma together. This is an event that is different than anything we have ever gone through before since it is an ongoing situation that is impacting everyone drastically. You may have experienced a loss in your job, a loved one, or you are isolated from others. Parents have become home school teachers while trying to continue to maintain their own jobs if possible. This is a time to survive and not to thrive. It is okay to not feel your best self or your most productive right now. Below are some things that you may feel during this pandemic that are completely normal to experience at this time and some ways how to help yourself.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with psychotherapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and life transitions. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing telehealth (video/phone) sessions to residents of New Jersey and New York.
Feelings of anxiety
You may feel generalized fear, anxiety, panic, and/or overwhelm. These feelings may be constant or you may experience waves of these emotions. A global pandemic is definitely a cause to increase your feelings of anxiety. You may find yourself worrying about the future and the safety or health of your loved ones. You may even experience an increase in generalized anxiety symptoms which usually come about as irrational thoughts that cause you to feel overwhelmed. It makes sense that you may find yourself worrying about the future since there is not a clear timeline of when things will go back to as they were before the spread of COVID-19.
These anxious symptoms are normal to experience, but they can become unbearable and they may take up all of your thoughts. If you find that your anxiety is negatively impacting a big part of your life (i.e. your relationships, job, sleep, eating, etc.) then this may be a good time for you to start counseling so that you can manage these anxious symptoms.
Food and eating challenges and difficulties
This is a common one for most people. You may find yourself overeating, binge eating, or snacking more than usual. This is typical since it is a way that a lot of people cope with their emotional issues. Common times that you may find yourself overeating are when you are bored, anxious, depressed, and lonely.
You also may find the opposite in which you are no longer eating as much as your usual diet. This could be your way of controlling what you can around you in a time that there is a lot you can’t control.
If you find yourself emotionally eating or not eating enough then this is something to be mindful of. You want to try to first recognize your emotions and how to cope with them in a way other than overeating or restricting your food intake. If you are having a hard time with this then know that you are not alone. A lot of people have reported an increase in eating difficulties during this time.
You may find help from a mental health therapist who specializes in CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy). Your therapist will be able to help you change your eating behaviors and help hold you accountable to your goals so that you feel better about your eating habits during this difficult time.
Health anxiety heightened
It makes sense that you would practice extra hygiene and precautions during this time. You don’t want yourself or your family members to get sick. There is a very real threat out there that you could get sick so your worries are valid. Use this anxiety to remind yourself that you care about your health and you will try your best to remain healthy. As long as you are following what the CDC and your state recommends then you are doing your best to fight the spread of COVID-19. Remind yourself that there is nothing beyond this that you need to be doing as you are doing the best you can.
New and old grief resurfacing
This pandemic is a time of grief. You may be grieving a variety of things right now that may include a loss of job, physical connection, travel, finances, loved ones, etc. When we are grieving over something we usually reflect on old grief. It is possible that if you are currently grieving the loss of missing out on your senior year of college then you may also find yourself grieving over the loss of your grandparent who died a few years ago. Grief can come about for a large variety of reasons. There are no right’s and wrong’s here as your reason behind grieving can be big to you while small to others. This is not the time to compare yourself to others. Now is the time to note what you are feeling and how you can help yourself to get through this difficult time.
Compassion fatigue
A lot of people are experiencing this as we are all going through the same crisis at the same time. You might find yourself overextending yourself to help everyone around you through the tough time that they are going through. You may find yourself caring for everyone to your own detriment. In order to help others, you need to help yourself first. You need to make sure that you are doing okay. If you help everyone around you all of the time then you have no time for self-care and you will get burnt out. Make sure you are not taking on more than you can handle. If you need to, offer a friend or family member that you can help them find a mental health professional who they can get help from for their difficult time. This is a way you can help someone else by not taking on too much yourself.
Compulsive or addictive behaviors return
During this crisis, there is a lot that we can’t control. When we can’t control the things around us, we usually need a coping mechanism to help us get through it. A lot of people turn to addictive behaviors when they are having a hard time. This is a time to be mindful that your addictive behaviors may return. This could include drug or alcohol abuse, disordered eating, biting your nails, over exercising, gambling, etc. Be mindful of what your compulsive or addictive behaviors are and try to create some healthy coping strategies that help you so that you don’t return to these destructive behaviors. If you have history of addictive behaviors then I recommend seeking extra help during this time such as returning to A.A. or your nutritionist who has helped you in the past.
Depression Symptoms
Some common depression symptoms to watch out for are feeling down, lack of energy, dissociation, sleeping too much, hopelessness, unmotivated, isolation, and thoughts of death and dying. It makes sense if you felt some of these symptoms at least once during this time of self-isolation. If you are finding that you are experiencing multiple of these symptoms for most days then it can negatively start to impact your life. While it is normal to experience depressive symptoms during a global pandemic, you want to still keep it in check so that you can function daily. If you find your depression impacting your daily life in a negative way, or you have constant thoughts of death or dying, then I highly recommend reaching out to a mental health therapist so that you can get help through this difficult time.
Chronic health issues flare up
If you have a chronic health issue then you may feel like your issues are put on the back burner. Doctors are busy helping COVID-19 patients and it has been recommended to not go to the hospitals or doctor offices in person unless it is absolutely necessary. You may feel like your existing chronic needs are being ignored at this time and that your doctor may not be there for you as they usually would be. They are overwhelmed themselves.
During this stressful time, you may experience a flare up or your immune system could be depleted so that you catch other illnesses more easily. This is all normal to experience, but you must take care of yourself as best as you can. If you need a doctor then you can utilize telehealth visits with your doctor. If you are experiencing a depleted immune system, then you must build it back up and practice extra self-care. Stress can cause flare ups for chronic illness patients so make sure that you are keeping your stress in check.
Feeling unheard or unseen
There are so many stories out there along with so many deaths. For each person who gets COVID-19, they have their own experience and story. Their family members and loved ones do as well. Since millions of people are experiencing this illness, there are a lot of stories out there. When it comes to your own experience, you may feel your story has gone unheard or unseen by others since it is statistically one of many. One thing you can do is talk to a counselor so that you have support and someone who can listen to your story.
If you need support with any of this, that is normal too. Now is a great time to get set up with a mental health counselor from the comfort of your own home through telehealth therapy. If you really want support, but your home is too crowded then you may find it helpful to do a therapy session while on a walk or sitting in a car. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by this global pandemic, and it is impacting your daily life, then it is worth a try to get some assistance through it. Mental health counseling will help you function and feel better while we continue to go through this difficult time.
Courtney Glashow, LCSW
is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Hoboken, New Jersey. She specializes in helping teens and adults with anxiety, depression, and life transitions through counseling. Courtney can help NY or NJ residents through telehealth (video/phone) therapy sessions as well.
