COVID's Effect on Your Health

As a therapist I see clients struggling to integrate the changes that COVID-19 has demanded amidst the struggles they already carried. As the hope of vaccines bringing back our ability to connect and be with each other, we know that a new period of healing begins. Just as with any illness, once the physical wounds have healed or show a more chronic nature, the emotions that have been waiting in the wings emerge. Now we can connect and hold each other and ourselves tenderly. We can navigate how to see our fears, losses and concerns without pushing them into a dark corner. We can rise stronger and more aware.

This pandemic has amplified our stress levels. It has disrupted the physical connection we need for energy and growth. It has shaken the sense of security we had in the normal flow of a year. It has shredded the previous method we had for managing our viral vulnerabilities. I want to validate that by this point your body is going to be talking to you. I repeat, your body will be talking to you. For those with chronic illness, you have likely seen an increase in symptoms. For those fortunate enough to have never noticed any big issues, you may be reaching out to your doctor for help with new concerns. Blood sugars are all over the place, stomach upset, heart palpitations, headaches, heart-burn, general pain, jaw problems, dental concerns and many other symptoms are on the rise. Loneliness and isolation are also worsening conditions. Our nervous systems are inflamed and our bodies are fatigued as they go month after month in hypervigilent overdrive. The statistics we are seeing about the pandemic’s effect on mental health shows a significant negative impact as well, primarily with depression and anxiety. Whether or not you have had the physical illness, the body digests the stress and responds.

We see pain on the news, facebook, and other social media. We likely even have a friend or family member who has been impacted by COVID and may even have lost a loved one to the illness. You do not have to white knuckle your way through this. Reaching out for help is the compassionate route.

What is called for now? Your body may be calling for you to take care and slow down, be in the present, not caught in the past or crossing future bridges that may never emerge. When we pull back and listen, we can soothe our system and learn healthier ways of being. How do I talk to myself? Do I get the rest I need? Do I fuel myself well? Do I lean into relationships that build me up? Am I working in a capacity that fits with my values and has me growing and using my strengths? We can start a new dialogue where we thank and validate our bodies for telling us where it hurts so that we can step back and make any changes we need.

When something is engulfed in flames we calm the fire. When a baby cries we soothe their tears. We start soothing ourselves by coming home to our bodies and using our biological vessel to help us. Yes, the very thing that is crying out is also equipped with many ways of soothing and healing. The following list might overwhelm you, but I want to highlight the vast ability our body has to take care of us. Numerous breathing exercises; movement; meditations; prayer; side to side movement such as walking, reading, drawing, writing, tapping; vocal release such as sighs, lion’s breath, humming, listening to music; and many other resources stimulate nerves within our body that work to regulate cortisol, adrenaline and other stress hormones. Hobbies, healthy nutrition, sleep, spirituality, connection to nature and meaningful interpersonal connection also provides fuel. At a physiological level they are positively impacting your brain and of course benefiting at an emotional and spiritual level as well. Treating yourself the way you would treat your best friend; with a loving, assertive, responsive voice, is also soothing. What is called for now?

Clear, concise information: We need to know with as much clarity as we can what we are facing, but we don’t need to drown in the knowing. When we exercise the muscle of stress management, we need to rest that muscle at times. Rest is when the muscle rebuilds into a stronger version of itself. Constant use only leads to injury.

Financial Stress: COVID has impacted many people’s livelihoods. Connecting with resources for funding and financial planning are vital to seeing a way through.

Resources: Visit your identified gas stations daily, perhaps multiple times a day. Lean into connections with your spirituality, your loved ones, nature, whatever grounds you or has you feeling inspired and held. Reach out to a health professional to address any physical or mental health concerns. Let them work with you. As long as we are alive, our bodies and minds are intimately connected, so it makes sense to tend to them both. Give yourself grace and compassion. You are doing hard work and doing it well.

Resiliency and Finding Meaning: At what other time in life than a crisis do we stop and ask ourselves the hard questions? By grounding ourselves in awareness, soothing and focusing on what is called for now, we adapt, grow, heal and build our resilience. A few years from now what will you say was the most important lesson you learned from this pandemic?

I hope these words help validate what you are experiencing and help you recalibrate your response to be one with greater self-compassion. That would be a wonderful result of this time. Claim the beautiful moments; the time spent appreciating having toilet paper or enough food, making a meal together with a partner, making it from scratch or supporting a local business; helping those less fortunate, knowing how sweet a gesture is a handshake, a hug, and holding each other a little closer with our shared vulnerability.

Amber Ussin-Davey, MA, LCPC, ACPEC