We barely coped with the problems that the first wave of the pandemic brought us, and now they are talking about the second. Psychologist Zhanna Zasypkina told how to get rid of feelings of anxiety and fear that are caused by talk about the new quarantine.
For a long time, many of us did not believe in the reality of the pandemic, considered it part of a political game and even a global hoax. When it became obvious that covid really exists and that thousands of people die from it, we denied the possibility of a lockdown. But it could not be avoided either.
Yes, life gradually began to get back to normal: we returned to work, went on vacation, sent our children to school. But we won’t be the same as before. Perhaps not everyone realized that 2020 divided our life into “before” and “after”, made us understand that it can get out of control at any moment, and planning and constant “feeling the pulse” is not a guarantee of success.
We have lost a sense of stability, which in a critical situation turned out to be an illusion. It is important to accept this fact and from now on build your life differently. The question is how.
Resigned to the restrictions that entered our lives with the onset of the lockdown, we went online en masse. It turned out that it gives us the opportunity to lead an almost habitual way of life without physical contact. We celebrated birthdays on Zoom, studied with children on the Internet, communicated in instant messengers, and made purchases online.
You will be surprised, but many are so used to it that it was difficult for them to return to offline. I often hear from my clients that they enjoy “staying at home” so much that they don’t want to leave.
Imaginary friends were weeded out, it turned out that you can work and relax in your own kitchen, spending on travel, gasoline, restaurants and clothing has decreased, which is important for those who have lost income and felt the economic consequences of the epidemic. We have witnessed the greatest disunity of people in world history.
Postcoid cider
Millions of people who have been ill with coronavirus have not only suffered severe stress, almost equal to the severity of the disease, but are still struggling with the consequences of the infection.
Chronic fatigue, autoimmune reactions of the body, sleep problems, inability to concentrate, play sports and even return to work – this is not a complete list of medical and social post-COVID problems.
Many of those who were lucky enough to come out healthy from the “covid” meat grinder faced anxiety-depressive disorder and panic attacks amid the stress and consequences that the virus causes.
I recommend that you pay attention to any mental and physical discomfort: do not inspire yourself that “it only seems” and “it will pass by itself”, and do not hesitate to seek help from specialists.
Natural selection
In difficult situations, the fittest survive. A pandemic is essentially a war, both biological and informational. Millions of people were left without business and without work, and not everyone was able to instantly reorient themselves, start a new project and find a new job, especially if the area was at risk, as happened with tourism or the beauty and entertainment industries.
Economists and sociologists argue that autumn will be more difficult for many than spring. Because in the spring and summer people still lived on savings in the hope that “this will all end soon.” And now the money has run out, and the economic collapse is of a link character – we have nothing to pay each other with.
The search for earnings and uncertainty about the future, attempts to work in a new field for oneself cause a wave of depression and anxiety, in which it is difficult to find a resource and strength to move on.
Information poisoning
Humanity has survived more than one epidemic, but a distinctive feature of the coronavirus pandemic is the amount of the most controversial information that attacks from TV screens, from chats and instant messengers, and, of course, print and digital media.
For half a year now we have been constantly living in this information chaos, we don’t know what statistics to believe and whether to believe at all, how to get help when symptoms of the disease are detected and what to prepare for in the near future: whether they will “close” or not for re-quarantine, whether they will pay money whether the government is going to help the population, whether schoolchildren will be sent to distance learning.
The main thing is that we can’t plan anything, we can’t be sure of anything. And we cannot disconnect from the information flow, because it has long become a part of life. Information terrorism is worrisome, we fear for our health and the future, and we feel hopeless – no matter what we do, we are no longer the masters of our lives.
family fatigue
If the partners, who were doing well before the quarantine, were just a little tired of each other, then in families where everything was not very good, abscesses opened up. In the conditions of self-isolation in the world, the number of cases of domestic violence has also increased significantly, as reported by UN Secretary-General António Guterres back in April.
How many family boats crashed on the side of the lockdown will become known towards the end of the year, when accurate statistics appear.
What to do with all this? You have probably heard about the several stages of mourning that a person must go through when faced with adversity? The pandemic is really serious, it has hit everyone to one degree or another and will still hit everyone, you need to come to terms with this, you should be prepared for this. Allow yourself to accept this truth, just as six months ago you believed in the very possibility of an epidemic.
Do not drown out emotions: get angry, swear, be afraid, worry. Let go of the thought that you are a loser if you lose your job or business. Look for a resource in the family, do not refuse to communicate with friends, any live communication with people is now constructive.
And finally, for the first time in your life, don’t make any plans. Let the “second wave” take you to unexplored, but therefore especially interesting shores. Just remember: we live in a unique time that requires non-standard solutions.
About expert
Zhanna Zasypkina – clinical psychologist, family psychologist, deputy chief physician