Coping During Covid-19 By Dr. Amanda Pileski, PHD
P
eople are wearing masks everywhere we look, the town restaurants are empty, and places of support are relegated to online platforms that feel impersonal and sometimes awkward. This COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest disruption to the global economy and American lives since WWII. We entered this time period assuming a duration of one month or less, and we now find ourselves beginning summer with continued restrictions. Our nation is facing financial stress, questions of job security, and health anxiety. Our schedules are disrupted, and we are all questioning “when will our normal return?!”
Quarantine Fatigue As a result of this overwhelming change, people are experiencing what psychologists call “Quarantine Fatigue.” This new term refers to restlessness, frustration, and a variety of other symptoms due to stay-at-home orders. Many people who previously had some degree of movement and routine in their jobs are now engaging in less physical activity. Decreased physical activity then contributes to less energy to cope with stress. Living in a time of constant change, disrupted routines, conflicting news, and continuous uncertainty takes a major toll on our ability to regulate emotions. Much of our cognitive space is also limited by worries about the future, so concentration is more difficult. These declines in functioning are also coming at a time when parents are expected to pull double duty of work and teaching kids from home. If you are experiencing concentration issues, preoccupation with news, irritability, sleep disruption, and/or lack of motivation – please know help is available.
Toxic Positivity Although many of us may want to overlook negative events and focus on what is positive, this approach may not serve us best during a true worldwide negative event of unknown duration. Cognitive behavioral therapy and positive psychology approaches work well for individuals with cognitive distortions (inaccurate negative thoughts), but what happens when there truly are concerning experiences occurring in the world? If we conceal our true human feelings with an excessively positive “everything is wonderful” attitude (Toxic Positivity), we will likely fall into a state of repressed emotions and denial. This later becomes very unhealthy for our physical bodies. Several research studies have shown how suppressing emotions causes increased sympathetic activation of the cardiovascular system (Gross & Levenson, 1997). Essentially, individuals who suppress emotions may appear calm on the outside, but the long-term physiological impact may be harming the body in other ways.
If Positivity Is Bad, Then What? A positive attitude is good for all of us, but like all things in life, excessive positivity (toxic positivity) can be harmful. Positivity in the form of gratitude is helpful because it does not invalidate other emotions unless you say, “I should not feel sad, I have so much to be thankful for.” You absolutely can feel sad about the grief people are experiencing during this time and the hardships of life, while also saying, “I am thankful for my blessings.” I also recommend utilizing self-compassion to validate, normalize,
58 - June 2020
