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JuniorTukkie November 2021
Inspiration
Are you suffering from COVID-related trauma? By Becky Garrison
Make no mistake, a pandemic is traumatic, and the way we respond to trauma and our ability to process it will determine whether or not the pandemic has lasting and long-term effects on our system. Many people are complaining of feeling exhausted and depleted, or more anxious than usual.
The six signs of COVID-related trauma are: Overwhelm
Trauma bonding
Distraction
Doomscrolling
Hypervigilance
Unhealthy comfort
You find yourself experiencing panic, dissociation and dread. Your reaction to external stimuli is outsized.
You may find it a challenge to talk or think about anything else than the pandemic.
You find it difficult to concentrate and focus on work and you may feel numb, disoriented or lethargic. Even once enjoyable events have become unappealing.
You fixate on the news and your social media feeds, leading to a skewed understanding of the world with a disproportionate representation of suffering relative to your life.
You find yourself on high alert all the time and experience fatigue from risk assessment decision-making. Your life becomes smaller as you minimize people and situations that you fear may cause you danger or stress.
Your consumption of food, alcohol or other substances may have changed, and you might engage in different behaviours because you no longer feel in control.
Spiritual practices to help mitigate the effects of COVID trauma Alyssa Siegel1, a licensed mental health therapist from Portland, Oregon states, ‘While the pandemic made us all feel very isolated and very vulnerable, you need to connect to people in deep and meaningful ways in order to mitigate some of the trauma caused by the pandemic.’ She suggests the following practices: yoga, meditation, journaling,
drumming, dancing, starting a vegetable garden, cooking healthy, nutritious food, drawing, and outdoor activities like hiking, which will ‘give our nervous system a chance to reset and to feel safe again. Over time, this builds the resilience needed not just to endure but to grow during high-stress periods.’
Read the full article here: www.spiritualityhealth.com/6-signs-you-may-have-covid-trauma 1 www.portlandsexandrelationshiptherapy.com
