Impact of the pandemic on the body and mind

by Zofia Nyka

Does anyone remember how beautiful those times were when you didn’t have to wear masks, there were no restrictions in shops, restaurants, all shops, and entertainment centers were open, and that you could travel everywhere without testing or checking if you are vaccinated? At the moment, I feel as if the above-mentioned examples were fiction, some imaginary reality. The coronavirus has changed the entire world and the lives of millions of people. Due to the pandemic, people became afraid of going out, going into the city, meeting friends, and a significant part of the population either lost their jobs or changed their working mode to remote work. I, as a student and volunteer, belong to this group because I have been studying online for almost two years, so I think that I have some experience in remote work that I would like to share.

The pandemic has had an effect on volunteers as well. Helping refugees is much more difficult when social distancing is required because teamwork and communication is heavily affected.

Transition to remote work

I remember the day when the faculty authorities told us that my university would be temporarily closed due to COVID-19 and all students “have a goiter.” Back then, there was no case of coronavirus infection in Poland, and I felt as if the students were really having a vacation. During the first days of March, the students had no classes at all, and no one really knew what to do next. After a week off, we received information that teachers would try to conduct their courses via the Internet. At the moment, I couldn’t imagine what it would look like; I did not believe that we would have classes conducted via the Internet because I knew that many professors could not turn on the projector, let alone organize online meetings for 150 people. I just thought that in two weeks, everything would be back to normal, and I would be able to go back to my university without having to enter online classes. Of course, this was not the case, and the small classes began - it was something completely different for me and my friends, something strange and unnatural. At first, I liked it very much, because I had to travel to the faculty an hour before the introduction of remote classes, and after the introduction, I could wake up 5 minutes before class and lie in bed in my pajamas and attend the lecture at the same time. After a week, the first case of the coronavirus was registered in Poland, and from that moment, all my friends (including myself) were terrified. Everyone stopped leaving the house, and my family and I did a lot of shopping just to leave the home as little as possible. We sat locked up and terrified to hear in the news every day how many new infections were added every day. Due to sitting at home and not having to travel to school, I had more time at the beginning of the pandemic, as most people, I was very motivated to do new things - I started reading more books, exercising at home, cooking, watching more series, with pleasure I wanted to clean the house. For entertainment and because of longing, we called each other over the Internet to laugh and drink beer together. At the beginning of the pandemic, life for a young person was not so bad, problems began to appear after a few months. I consulted a doctor and a psychologist who confirmed that the changes that took place in the psyche and the body of young people were caused by a pandemic.

The impact of the pandemic on the body and mind

The pandemic has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the human body and mind. After talking to the psychologist Frank Fanslau, I found out that most often young people come with three types of problems - The first group are problems with violence (physical, but also psychological). The second group is problems related to stress and uncertainty about the future about the financial situation, because many young people have lost their jobs. People react very differently in such situations. The third group of problems are those that already existed before the pandemic and are now getting worse under stress (because the pandemic may exacerbate the existing problems). For example, under certain circumstances, some physical health problems will never materialize if we live in a good environment. However, under unfavorable circumstances, these health problems can be exacerbated. We do quite well under good, normal conditions, but when stress occurs, ailments of various kinds can become extremely bothersome. Certain problems - unnoticed or those that are only in embryos - can now prove particularly troublesome.

The above describes what happened to me and my friends. Due to isolation and lack of contact with our peers, we began to feel lonely. Many of my friends lost their jobs, each of us was under stress about the future and whether someone from our loved ones would fall ill, would be able to return to work, or would they be able to afford to support themselves. Many of my friends admitted that they had depression and various types of anxiety as a result of the pandemic. Additionally, due to the constant work on the Internet, sleep problems started to appear, and it happened that some people did not sleep after a few days, or because of the lack of sleep, they were constantly irritated and reflecting on the whole situation. By spending 24 hours, 7 days a week always connected to the Internet, virtual reality has become our everyday reality. My and my friends ‘meetings’ started to take place online, we also partied online, weddings were hosted over webcasts, we started using dating apps just to meet new people and just chat with someone. After a few months of the pandemic, it got really hard, and everyone started to lack exercise, trips, parties, meetings with friends, just everyone suddenly felt lonely and unsure about their future.

By switching to remote work and continuous work in front of the computer, people stopped leaving home. Their lifestyle became a sedentary one and the only entertainment for a young man at the beginning of the pandemic was to go to the store, or if someone was more fortunate, go for a walk with the dog. Living in a house full of volunteers was difficult as well, since opportunities for leisure are really limited and there was a curfew that forced us all to be in the house at certain times. The doctor told me that this lifestyle has significantly increased the percentage of obese people, and hence muscles weaken, and the body is more prone to any kind of injury. Working at the computer is the most strenuous for the spine and eyes. Long-term work at the computer poses serious threats to eyesight. In many people, it causes short-sightedness, which is not always temporary, blurring of the image, double vision, or tearing. I learned that long-term work at the computer could cause injuries such as: Carpal tunnel syndrome (the most common cause of this ailment is inflammatory edema of the nerves leading to a reduction in the area of the carpal tunnel by prolonged use of a computer mouse), De Quervain’s syndrome - as a result of prolonged clenching of the hand into a fist, tendinitis, blood circulation disorder, arthritis, or postural defects.

All this is due to working with the computer and incorrect body posture during this work.

Do not forget about exercises while working in front of the computer

As we also had PE online, we had to practice every part of the body even while sitting in front of the computer as part of PE. Interestingly, each computer station allows you to perform a few elementary exercises, stretching practically all parts of the body. It is very important to find a few minutes during work that can be used for physical exercise. They will improve circulation and blood supply to muscles and internal organs, preventing inflammation, and also improve conduction in peripheral nerves.

I present a set of easy exercises for everyone that will stretch and stabilize your spine, relax your wrists and relax during long work at the desk, which will make you feel better:

1. side bends 2. twists of the spine 3. stretching 4. garudasana while sitting

5. shoulder stretching 6. relaxing wrists 7. chest thrust 8. spine twists

Hold these positions for a few seconds and repeat on both sides. I do these exercises every day and feel better after them. Remember to take breaks while working in front of the computer, physical activity, and remember to take care of your mental health in these difficult times.