Covid-19: Effects of the Global Pandemic on Individual Psychology & Coping Methods

Epidemic diseases can cause stress and some psychological effects!

The Covid-19 pandemic and the measures taken to protect against it have brought a challenging process with them. The struggle of people who contract the disease and its impact on their psychology, as well as the psychological effects on the public of the measures taken to stay away from the pandemic, have had various different repercussions on people in many different ways.

Fear and anxiety about an illness can be overwhelming and can trigger strong emotions in both adults and children. Coping with stress strengthens you, the people you care about, and our community.

Stress, anxiety and changing habits that have emerged since the very beginning of the pandemic period;

Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones (Will we survive if we cannot protect our health? The question of me and my loved ones)

Changes in sleep patterns (going to bed late, waking up late and difficulty falling asleep)

Imbalance in eating habits (tendency toward unhealthy and poor nutrition, eating too little or too much)

Difficulty concentrating (absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, prolonged periods of overthinking)

Increased use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs (acquiring new addictions)

Incorrect dosing and use of psychiatric medications without a prescription

Groups most exposed to stress during the pandemic crisis:

Elderly people and people with chronic diseases, who have a higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19

Children and young people

Doctors, nurses, other healthcare providers, and ambulance and healthcare workers who are the first to reach COVID-19 cases

People with mental health problems, including problems related to substance use

Is it possible to cope with stress and anxiety in the challenging process we are going through?

So what will we do,

Especially in the first weeks, many of us may have been exposed to bad and sensitive content that spread rapidly on social networks. Let us keep in mind that much of this content does not reflect the truth, that watching these images will only increase our anxiety and stress, and let us avoid watching, reading or listening to harmful and sensitive news.

Let us not stop following the news at certain times of the day. (Getting information from reliable sources helps reduce your stress)

Physical health begins with taking good care of our bodies first;

Create a routine for yourself (especially with a sleep and meal schedule plan (plan for no more than 2 hours of variation around bedtime))

Do not neglect taking a daily shower

Even if we are at home, let us not continue our day in our sleepwear; let us change into daily clothes

Do not neglect relaxation and exercise during the day (at least 45 minutes)

When your anxiety increases, take deep breaths and exhale slowly (breathe in through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth)

Connect with others. (Friends, relatives, etc.) Talk to people you trust about your worries and how you feel.

Check on your loved ones often. Virtual communication can help you and your loved ones feel less lonely and isolated. You can connect with your loved ones by:

Phone

Email

Text messages

Video chat

Social media

The Effects of the Pandemic on Family and Children

Children and young people partly react to what they see from the adults around them. Parents and caregivers can provide the best support for their children when they cope with COVID-19 calmly and safely and manage their stress and anxiety properly. Attention should be paid to children's access to misinformation, because children believe what they hear and see more readily than we adults do, and it can be quite difficult to change their perceptions.

Monitor behavioral changes in your child

Although not all children and young people react to stress in the same way, some common changes to watch for are:

Mood swings (suddenly laughing then crying, worry, anxiety)

Persistent crying and loss of anger control in young children

Bedwetting problems and difficulty returning to toilet training

Regression (returning to) pacifier use or regression in speech

Difficulty falling asleep

In individuals in puberty,

Changes in unhealthy eating or sleeping habits (late sleeping and late waking)

Hopelessness and unhappiness

Irritability and ‘out of control’ behavior in young people

Poor school performance or avoidance of school responsibilities

Difficulty with attention and concentration

Avoidance of movement and exercise

Increased technology addiction and avoidance of social relationships (withdrawing completely from family and friends)

Unexplained headache or body pain

Use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs

Ways to support your child during this process:

Talk with your young or adolescent child about the COVID-19 pandemic, whether or not you have noticed any signs of concern.

Answer questions about COVID-19 and share information in a way your child can understand.

Tell your child that they are safe and help them feel it. Tell them that it is okay for them to feel sad and that everything is going to be all right. Explain how you cope with stress and what you do, and let your child use you as a role model to manage their own stress.

Limit various news sources as a family, including social media. Children may misinterpret news and become frightened.

Try to stick to regular routines. If schools are closed, create a schedule for learning activities as well as relaxing or fun activities.

Be a role model. Take breaks, sleep well, exercise and eat well. Connect with your friends and family.

The Effects of the Pandemic on the Elderly

Elderly people, those without adequate health conditions, and people with chronic illnesses are experiencing increased stress due to COVID-19.

In people in this group;

High mortality, fear of being alone, and a feeling of being abandoned

Older people and people with disabilities are at high risk for mental health problems such as depression.

Mental health problems can manifest as physical complaints (such as headache or stomach ache) or cognitive problems (such as difficulty concentrating).

General reactions to Covid-19:

Concern about protecting oneself from the virus, because the risk of serious illness is higher.

Concern about being deprived of regular medical care or community services due to the closure of facilities, reduced services and the ban on public transport.

Feeling socially excluded, especially if they live alone or are in a care setting where visitors are not allowed because of the pandemic.

Feeling like a burden and feeling guilty, even though their loved ones look after them constantly

The Psychology of People Leaving Quarantine

Even without having the illness, the possibility of having been exposed to COVID-19 and even the situation of being separated from others can create intense stress and anxiety.

Emotional reactions of people leaving quarantine may include:

Mixed feelings, including relief after quarantine (feelings of loneliness from being isolated for a long time)

Fear and anxiety about your own health and the health of your loved ones, and the worry of 'Can I go through the same things again?')

Stress resulting from self-monitoring or from being monitored by others for COVID-19 signs and symptoms

Feelings of sadness and disappointment when friends or loved ones avoid getting close to you, even after it has been proven that you do not carry the virus

Guilt about being unable to carry out normal work or parenting duties during quarantine

Other emotional or mental health changes

Individuals leaving quarantine should be aware of all these physical and emotional changes and manage them within a process.

As a society, we should understand people returning after quarantine through empathy rather than excluding them, and communicate with them properly through the right channels.

Covid-19 Response Personnel

Being on the front line responding to COVID-19 can cause emotional harm to people and lead to secondary traumatic stress. Secondary traumatic stress consists of stress reactions and symptoms resulting from exposure to another individual's traumatic experiences, rather than from direct exposure to a traumatic event.

The following are things you can do to reduce secondary traumatic stress reactions:

Accept that after secondary traumatic events, every family may be affected by them.

Learn about and be aware of physical (fatigue, illness) and mental (fear, deprivation, guilt) signs.

Allow time for yourself and your family to recover from the situations that arose from the fight against the pandemic.

Create and implement a plan of personal care activities you enjoy, such as spending time with friends and family, exercising or reading a book.

Step away from Covid-19 news outside of work and focus on other things.

If you feel that you have lost your ability to care for your family and patients due to an effect of the pandemic, when there was no problem before the Covid-19 pandemic, ask for help!