As Masks Come Off - Covid Anxiety Goes Up
by Dwight Bain, LMHC, NCC
Understanding how AQ can reduce fear and help you build post-covid normal.
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced they were relaxing the guidelines on wearing facemasks for fully vaccinated people you might have thought most people would feel relief.
Surprisingly, you would have been wrong.
Half of those surveyed about returning to their pre-pandemic lifestyles told the American Psychological Association they felt uneasy or even scared about going back to in-person interactions as the pandemic ends. Attending concerts, movies, dining in restaurants, dating, going to a sporting event or worship service, travel to visit aging relatives, or even return to their workstation inside an office building caused many to feel a sense of panic.
Why would Americans be afraid to take off the facemasks they have been required to wear over a year?
It has to do with understanding what the word ‘normal’ meant to them during different stages of this global crisis. Before COVID-19 activities of daily living like shopping, buying gasoline or visiting a theme park did not create the risk of disease. When COVID-19 was announced as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020 that feeling of normal was shattered. Contrast pre-pandemic ‘normal’ in relation to ‘Covid normal’ to measure the amount of psychological distress experienced.
Some people adjusted quickly to managing work or school responsibilities at home while practicing social distancing. Others struggled during the isolation of lockdowns required for prevention of disease. These major changes over many months began to feel like ‘Covid normal’ to everyone. Now another major change has created the need to manage more stress for people already feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or burning out.
Post-pandemic will cause many people to feel hesitant about leaving the safety of their home and some will choose to stay inside for months to avoid their fears of disease. This is not a sign of fragility – it is a sign of difficulty adjusting to yet another major change and has led to a mental health condition discovered in 2020 by British psychiatrists called Covid Anxiety Syndrome which has similar symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder and PTSD – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; however, this syndrome is triggered by the unusual stressors attached to a global pandemic.
Symptoms of Covid Anxiety Syndrome
__ Panic over risk of being exposed to the virus
__ Fear of being around sickly individuals
__ Obsession with checking physical and medical symptoms in self
__ Compulsive checking of physical and medical symptoms in family
__ Fear of going outside the safety of their home for any reason
__ Fear of going to public places again such as a grocery store, school or work
__ Living in a state of high alert – or alarm about potential health risks
__Worry about cleanliness or hygiene of others, especially strangers
__ Continually monitoring death totals and hospitalizations from COVID-19
__ Avoidance of any contact with strangers at work, school, or public places
__ Preoccupation with avoiding any risk to personal health or safety
__ Monitoring risk of any activity which requires going outside around others
__ Preoccupation with social media trends or hashtags on COVID risks
__ Difficulty disengaging from news stories about COVID death or disease
__ Viewing every activity or person as a potential risk to disease or death
__ Previous tendency toward illness anxiety (hypochondria)
(learn more about this condition at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7375349/ and if these symptoms seem to be growing in intensity, do reach out to a mental health professional for assistance. Covid Anxiety Syndrome will not get better by itself).
Feeling overwhelmed is not a sign of being weak – it’s a sign of being human
The CDC has been tracking the mental health consequences of COVID-19 and discovered almost 40% of the population are experiencing some degree of anxiety or depression (in both adults and children). It is as if the pandemic magnified and intensified whatever emotions were present before, and if someone had degrees of anxiety or depression pre-pandemic, these symptoms may now be overwhelming. However, there is another group who seem to be managing life much better – why? What are some people doing to stay protected from Covid stress and anxiety that others are missing?
Adaptability is essential to manage post-pandemic change
Everyone is going through the same global crisis – but not everyone is affected the same way. Those with high AQ, (Adaptability Quotient), adjust quickly to changes in their environment. These people do not feel panic when stores do not have fully stocked shelves, they simply adjust to their circumstances and check other options for delivery on Instacart. People with low levels of adaptability may have felt like they have been in survival mode over the last year, leaving them more prone to hoarding supplies or sleep loss over misinformation and rumors of bad things to come.
Adaptability is high among those who have adjusted to each pandemic challenges by learning healthy coping skills and building a support system to boost their own mental health. These resilient individuals may be feeling exhilarated by the possibility of returning to their daily activities soon while being confused by their friends or family who accuse them of being reckless about their own health or endangering the lives of their aged relatives.
Post-Pandemic recovery is a chance to connect to others – or judge them
Everyone should expect to feel strange for a while as face masks come off and social distancing moves from six feet to three feet to being back in crowds. Each person will move back into this season of post pandemic recovery at a different pace, so remember the rule of R-A-R to prevent prejudice or bias from blocking relationship development.
Respect people who have different beliefs about the vaccine, crowds, hand sanitizers, gloves, face-shields, social distancing, and face masks.
Accept people must determine for themselves what feels safe moving forward and then,
Reconnect with friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and new friends on the other side of this unprecedented time. This global crisis opened honest conversations about diversity and inclusion which can deepen a sense of connection to others. Remember, immunity grows stronger in community. Since loneliness is one of the strongest indicators of depression, take bold steps to do everything you can to stay connected in healthy relationships.
Looking beyond your own fears is necessary since people who focus only on their own uncomfortable emotions tend to reinforce and elevate their own apprehension during this stage of the post-pandemic. When overloaded by obsessive worry, this triggers an alarm response in your brain’s amygdala, and you go into the mode of ‘fight, flight or freeze’.
Drop one mask to put on another
The CDC says facemasks are not needed for those fully vaccinated in many situations but consider dropping that required mask for another by making the choice to put on the mask of self-care. Consider what flight attendants say before takeoff – “In the unlikely event of cabin depressurization, masks will drop… put the mask on yourself first.” Here is the point – you must take care of you first.
Self-care is not selfish, rather, it is a sign of strength
Move forward at the pace that works for you. Build up contact with others in public places slowly and safely. You can meet people outdoors, then move indoors, then monitor your own emotions in a step-by-step fashion. It is not recommended to go from total isolation to joining a crowd of strangers at Burning Man next year. Vaccination does not protect you from the need to be sensible and make wise decisions.
Take your time to grow in resilience and confidence moving forward, and then reach out to help the people around you. Here are some questions to boost emotional control during this season of transition -
· Is this a safe activity based on others who are attending?
· Am I presuming a worst-case scenario when facing a new activity with others?
· Have I managed my own emotions or am I being controlled by my fears?
· Am I gradually pushing myself to return to pre-pandemic activities?
· Am I limiting exposure to negative stories on social media?
· Have I reached out to friends / family to discuss their post-pandemic worries?
· Have I checked in with a mental health provider when emotions feel overwhelming?
· Have I checked trusted sources about this activity? (The CDC has a chart of Safe Activities for vaccinated / unvaccinated at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/participate-in-activities.html )
Pandemic Recovery happens faster in reality
Everyone is ready for the pain and anguish caused by this pandemic to end. A recent survey asked what people missed most during the shutdown – which exposed their priorities. First was traveling, (24%), followed by visiting family, (19%) and then visiting friends, (16%). While some reminisce about ‘the good old days’ of pre-pandemic, they often miss the reality of problems that were already there they might not have wanted to deal with, like debt, distant relationships or career dissatisfaction. If you used to say how much you did not like your job, or how bad your marriage was, then this could be your time to change more than your post-pandemic vacation plans. It could be a chance to change your life.
Skip resolutions to reinvent what you want your post-pandemic life to become
Covid is not a cave getting darker and darker, it is a tunnel with light shining into the darkness that will end soon. You can wait in limbo for the CDC to announce an ‘all clear’, or you can sit down now to reinvent your future. Think about what you want your post-pandemic life to look like, and then map it out. Take out a sheet of paper to expand on a life management exercise that psychiatrist Daniel Amen, M.D. calls the “One Page Miracle”.
Answer reinvention questions like -
· What makes me happy?
· Who brings out my best?
· What toxic relationships need boundaries?
· What did I need to change most before the pandemic?
· What do I love to talk or learn about?
· How can I grow into my potential in this season?
· What work would I do for free?
· What are my strengths?
· Where can I add value or make a difference?
· What matters most? (core values)
Then consider each activity, behavior, or decision you make and ask- “Does this decision Fit my Future self?” If not – cut it out and leave it behind.
Reinvention could be the greatest gift of the pandemic – a chance to reboot to realize your true potential. Some things learned during the months of shutdown are valuable to build a better quality of life, such as regular exercise, gardening, reading, or cooking, mediation, yoga, growing a deeper faith or learning the joy of being at home with people you love.
COVID will end. The life lessons of adaptability, resilience and courage will live on.
As you take action to manage the challenges of this once in a one-hundred-year global crisis, you will begin to reinvent and create your own ‘post-pandemic normal’ which will reflect mental wellness. When you change perspective to look at COVID differently – it could be this unwelcomed crisis pushed you toward potential, meaning and purpose. As you build strength you can help others. Disease kills. Developing your strength during this stressful time helps you to help others and community grows. One path destroys. One path heals. Choosing the healing path is a way to make the post-pandemic years better than they ever could have been before as your new normal becomes the life you were designed to live.
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