A type of emotional crisis of recent times may result to people as a consequence of what the Covid 19 pandemic has entailed, with its many impediments and restrictions, with its abrupt changes in the lives of so many, and with fears for the future for the fate of entire populations.
The various components of the emotional reaction to the pandemic, each person’s personality traits, the person’s own facts and those of his or her living environment, and gender all influenced the social perception of the pandemic with different psychological outcomes.
The emotional crisis due to Covid 19 has gained a significant place among people, from the elderly, to children, to young people, and including health workers and care providers.
All may present consequential damage as a result of the pandemic.
The emotional and even behavioral response to the Covid 19 pandemic experience has multiple aspects. Various situations resulting from the pandemic were observed such as: uncertainty, confusion, boredom, nervousness, worry, phobia, bewilderment.
In the evolutionary history of humankind, fear has been an essential adaptive mechanism developed to cope with threats in the environment. However, for those who perceive themselves unable to cope with such risks, fear can provoke defensive responses.
The pandemic, as a worldwide disaster event has thrown entire populations into fear.
And it is not only the fear of dying but also other fears, including fear for the fate of one’s family, fear of being isolated or harmed by the economic consequences of the pandemic, fear of one’s children’s educational future, and so much more.
Many more disruptions in the emotional sphere such as depression, anxiety, fear of lurking germs, concern about the risk posed by people around as possible anointers of the disease, constant worry about ending up intubated in an intensive care unit, away from loved ones.
All these factors have sometimes driven people to abnormal or even self-injurious behaviors.
Stress factors should also be considered as additional causes that may have pushed people into emotional crisis events, such as the many rules to prevent contagions, endless queues for food supplies, and checks carried out by authorities.
Even thefamily sphere itself, already a high-risk area for contagion, has in some cases also become a stress factor for people due to forced cohabitation, reduced communication spaces, and social isolation.
The slogan of urging people to stay at home, rightly launched for the purpose of protecting families against external contagion, has also accentuated some tense situations or caused new ones.
Domestic violence has increased as a result of emotional crises within households, without being able to seek the assistance of health professionals in some cases due to fear of contagion.
Resort to experienced health professionals to resolve thepost-pandemicemotional crisis, also adopt their own behavioral rules, such as:
- Get back into their daily routines.
- Follow the body’s biological rhythms, respecting waking and sleeping schedules.
- Make meals that are balanced, light and complete in nutritional values.
- Keep active by engaging in regular exercise.
- Devoting oneself to one’s pastimes for distraction.
- Avoid listening to so much continuous news about the progress of the pandemic.
- Strengthening one’s social relationships.
- Readjusting one’s body to a situation of normalcy.
