James Larsen, MA, LMFT (#99733)
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
El Dorado Community Foundation Board Member
The emergence of COVID-19 has had a profound impact on the health and welfare of most Americans. For many of us here in El Dorado County, this has been a challenging time across financial, physical and psychological domains. Over-stressed parents and children have had to navigate distance learning, isolation from peers, friends and family, and the uncertainty surrounding the threat of COVID-19. Many, especially in marginalized communities, have lost jobs, housing, and contact with important community support systems. For those infected with the virus, or who have lost someone to it, the level of suffering can feel unbearable.
All of this has contributed to our already heightened stress response to local and global events. Stress itself is a natural part of our nervous system, but if prolonged, can have grave consequences on our bodies and minds. According to the National Institutes on Mental Health (NIMH, 2021), we have seen sharp increases in rates of depression, anxiety, insomnia, substance abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, suicidal ideation, and more during the pandemic.
With new variants spreading, and infections on the rise across the US, we are no longer looking at a predictable or orderly end point. We have little precedent to follow in how we learn to navigate prolonged stressors. This makes it even more critical that we employ effective strategies to support our mental well-being during this time. Learning to cope with stress can help us, and our loved ones, become more resilient in the face of crisis.
Some tips for managing stress include:
- Taking breaks from pandemic related news – While it’s important to keep informed on the latest guidelines and health tips, over exposure can easily trigger or increase our threat response system (fight, flight, freeze). This leads to an overworked central nervous system and ultimately to decreases in immune system functioning (NCBI, 2020).
- Taking care of our bodies – Being stuck at home can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle. Aerobic exercises, including jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, and dancing, have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression (Sharma, Madaan, & Petty, 2006). In concert with a healthy diet, adequate sleep, and avoidance of excessive alcohol, tobacco and substance use, we can learn to better manage our stress response.
- Taking care of our minds – An equally powerful support strategy is the practice of techniques like breath work, visualization, stretching, and some form of meditation. All of these assist in regulating and calming the nervous system. Pre-COVID, we might have learned these with the help of an experienced teacher, such as a yoga instructor, coach or personal trainer. With COVID-related restrictions, however, we are turning more to the Internet for access. Online content including YouTube videos, subscription services and free apps like Insight Timer, Calm, and Headspace, are dedicated to providing instruction and helping you create a healthy routine around mind and body.
- Make time to unwind – Another preventative is spending time in green spaces. First coined by the Japanese, the concept of “Forest Bathing” or spending focused time in nature can have a profound impact on regulating our nervous system (Li, 2018). Given our proximity to recreation in the El Dorado National Forest, the Crystal Basin Range and Lake Tahoe, we have many options for immersion. Research into gardening has shown that interacting with the soil can help make us more stress-resistant (CU, 2019). There has never been a better time to exercise that green thumb, plant an herb or vegetable garden in the back yard, and let mother earth support your nervous system health.
- Connect with friends, family, and community – in light of the restrictions placed on social interactions, and our human need for connection, it’s critical that we find trusted people with whom we can share our fears and concerns (CDC, n.d). These can include loved ones, neighbors, members of our local communities, or mental health and wellness professionals. Where it isn’t possible or safe to convene in person, we now have increased opportunities for connecting through various online formats. Zoom, Google Meet and many others have allowed us to create and sustain supportive community from our own homes.
Given the magnitude and unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s critical that we continue to strengthen our mental health support strategies. This begins with our own self-care, including increased social contact, improved diet, more exercise, adequate sleep, time in nature, a mindfulness practice, and limiting our exposure to social media and other sources of pandemic related news. In doing so we can learn to better cope with the stressors associated with this current moment.
For more information on mental health resources, see the list below:
https://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/index.htm
https://www.edcgov.us/Government/MentalHealth
**If you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health emergency, contact 911 or your local emergency room.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Mental health and coping during covid-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
Li, Q. (2018, May 1). The benefits of ‘FOREST BATHING’. Time. https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/
Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for mental health. The Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 08(02), 106. https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v08n0208a
Thompson, R. (2018, June). Gardening for health: A regular dose of gardening. Clinical medicine (London, England). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6334070/
Why dirt may be nature’s original stress-buster. CU Boulder Today. (2019, May 28). https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/05/09/natures-original-stress-buster
