The Trauma of a Pandemic

Over these past few weeks, I’ve been hearing reports from clients, friends, family and colleagues with similar emotional experiences: fear, irritability, anger, nightmares, and intense and intrusive thoughts, images and physical sensations. When facing a pandemic like COVID-19, these experiences are becoming common. I’ve had some ask a question that I want to address today - Can a pandemic like Coronavirus “count” as a trauma? As a trauma therapist I’m here to say: absolutely.

This pandemic has come with a multitude of stressors that we were not ready for. COVID-19 has been a global threat, which has led some people to experience feelings of terror and horror – emotions that are at the core for one who is experiencing a trauma. There has been physical trauma, such as the experience of not being able to get an ambulance if needed, or the difficulties that come with working in a healthcare setting where patients have tested positive for the virus. Our communities are experiencing grief associated with the loss of loved ones, or the fear that they may lose someone to the virus. Even for those who have been safe at home, they have been faced with coping with social isolation, job loss or economic strain, and the anxiety of sitting with uncertainty. These are psychological traumas that can create an impact long after the immediate crisis is over. 

As we enter a new stage in our response to this pandemic, almost everyone will have been impacted. While the emotional responses to this pandemic may vary from person to person, it’s important to know that where you are at right now is okay, no matter what it looks like. Because here is the truth: we as a human race are extremely resilient, and that isn’t going to go away. COVID-19 cannot take away the fact that we as humans are actually quite good at recovering from difficult situations.. in fact, my guess is that you’ve done this before. The majority of people have the coping skills and the support they need to get through this time, and will recover. 

There are some additional things you can be doing as you are working on stabilizing during this time, and beginning to recover from the impacts of these past few weeks:

· Keep controlling your content: Be mindful of how consumption of information is affecting you by taking time to ask yourself “How am I feeling?” and “Is this helping me?” when watching the news, listening to podcasts or scrolling through a news feed. Give yourself permission to unplug from the news, social media, or even those group texts or Zoom calls if you feel like you need a break.

· Take time to name your emotions, and sit with them if you can. The more we push away our emotions, the more we stay stuck. Sometimes we can’t let all of our emotions come freely, but creating some time each day where you sit still and notice what comes up can be extremely important in reducing the impacts of trauma. 

· Take time to care for the body and unwind: Don’t forget to give back to yourself physically. Take breaks, stretch, walk, drink plenty of water. Meditate, and get enough sleep each night. Try to do the activities you enjoy, and maybe try some new things. 

· Keep being kind: When we’re experiencing distress, it’s easy to be hard on ourselves. It’s normal to downplay emotions, tell ourselves to snap out of it, or push ourselves to be productive. I would encourage you to do the opposite – to slow down, to give yourself permission to experience what you are feeling without judgement, and give yourself some compassionate messages like “These feelings are part of being human” and “I am meeting what I’m feeling with kindness.” 

· Stay connected: Even when in-person connection may be limited, it’s still important to stay connected with others as a way to cope. As we stay committed to social distancing, use technology as a resource to check-in with others. And when it’s safe to begin more in-person contact, be sure to engage with social connections. If you are noticing that your coping skills aren’t working as well as you’d like, keep in mind that there is nothing weak or wrong about reaching out for support from your support network, or even from mental health professionals. 

Ultimately, this is a time to be gentle with yourself. Be compassionate to yourself for what you are feeling, and the invisible struggle you may be going through. Remember, you are not alone, and you hold within you the strength and the abilities to keep moving forward. Stay well, and stay safe.