While the COVID-19 virus has created massive global health issues through the sickness and deaths it has wrought, the pandemic has also adversely affected our physical and mental health in multiple ways, both short-term and longer-term. Let’s take a quick look at 12 significant impacts from the pandemic on our health.
Anxiety
Whether you call it anxiety, worry, or fear, these are certainly some of the most common distressing feelings we have all experienced. For many of us, a large part of this anxiety is all the uncertainty. When will the pandemic finally be over? Will I or someone I care about get sick or even die? What media information and guidelines can be trusted?
Frustration
Our world has been turned upside down. This can cause common feelings of frustration, irritability and even anger. We can find ourselves short-tempered, easily upset, or prone to lash out quickly toward others.
Depression
When we are stressed, frustrated, and anxious, it’s also a common experience to have feelings of sadness and depression. These feelings can be intensified by being socially isolated, tired, and lonely. We may also have frequent negative thoughts about ourselves and the future.
Social isolation
With periods of quarantine and social distancing, we have experienced significant social isolation. We have been limited in our interactions with our friends and families. Extended periods of isolation can contribute to a host of mental health concerns, such as increased feelings of sadness and anxiety.
Disrupted sleep
With our normal routines of school, work, and travel completely upended, sleep difficulties can be very common. We may have trouble getting to sleep, or our sleep may be interrupted during the night. Chronic sleep problems can lead to insomnia, which has a number of negative effects on our overall health.
Limited physical activity
Many of us have struggled to maintain our normal level of physical activity. With less physical activity, we can feel sluggish, less motivated, and tire more easily.
Poor nutrition
When stressed, we may have a poor appetite or we tend to overeat, turning to less healthy “comfort” foods high in calories, sugar or carbohydrates. Eating unhealthy foods can also negatively impact our mood and energy levels.
Substance misuse
Many people turn to alcohol and other drugs as a way to try and manage difficult emotions and stress, especially during times of increased turmoil such as we are going through now. Someone who may already have difficulties with substance use can reach harmful levels of substance misuse.
Financial stress
Many either lost their jobs or were unable to work for an extended period of time. Loss of income and financial insecurity lead to increased stress and worry, as well as concerns about meeting basic needs for food and shelter.
Parenting challenges
When schools and child care centers were closed, parents had to become full-time at-home teachers and child care providers almost instantly, while in some cases, still maintaining their jobs. This has been a hugely stressful situation, which also disrupted the kids’ routines as well.
Physical health problems
There are scores of negative physical effects of prolonged stress, including stomachaches, headaches, back pain, and muscle tension, just to name a few. Another consequence of the pandemic has been the vast decrease in the number of people going to their health care providers for routine health care issues.
Grief and loss
We have clearly experienced massive stresses and losses due to all of the above factors, whether it be emotional, financial, physical, or social in nature. Add to this the grief that has been brought by the sickness and deaths from the virus, which has affected so many of us on a deeply personal level.
What can help?
I realize that while this list is factual, it’s also somewhat overwhelming. I don’t want to close without offering some worthwhile resources to help manage these various physical and mental health issues. Please check out several helpful websites that have been created to offer information and assistance for coping with the various stresses and challenges brought on by the pandemic. Also, please take a look at my discussion of this post with Tiffany Werhner on her “Moments of Clarity” radio program.
Here’s a question: What other ways has the pandemic impacted your physical or mental health? Please leave a comment. Also, please subscribe to my blog and feel free to follow me on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, “like” my Facebook page, or connect on LinkedIn. Finally, if you enjoyed this post, please share it with a friend.