Your Mental Health and Stress Levels May Be A Result Of New Social Distance Rules

You’re not imagining it - your mental health might be taking a hit as a result of quarantine and new social distance requirements.

Even if you’ve never struggled with things like stress and anxiety in the past, there is a good chance that isolation has negatively impacted you in one way or another. In fact, according to many polls, nearly half of all adults in the United States have reported a decline in mental health and wellness as a result of stress and anxiety over the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Feelings of anxiety are common, as is stress related to job loss and isolation. Although these public health measures are, without a doubt, necessary, it’s important to recognize the link that stress has with declines in mental health.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has even more implications of mental health. Not only does the pandemic have the potential to heighten your sense of anxiety, but it also has required us to quarantine. Because of the quarantine, more people are suffering from feelings of loneliness and isolation. When the two problems - loneliness and anxiety - are combined, it can create some pretty devastating symptoms that have the potential to interfere with daily living. 

Luckily, there are some ways to combat this potential hit to your mental health - but it’s important to first acknowledge the symptoms. By understanding exactly what short-term and long-term stress look like, you will be better equipped at handling and preventing them in the future.

Short-Term Stress

Short-term stress is often referred to as the “fight or flight” response. This kind of stress causes serious physical changes in your body, resulting in an increased heart rate and breathing rate. Your muscles will tense up, your short-term memory will become more effective, and you’ll feel every inch of your body “react” as it gets ready to take on the challenge.

The evolutionary purpose of the fight or flight response is to protect us from imminent danger, like predators. However, there’s probably a very slim chance that you encounter tigers and lions in your daily line of work - so why is this something that we are still concerned with?

Even though the “threats” we face on a daily basis are likely far less dangerous and life-threatening than those our ancestors faced, our fight or flight responses are still activated on a regular basis.

That’s not a bad thing. In short, concentrated bursts, short-term stress can help you prepare for an upcoming event, like a job interview, test, or athletic feat. It will help your body prepare for the daunting task ahead.

Problems arise when your stress increases and hangs around for longer than it should - something that is known as “long-term” stress.

Long-Term Stress

Long-term stress, as indicated, is stress that becomes prolonged or chronic. There are all kinds of situations that can cause your body to produce a stress response.

For example, major changes at work, accidents, illnesses, relationship problems, money issues, or housing insecurities can all cause stress. Even small daily incidences, like someone bumping into you at the store, can make you feel stressed.

Basically, stress is caused when you feel as though you cannot control or predict what is happening (or going to happen) to you. Your body will be pushed into an increased state of alertness, and your body’s stress response will be repeatedly triggered.

When your stress response is chronic, you’ll have a hard time controlling it. You may have a hard time getting your body to go back to its normal state. As a result, your memory, attention, and capacity to deal with basic emotions can be impacted. You can suffer from serious physical and mental problems that result from the impacts stress has on your heart, immune system, metabolic system, brain, and hormones.

Unfortunately, many of the behavioral and emotional symptoms of stress closely overlap with those of mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety. Therefore, it’s often difficult both for you and for health care providers to differentiate which is which. If you’re chronically stressed, you may feel worried, sad, unable to make decisions, or even angry and irritable.

Mental Health Risks Due To Social Isolation

Chronic stress can also increase your likelihood of developing anxiety or depression. Some of these connections are still being researched, but scientists have found that the earliest response to stress occurs in your brain, almost immediately after you perceive a stressor or a threat.

Various chemicals, also known as neurotransmitters, like serotonin and adrenaline, are released in your brain, as are stress hormones that can affect areas of the brain that are known to regulate emotions and memory. When you undergo repeated incidences of stress, there are changes to how well your system can control your response. 

These same systems are also at play in mental health issues like depression and anxiety - it is, therefore, likely that there is a link between stress and mental illness. Long-term stress can go so far as to change the way your brain is structured, particularly in terms of learning and memory.

Both nerve cells, or grey matter, and the connections between them, the white matter, can be affected. Changes to both, along with other factors, can dramatically increase your likelihood of developing a mental illness.

The Immune System

Stress can also take a serious hit on your immune system - which is probably not something you want to hear as you continue to worry about COVID-19.

Here’s how. 

During the stress response, your immune system is activated, a mechanism that is designed to keep you safe. While it’s not a big deal when you are dealing with short-term stress, chronic stress (and prolonged immune system activation) can seriously impact how well your brain functions.

Prolonged immune system activation has been linked to depression, too. In fact, scientists have discovered that about a third of people with depression have enhanced immune activity in the body. Researchers aren't sure, but they think that certain anti-inflammatory drugs might be able to relieve this kind of depression.

Stress and PTSD

There are some extreme cases in which short-term stress can lead to lasting mental health issues. One of these issues is post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. This disorder develops after experiencing an extremely stressful and traumatic event, like a car accident, act of violence, or military service.

PTSD can cause a variety of symptoms that are similar to those we have discussed above. However, it can also cause vivid nightmares or flashbacks, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event that caused the stress. What causes these reactions in the brain, specifically, is not exactly understood, since not everyone who experiences such a stressful event will suffer from PTSD.

However, brain scanning technology has demonstrated that the areas that are most involved in this response are the amygdala and the hippocampus. Some scientists believe that these hormones and neurotransmitters, which are typically involved in a  normal stress response, can be disrupted both during as well as after the traumatic event. In fact, the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for processing fear, is super hyperactive in people with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

This response creates a constant state of heightened awareness and anxiety. Unfortunately, there are very few treatments that are currently helpful in the treatment of PTSD, although research hopes to uncover more.

Ways to Help

As of now, there is limited research on why some people seem to be affected by stress more than others. Some factors, like genetics, personality, social situations, and early life events are believed to play a significant role. 

It’s important for researchers to be able to understand the role that stress plays in mental health, especially if they want to work toward new treatments. It may be able to predict who is most at risk of developing serious mental health conditions as well as to produce new treatments later on. 

For now, there are a few simple steps you can take if you are feeling stressed - or if you have a loved one who is suffering from mental health problems as a result of chronic stress.

The first piece of advice you can follow is to try and identify the cause. While it might seem as though you would cause more anxiety by addressing the problem head-on, the reality is that doing so can help you tackle the issue at its core. 

Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do to change a situation and limit your stress. For example, there isn’t much that any of us can do in the wake of COVID-19! However, you can take any steps possible to control your anxiety (in this situation, you might reduce your feelings of anxiety by following proper social distancing, washing your hands frequently, and avoiding going out in public when necessary).

General stress management techniques may be helpful, too. For example, try to get as much sleep and exercise as you can, and eat a healthy diet. Avoid things like caffeine, alcohol, and drugs, which can all heighten your feelings of anxiety (even if they seem to numb it at first). 

Talking to somebody can be an effective way to combat your stress and anxiety, too. This could be a loved one or a counselor. It doesn’t matter who you talk to as long as it’s somebody you trust and who can provide you with an open ear.

Take care of yourself first with restful sleep, and take care of your community. There are certainly ways you can help others cope with their stress, but it’s important that you don’t neglect your own wellbeing in the process. Even when you are in forced isolation due to COVID-19, remember that there are still ways you can connect with loved ones, such as through video chats and phone calls.

Set aside time on your day to unwind. Take regular breaks from the news, including what you see on social media, as hearing about the pandemic or other stressful situations can be upsetting and worsen your mental health. Take the time to do activities that you enjoy and to connect with others - and be sure to connect twitch community- and faith-based organizations.

Remember, mental health is an important part of your overall health and it should not be neglected. It affects how you handle stress, interact with others, and make decisions. If you have a preexisting mental health condition - or if somebody you love suffers from a mental health condition - remember that this might make you more vulnerable in a crisis like a pandemic.

Therefore, it’s important that you contact a healthcare provider right away if stress and anxiety seem to be getting in the way of your daily living. There are multiple helplines you can call if you are worried, too, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Disaster Distress Helpline, and SAMHSA’s National Helpline.

Learning to Find Healthy Ways To Deal With Stress May Improve Your Overall Mental Health

Dealing with stress, anxiety and mental health at any time can be stressful, but doing so during a pandemic can be even more overwhelming! There are certain public health actions you can take (like proper social distancing) that may reduce your feelings of anxiety but also may come with unintended consequences (for example, you might find yourself feeling lonely and isolated, which can further increase your stress). 

It’s important that you find healthy ways to deal with your stress so that it doesn’t turn into a chronic problem. If you realize that you or someone you love is suffering from severe symptoms, such as excessive worry and fear about your own health or the health of your loved ones, stress over potential or actual job loss, or changes in sleep and eating patterns, you might want to reach out for help.

Other signs of a serious mental health problem include difficulty concentrating or sleeping, worsening of chronic physical or mental health problems, and increased use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

Take care of yourself, and do what you can to alleviate your short- and long term stress. Remember to watch out for the health and wellbeing of those around you and don’t hesitate to reach for help if necessary.

Rebekah Pierce is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Rebekah is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sleep education, natural, sleep products, electronics, fashion and many more. She is passionate about her work and family.

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