Emotional implications of Pandemic

Date : 29.03.2019 

*Emotional Implications of Pandemic*

 - *_mindzone_*

COVID-19 crisis has put a damper in our moods. As much as we love getting a break from school and work, there is only so much of confinement we can take. The pandemic has had a huge impact in our everyday lives, disrupted our routines, placed restrictions in our social connections, paused all our plans. So, it is inevitable that we all feel a certain level of fear and uncertainty, which is normal. And if that fear leads to panic and frustration, no one can blame us. Everybody has undergone and will undergo a lot of emotional changes, due to the unprecedented global event.

Emotions are a complex affective state that is determined by our perception and understanding of real-life events, memory or even our imagination. Emotions are of many types and they can be both positive and negative. And how each individual feel will differ in how they perceive. It is by its very nature complex and can include a lot of facets and any number of factors, such as political, economic, social, financial etc can affect it.

 According to the studies conducted on emotion, it could be noted that emotion takes various forms such as subjective emotion that involves interpretation, as well as biological, that involves reaction formation. It is expressed through our behaviours and thoughts and this can happen the other way too.

Emotions play an important role in our decision-making skills, judgement and learning. It takes part in our adaptation process. And considering our current predicament, it is important that we manage our emotions effectively to not only to function adaptively but also to avoid long term effects. Emotional intelligence of an individual is considered to play a key role in this situation.

People from all walks of life are affected due to this pandemic. Each one of us is facing problems that threaten our livelihood. Businessman and daily wagers are distressed due to the uncertain conditions of economy and unemployment. Elderly individuals who have other health issues like cardiac ailments are more likely to develop anxiety and emotional conflicts. Individuals who have a lesser sense of self-worth are likely to be more sensitive to the situation and many are prone to develop obsessiveness and other mental health conditions.

Reports around the world draw a picture of increasing violence, abuse and aggressive behaviours among the population after the lockdown was imposed. While this can be attributed to the uncertainty and panic, it will not help us in the long run. It can lead to excessive anxiety, stress, frustration and a lot of other behavioural changes. Social media doesn’t help either. It has made people more sensitive and obsessive in consuming information and applying it in real life. People with existing health issues and mental health problems are most affected. Lack of proper management of emotions can lead to problems in our relationships, change our family dynamics, disrupt our physiological functioning etc.

Basic physiological needs are to be taken care off in the current pandemic situation which is more distressing. So, we must identify the emotional changes and manage it to cope with the pandemic effectively.

Various mental health professionals had come together to discuss on the topic,” Emotional Implications of the pandemic” on an online platform hosted by Mindzone. 

Given below are a few things we can adopt to manage our emotions in a positive and adaptive manner:

1. Acceptance of the event. There are certain things in life we can’t control, nor would we have anticipated it. A pandemic such as this is an example of such scenarios. Denying the event would only harm you and your family.

2. Acceptance of the uncontrollable is the first step. Trying to make active changes in things that are under our control is the next step. Studies have shown that being prepared will help individuals in effectively dealing with a problem. Proactive preparation can reduce fear, increase confidence in our ability to resolve the problem. However, this doesn’t entail panic buying. Your actions should be informed, reasonable and rational.

3. Fear is our strongest and most basic emotions. It helps us in surviving. However, excessive fear can also lead to wrong decisions and disturbances in our emotional, mental and physical state. Don’t feed your fear with wrong information and negative imagination.

4. Humans tend to focus more on negative thoughts and aspects. Make an effort to restructure your thoughts in the right and positive direction. And this would lead to more adaptable, rational and proactive thinking. Avoid overthinking.

5. Take the positive route instead of the negative route. Positive thinking and approach increase our confidence, resilience, problem-solving and emotional coping.

6. Along with positive thinking, change your perception. While this pandemic is a cause for concern, it is not going to be forever. Life will change. Don’t worry, the apocalypse is not any time sooner.

7. Mindfulness strategies could be adopted to enable a better level of coping. Focus on the here and now.

8. Social media is a regular part of our life. Information sharing is easier than it ever was. However, not all the information that we come across is the right news. Information overload will only cause panic and fear that could have been avoided. Update yourself with the right information and don’t become an excessive consumer of all kinds of information.

9. It is easier to think of our doom if we are only left with our thoughts about the pandemic. Occupy yourself. Take initiative in trying something new. Do the things you like to do but never had the opportunity to and be productive.

10. Lockdown is an ideal time to form stronger connections with your family and loved ones. Develop a stronger bond between you and your family members, with open and honest communication. Not only can they offer you support but you can feel positive emotions when you spend time with them.

11. It is a good activity to jot down your thoughts and reflect on them, especially during emotionally disturbing and stressful times such as this. You will be able to manage your emotions in a better way if you have a deeper understanding of yourself and your thoughts and emotions. In essence, self-retrospection. 

12. During a crisis, there is a lot of interference in our daily, habitual routine. We are forced to drop our routine and that can include self-care too. Taking care of your health is important for optimal functioning. Eat a proper diet, exercise should be some of the things you can incorporate in your daily life.

13. Following spiritual practices like yoga and meditation can provide a peaceful state of mind.

14. Take time to empathize with other people. Our community and social space need to be healthy. Try to go beyond yourself.

15. Most of all, be kind to yourself. You are more capable and resilient than you might think. Develop a positive sense of self-worth.

#mental_health

#psychology_of_emotions 

#pandemic 

#covid19

#mindzone 

#in_this_together

Prepared by 

Ms. Rajini

Undergraduate Psychology Student

CHRIST UNIVERSITY BANGALORE

Ms. Abirami

M.sc (Psychology)

PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY