How fear affects our mental health
We are living in unprecedented times. There is no handbook on what to do and how to manage this crisis. Instability creates fear, which creates panic. And of course, if you have loved ones overseas, you are worried about them and how they will survive this worldwide pandemic. And then to add to our difficulties, we are asked to self-isolate, thereby taking away our usual coping strategies of going to others for support, help or a hug. You might be afraid of losing your job as you cannot work from home or fortunately you can work from home, but work is where you go to get away from home. That’s what you like about work. It gets you out and you interact with others in a very different way to how you do it at home. To add fuel to the fire, we then ask that families stay together at home for unknown lengths of time. Depending on the size of your home and number of people living at home, this can result in feeling caved in or claustrophobic.
So we have conditions for the perfect storm…
Fear affects all aspects of our being – mentally, physically, psychologically and socially. Physically, fear keeps our bodies in stress mode. Prolonged stress increases our risk for heart conditions and digestive issues. Socially, no-one likes being around an angry person and they can poison the environment they are in really quickly. Just think of when someone walks into your home and they are angry. Your whole being responds to the negative energy.
Fear and anxiety activate our fight and flight mode. We cannot physically fight this virus and can’t flee. So, we are stuck with feelings of fight and flight, with nowhere for that energy to go. It circulates in the body, increasing and causing more distress.
Now imagine, that all the people in your home are feeling this way – so there will definitely be more arguments or getting on each other’s nerves without the isolating. Add the feelings of being stuck and it can become explosive.
Fear also creates panic – me, me, me thinking is amplified
Our thinking brain is offline during this time. We are in the reactive part of our brains. This results in us doing things we don’t normally do – like fight over toilet paper in the supermarket.
It also stops us from being able to think and listen to others. I can’t hear what my partner is saying, because the thinking brain is offline. My brain is constantly scanning for danger and anything else is regarded as white noise – irrelevant.
Fear needs to be fed - it is all-consuming fire. So we keep feeding it by checking social media about what is the latest news, how many people are dead, how many people are infected in different countries. We rant about people’s behaviour regarding the virus. Online or when we talk to people, there is only one topic of conversation – Covid-19.
The more we feed the fear, the bigger it grows. The more all-consuming it becomes.
Tools for keeping our mental well-being during isolation
There are three aspects to maintaining mental wellbeing at this time. These are not distinctive phases, but some previous behaviours need to achieved before we can build on the next and other suggestions are useful in all three stages. Click each of the below links to find out more about these phases.
1. Stop the fear mentality
2. Re-set - going into the cave
3. Re-build - coming out of the cave
Youthline:
https://www.youthline.co.nz/
Free call 0800 376 633
Free text 234
Depression:
https://depression.org.nz
FREE 24/7 HELPLINE:
0800 111 757 TEXT 4202
Healthline
0800 611 116
Mental Health Crisis Team (CATT Team)
Select your DHB for contact numbers or ring Healthline 0800 611 116.
Need to talk?
Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
Lifeline
0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
Suicide Crisis Helpline
0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
Samaritans
0800 726 666