Back to lockdown: Coping with uncertainty in the age of COVID-19
The prospect of returning to lockdown is bound to trigger difficult emotions. We look at why and how to look after your mental wellbeing.
By Dr Fiona Crichton, Mentemia’s Health Psychology Specialist and Clinical Team Lead.
It's confronting to hear that New Zealand's hard won 101 day COVID-19 free streak has ended. Despite health experts warning that community transmission was inevitable, the reality is disappointing. The prospect of returning to lockdown is bound to trigger difficult emotions. Anxiety, frustration, even anger.
Yet, a bit of anxiety right now is not necessarily a bad thing. Anxiety helps keep us on track to do the things we need to do to keep us safe. It provides impetus to follow the COVID-19 safety rules. We're more likely to stick to our bubbles, wash our hands, and physically distance in public spaces.
The problem is when anxiety goes into overdrive. The brain dislikes uncertainty and tries to predict what's going to happen so it can prepare. Sometimes the brain will leap to the worst possible case scenario. We can find ourselves living as though the worst has already happened. This is because of the amygdala, in the limbic system (the emotional part of the brain).
The amygdala activates the fight or flight response when faced with danger. But it does not distinguish between something happening in reality or the imagination. So, we run the risk of experiencing a stressful situation twice. Once in the imagination - and again if it actually occurs. This depletes us of the energy needed to deal with the situation if it actually arises. And - even if the worst never happens, we are likely to end up overwhelmed and mentally exhausted.
This is why it is important to have coping strategies to deal with uncertainty. Fortunately, there are simple ways to reassure the amygdala that things are okay.
Focusing on things we can control and letting go of things we can't.
Keeping to a routine as much as possible.
Calling people we care about for a chat.
Having something to look forward to at the end of the day, like a delicious meal.
Now - more than ever - we need to do small things everyday to manage our wellbeing and practise self-care. For ideas we can check out the 7 ways to mental wellbeing in the age of coronavirus article for tips and tricks. Most of all we need to be kind to ourselves.
Remember it’s normal to feel disappointed or frustrated or anxious right now. The good thing is that there are simple things we can do to help us cope well, even in this time of high uncertainty.
