It is natural that during major life events and/or stressful situations that many individuals will experience anxiety. With the Covid-19 Pandemic and the increasing number of individuals adversely impacted, it is no coincidence that everyone’s fears about the pandemic has led to excessive increases in anxiety.
The pandemic has been a difficult, challenging, and trying time for everyone leading to increased levels of anxiety. I am no stranger to this having experienced high levels of anxiety with my son and myself personally. I remember waking up and going to bed shaking due to the stress of the situation, worrying about myself and my family, and needing to find ways to protect ourselves from the situation.
The increased anxieties from multiple closures, the symptoms and velocity of spread of the virus, and being left in the unknown created a state of limbo. It was especially difficult for my who suffers from severe anxiety. He developed a paranoia around the Covid-19 situation and refused to go outside, was worried all the time and upset as his world was turned upside down. He had every right to be upset, afraid, and anxious; the whole world was too. What did make a difference for us both in terms of coping with the pandemic was the access to supports. Prior to the pandemic, I created a support network; a team, that I was able to call and implement an action plan withdrawing on resources and supports. These types of supports made a tremendous difference for my family by providing a supportive environment that reduced everyone’s anxiety.
Here are some useful and reputable resources about mental health and anxiety that can come in handy during this time.
Mental Health & Anxiety Resources:
Canadian:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-support-people
https://www.anxietycanada.com/covid-19/
https://cmha.ca/news/covid-19-and-mental-health
https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/infosheet/covid-19-and-anxiety
International:
https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/covid-19
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
Academic Articles:
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