Overwhelmed by the epidemic, a small manual to face the new year with less stress

TIREDNESS, uncertainty, confusion, malaise: almost a year after the start of the health emergency, many have experienced at least one of these unpleasant sensations. With the arrival of the new year we hoped to overcome the problems related to the coronavirus, but this is not the case. How then to manage the frustration and negative emotions that sometimes accompany us? Experts recommend a renewed routine, made up of regular schedules, activities and even very simple hobbies, such as writing a diary, which can support us.

The stress it affects almost everyone, even if in a different way and with different intensity. It is no coincidence that the World Health Organization estimated that up to 6 out of 10 people in Europe (around 60% of Europeans) can experience the so-called “pandemic fatigue”, that is a feeling of tiredness and exhaustion linked to the difficulties of the emergency and social isolation. But even if we feel fatigued or exhausted, we can do a lot. “If the human being by nature is opposed to change and especially at the beginning it is difficult to accept it – he explains David Pelusi, Doctor of Psychological Techniques and treasurer of the Lazio Psychologists Association – at the same time he also has a great ability to react by getting up after a fall ”.

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Act on what can be changed

The first step is to accept the situation brought about by the epidemic. This awareness helps to ask ourselves how to best use the resources and possibilities we have. For example, even if there will be new closures and red zones, what can we do within what is still allowed? “It’s important putting one’s energy into what we can do good for ourselves or for others in the present moment, acting on its own ‘area of ​​influence’ ”, remarks Pelusi. “On the contrary, it is useless and harmful to one’s well-being to dwell on what we have lost or on things that we cannot change, such as the dpcm or restrictions”. The idea is that you can always do something. “An interesting reading in my opinion – comments Pelusi – is that of the book ‘A psychologist in the concentration camps’ by the Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist of Jewish origin Victor Frankl“. Without wishing in any way to compare the pandemic to the experience of the concentration camp, continues the expert, the text makes us reflect because it tells how the protagonist in an extermination camp is able to live positively and find meaning even in such profound suffering and in a inhumane situation.

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Take back neglected activities

But what does it mean to focus on what can be changed? “This – explains the expert – for the individual can mean recovering postponed activities or tasks, cultivating hobbies neglected due to lack of time”. You can decide to study a language, walk more, paint, devote yourself to music. A valid example, then, is to keep a diary, where you can freely express your thoughts and emotions, even negative ones, such as anger, fear, sadness and disgust. “It is a small gesture – underlines Pelusi – which can be useful both in the present moment and subsequently, for example to re-read what we have been through and how we have faced it, a positive push for the future as well”.

Create a new routine

In this way hobbies are framed in a new frame, spatial and temporal. “If you have a busy day, ask yourself what you want to do, how to best use your time and plan one or more activities from the day before”, adds the expert, “whether you are alone or whether you is in the company of loved ones “. If you are alone, for example, you can choose a reading for the morning and a walk in the afternoon, trying not to forget at least once a day that you have a social contact, even on the phone or in videochat.

Body care, from adequate rest to healthy eating to regular exercise, is also important. “The well-being of the body is closely linked to that of the mind”, remembers Pelusi. “Being able to establish schedules as stable as possible and to maintain commitment to physical activity can help us, together with other daily activities, to create a new routine, made up of habits – and even times – which are not necessarily the same as those of before”.

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Knowing how to ask for help

But when, even looking for new ways and strategies and adopting these advice, we continue to feel bad, it is good to ask for help. “There is no need to be afraid or embarrassed to go to a mental health professional”, adds the expert, “just as we would not be ashamed to go to the doctor if we have broken a leg or have the flu.”

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