The trauma of stress post-Covid

Mental trauma is psychopathological sequelae and a display of an emotional response by an individual following exposure to a disturbing event. Trauma can often leave behind scars that take some time to heal as the person is unable to cope or process the event appropriately. It has been observed that post-recovery from Covid-19, many patients are left with feelings of anxiety, insecurity, panic or physical symptoms such as headaches, sleeplessness etc., which in its severe form can be labelled as a post-traumatic stress disorder. A core feature of PTSD is that the affected person relives the trauma through flashbacks, nightmares and negative emotional states. Words, objects, or situations that are reminders of the event can trigger a bout of intense anxiety, and the person may re-experience the symptoms connected with the index traumatic event. Anything remotely related to the event can become a cue for flashbacks. The flashbacks could be an experience with breathing difficulty or about the days in ICU settings, or when they were being given oxygen via face mask or via NRBM, etc. Nightmares may be about people who died of coronavirus or getting re-infected with the disease. These flashbacks and nightmares cause a person to be extremely anxious and fearful leading to significant biological and socio-occupational dysfunction.

Anxiety is very commonly found in post-Covid patients and can even occur to close friends or family members of a patient who suffered from severe Covid illness or death. Any life-threatening disease can be mentally stressful, however, Covid-19 is still new and as the situation is still evolving, this can add to the anxiety around it. Research shows that mental health problems typically see a rise post an infectious disease epidemic and while these largely go away with time, more vulnerable people may suffer severe psychological effects. Healthcare workers too who are overworked and in constant proximity with the virus and the deaths caused by it are at a high risk of developing psychological issues. Hence it is important for us to seek help and resources to manage our thoughts and emotions as we overcome this difficult situation.

First of all, patients must know that these symptoms are normal and are being faced by many people. Some simple techniques to help distract your attention and re-focus it elsewhere will help ease some of it.

Practice awareness: Whenever you feel a spell of anxiety or fear coming, do not push it away. Become aware of the pattern of your thoughts and identify recurring negative thoughts. Challenge these thoughts and replace them with more ideal thoughts, and consistently practice this over a period of time.

Do activities that engage your mind: These can be as simple as art therapy, exercises or gaming. Avoid listening to any external pressures that expect you to bounce back to normal. Take some personal time off to fully recover from the psychological after-effects of Covid.

Practice relaxation techniques: Your nervous system may be in a state of stress for a while as it returns back to normal. During this time, breathing exercises, physical exercises, meditation, yoga, etc., will help your body release more happy hormones and reduce stress hormones. It will also help promote better sleep.

Personalise your path to mental well-being: Avoid comparing yourself with people who are not experiencing similar after-effects as every individual has a different mental make-up. Find what works best for you and practice those.

(The author is a consultant psychiatrist.)