The Many Faces of Anxiety & Depression During the Coronavirus
Many of us know anxiety and depression as if they’re part of the family - you may not have chosen them, but you’ve certainly learned to live with them. Sometimes you can predict when they’ll show up, sometimes they barge in without warning. Either way, you know how their presence affects you and you probably know how to cope with it.
But even for those who know their anxiety and depression well, and especially for those who have never reckoned with these disruptive guests before, the coronavirus pandemic has altered the way they present themselves. Anxiety and depression have donned their proverbial masks. They’re partially concealed, moving in irregular ways, and impossible to ignore. So as you join in on the familiar chorus of the times, “What’s going on with me?”, consider these lesser-known signs of anxiety and depression - and learn how to cope with them.
Anxiety
1. Productivity stress
You may be more stressed about your schedule now than you were before the pandemic. Why? Chances are, you’re either faced with a lot more free time or a lot more responsibilities, both of which require a serious reevaluation of how you spend your 24 hours. You may feel like you’re constantly not doing enough or worried you should be doing something else instead.
What to try: Embrace this time as a period of rest, reflection, and rejuvenation. This is what happens when you slow down and focus inwards, and it may be the only time in your life when you’re actually required to do so. Pick one “planning day” each week to map out your schedule for the upcoming week. Reserve all of your questioning and scrutiny for that day and make adjustments as needed.
2. Perfectionism
It may feel important to keep your entire house spotless, stick to an optimal schedule, and produce your finest masterpiece, but that’s just your desire for control. Setting high expectations for yourself can be a way of overcompensating for that which feels destroyed, undermined, or uncertain.
What to try: Practice being good enough. Focus on getting your basic needs met and fulfilling your responsibilities, which are both hard enough during these times. If you want to challenge yourself to greatness, go for it - but really ask yourself why. Am I doing this to feel in control, or to genuinely refine my skills and competencies? Spoiler alert: you probably don’t need to be “perfect” to achieve the latter.
3. Fixation on body image
Similar to the two points above, you may be spending more time fixating on your body image, eating habits, and exercise routines. Part of this could be related to a desire to stay physically healthy in a health crisis, but again, it could be an effort to exert control when everything feels uncontrollable. Couple this with spending more time scrolling through social media instead of connecting in real-time with our closest friends, and you have a recipe for unhealthy comparisons and insecurity.
What to try: Limit time on social media. Set a time limit notification on your phone or pick a certain time of day to scroll. Resist the urge to compare yourself to others or your pre-pandemic self. Accept that your eating and exercise habits have changed (everything else has!). Think objectively about how you can adapt to these circumstances and create new goals to work towards.
Depression
1. Tiredness and lack of motivation
Even with more flexibility in your schedule, you may feel tired and have low energy. This can contribute to a lack of motivation, procrastination, and diminished eagerness to complete your daily tasks. This is a hallmark sign of depression, but is often incorrectly attributed to other factors.
What to try: Don’t wait to feel “up for it” before doing something. Research shows that simply following through with activities can increase your mood. If the pressure of the whole task seems overwhelming, simply break it into manageable chunks and start somewhere. It can be much easier to keep going than it is to start.
2. Guilt
Guilt is showing up in all shapes and sizes these days. You may feel guilty for surviving or thriving during a pandemic (“survivor’s guilt”), for not being able to help enough (“compassion guilt”), or for making a tough decision that possibly put others in harm's way. These feelings of guilt can contribute to an overall low mood and negative self image.
What to try: Realize the perceived benefits of guilt (e.g. maybe you think it keeps you humble, it combats complacency, it proves your empathy) and realize the actual impact it has. It’s likely those “benefits” exist regardless, and the guilt only makes you feel worse about yourself. Consider the idea that taking care of yourself is a crucial part of our global response to this pandemic. We need people who are physically and emotionally healthy to keep our society functioning.
3. Existential questioning
Living in an unprecedented time compels us to question all that we think we know about the world. You may be grappling with moral dilemmas on both an individual level and societal level, which can expose the impossibility of win-win solutions. Dwelling in these thoughts can instill a loss of hope and meaning. It might leave you feeling unusually pessimistic about the state of things.
What to try: Seek out activities of “mastery”. Engaging with a hands-on activity can reconnect you to the tangible world in front of you. And don’t shoot for the moon here - you can develop new skills by simply taking care of your basic needs. Learn how to cook a new recipe, create a homemade mask, nurture a plant, or create a makeshift gym in your home. You may even find an activity that brings you new meaning and hope during the pandemic and beyond.
4. Boredom
The first few weeks of lockdown engendered a wave of creativity about all of the activities we could begin or continue from inside our homes. Zoom happy hours, online workout classes, virtual museum tours - there was enough novelty to keep us engaged. If these adaptations have lost their allure or you’re realizing they’re not as fulfilling as you expected, you may be feeling increasingly bored these days. This could be a sign you’re losing interest in activities that you used to enjoy, another hallmark sign of depression.
What to try: It’s crucial to find pleasurable activities to combat this symptom of depression. Instead of trying to recreate events that are difficult to fully enjoy virtually, connect with what you can enjoy in real life. Appreciate the vitality of nature in the springtime through daily walks, revel in the stillness of quiet evenings, or have a boogie during your morning routine.
As a final thought, just because you’re experiencing any of the above does not mean you have a diagnosis of anxiety or depression. These are all subtle signs that your emotional health may need some extra attention. Take this as an opportunity to raise awareness of the myriad ways your brain and body adapt to stressful situations, and practice coping skills now to strengthen your resilience for the future.