Recognizing Stress During a Pandemic

What does stress look like in a world gripped by COVID-19? In an interview with Public Relations, Professor Matthew Zawadzki, with the Department of Psychological Sciences, addressed several questions about how to identify and deal with pressures from unprecedented conditions. Here is a sample of his answers. Use the buttons below to read more of the interview.

Many people are home with family members all day and all night — something none of them are used to. Is that stressful? It can be. It’s interesting how a lot of research points to social connections as a critical buffer to stress and for maintaining and promoting a healthy life. But this research usually examines situations in which we do not have enough social support and looks at what happens when we get more support in those moments. Right now, in contrast, we might have a surplus of social connections. … Rather than being a resource, it could actually create stress. Coping with stress by going for a 30-minute bike ride may be perfect, but going for a 30-mile trip when we are not prepared for it will cause all kinds of problems.

What can people do for or with their children to help relieve everyone’s stress?

Getting that routine back for children is an important first step. That routine begins with basic needs around eating and sleeping. Establishing a regular bedtime each night and making sure your child gets up around the same time each morning will help ensure they are getting enough sleep (or for you to detect more quickly when their sleep is being disrupted by nightmares or other problems). Similarly, having set mealtimes each day will help create order to the day. Beyond that, talking with children about what is going on — in developmentally appropriate ways — lets your child know they can share their problems and that you are around to support them.

How can people support friends and family without burning themselves out?

One of the big things is to try to treat this as a new normal. In times of crisis, we are willing to go all out and make large sacrifices knowing that the crisis will pass and we can recharge and reset however it makes sense. COVID-19 feels like this kind of crisis. But this way of coping only works if we know when that ending point might be, or if we know that we will have extra friends we can lean on or resources we can use in the long term. With COVID-19, we are facing chronic stress with the potential to last weeks and months. Even more, some people are clearly in situations where the impacts of COVID-19 are harder — for example, those who’ve already lost a job or can’t pay for typical expenses. So, while the current events are exceptional, we have to think about them as a new standard of living.