Dealing with anxiety, stress and burn-out syndrome during Covid-19 pandemic

Thejoto Nienu
Kohima, June 16 (EMN): The Covid-19 induced lockdown has been in place for almost three months now in Nagaland, and this invariably might have had a toll on the mental health of many people, including the frontline workers.

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, Dr. Viketoulie Pienyu, senior medical officer at State Mental Institute in Kohima, shared that “lockdown itself is very stressing, to be confined to your home for so many days”.

He reiterated that even two-three days is bad but when one is confined for so many days, that becomes ‘very stressing’.

“For adults it’s very stressing, for children, who are used to highly physically active life, they become restless and irritated,” the doctor said.

He pointed out the signs of stress such as restlessness, irritability, and being obsessed and exposed to ‘internet overload.’

“Internet phenomenon in the age of Covid-19 has caused a lot of stress in the form of excessive WhatsApp (messages), social media while some news content itself causes lots of stress,” he said.

“The very fact of the disease having entered Nagaland has also caused a certain amount of anxiety. We need not fear so much if the disease is contained inside the quarantine centre properly,” Pienyu said.

“If all the returnees are made to follow the rules obediently, no problem, as the problem itself is self-limiting,” he added.

However, the doctor maintained that the anxiety felt by the general population is caused due to incomplete information, with returnees arriving in huge numbers. “Some of these anxieties are unfounded, not based on medical rationale,” he said.

Frontline workers and burn-out syndrome

Pienyu said that healthcare providers, counsellors, doctors, nurses, administrators, police and other frontline workers are experiencing ‘burn-out syndrome.’

According to him, the syndrome is mostly found among frontline workers who are responding to the call of duty.

“Some of the signs to look out for burn-out syndrome are: he/she will have no interest in the surrounding and is unresponsive to surroundings, will become irritable, will experience sleeplessness and mental fatigue,” he said.

Making his observation about social media, he said it was ‘slow’ during the second phase of Covid-19 lockdown in the state; while in the first phase, it was ‘excessive.’

According to him, the ‘activeness’ decreased during the last weeks of May and beginning of June, indicating “the tiredness of people as it became quiet, which indicates people are mentally tired”.

He said, “The mental tiredness and mental fatigue with no drive and energy are big signs of burn-out syndrome that has to be looked out for.”

He also stated, “The more severe form of mental illness like depression and psychosis can be experienced as a result but the great majority of the population experience high level anxiety and mental fatigue, burn-out syndrome.”

The doctor said that the mental stimulation that comes from different quarters of life in unprecedented situations generates a lot of stress.

Pienyu also observed that viral videos and news content—some factual and some fake— in social media platforms creates a lot of unnecessary anxiety.

How to deal with stress and mental health

The doctor recommended some strategies to deal with Covid-19 lockdown stress:

• Physical exercise: Physical exercises in the form of morning/evening walk, depending upon the availability of space; if not Yoga at home.
• Getting proper rest and sleep: “Getting proper sleep and rest gives energy, it reinvigorates and recharges the body and mind to face day-to-day challenges,” said Pienyu.
• Socialise, by maintaining social distancing: He observed that a little bit of socialising while maintaining social distance and sharing, joking or singing or socialising with friends and spending time with families is helpful.
• Listen to music: Listen to “cool music (preferably gospel)” that warms the heart and mind.
• Engage with hobbies: Spend time painting and writing to express the feelings of the inner compulsions. “Of course not everything is meant to be shared in social media but express it in paper. Write out your frustrations,” said Pienyu. He suggested gardening, carpentry, knitting, cooking or other hobbies.
• Deep breathing exercise: “Deep breathing is another scientific means of cooling down stress,” said Peinyu.
• Spend time in prayer: He opined that spending time in prayer with families and friends in the form of fellowship and prayer meetings gives ‘countless peace of mind.’

Lockdown and substance abuse

According to Pienyu, alcohol and drug abusers are facing a different kind of experience. “They are not having access to their alcohol and drugs and are experiencing withdrawal.”

With lockdown entering into the third month, he said ‘some had already surpassed the withdrawal period and can rest peacefully with their minds no longer in tension as they have given up drugs and alcohol.’

“What alcohol prohibition could not achieve in the last 30 years, Covid-19 lockdown has done in three months,” said Pienyu.

Seek professional advice

According to the doctor, too much stress could cause severe mental illness like psychosis and depression in some persons.

In such cases, he advised to seek mental health professionals for further management while stating that everyone is undergoing stress but out of that, 2-3% of people might be severely affected.

“The brain stays healthy and becomes intelligent when you are engaged in solving complex problems,” he said and advised people to stay socially engaged, get good sleep and rest, stay mentally engaged and do something creative and productive at home and not stay idle.