The post-Covid madness
Humans managed to achieve so much during the global Covid crisis, from observing lockdowns to keep ourselves safe to stepping away from each other for a while but still thinking of everyone’s safety whilst going about our daily lives.
But whilst many people revealed the best of themselves during the pandemic, catastrophe has followed all of the goodness that we have had the chance to witness.
As Russia’s war against Ukraine rages on, there seems to be very little sense remaining of the peace of lockdown and the empathic unity of our world joined together through wearing masks and social distancing.
Perhaps, however, that peace was actually a comforting fantasy.
Studies have shown that the pandemic has led to more people suffering from anxiety and depression as well as sleeping disorders.
We find ourselves immersed in a pool of negative emotions: fear, sadness, contempt, and yes, anger” – Stanford University Medicine Department
According to the World Health Organisation: “Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. Many people may be facing increased levels of alcohol and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety.”
These same emotions may be the cause of anger which leads to riots and even wars. This sort of rage is called pervasive anger and it is aimed at things that are out of one’s control in society – situations such as Covid-19.
According to Stanford University’s Medicine Department: “The Coronavirus pandemic, with its extreme disruption of normal daily life and uncertainty for the future, compounded by several other crises (economic distress, racial tension, social inequities, political and ideological conflicts) puts us all to the test. We find ourselves immersed in a pool of negative emotions: fear, sadness, contempt, and yes, anger.”
With all this in mind it could be said that the whole world needs therapy, but instead what is happening is riots and war. Did the pandemic exacerbate the anger at social injustice that fuelled the Black Lives Matter movement? Might we even speculate that Putin’s attack on Ukraine is partly down to the long-term effects of international isolation enforced by Covid restrictions?
This anger in the time of Covid has affected our minds at a time when we should be moving forward and treading lightly with compassion towards everyone. It is said that time heals all wounds, but what we as a society are experiencing is people trying to cope with their anger toward everything that has happened.
Dr Hans Steiner, Professor Emeritus of Stanford’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, says: “The Covid situation does present us with unprecedented challenges which interfere unrelentingly with all our lives.
“Social isolation may be the best tool to keep the virus under control, but this clashes directly with the need for social interventions helping us resolve anger and rage when being at the mercy of injustice and uncertainty.
“In such conflicts we need to remind ourselves that diatribes, lies and accusations will not move us forward; compassion empathy and the reminder that we are all in this horrible situation together will inspire us. Because in the end all of us can contribute to finding solutions to the problem. Such an attitude is also helpful in our homes, as we live in proximity to our loved ones which can weigh heavily on our familial bonds.
“Carving out our own space and time as much as possible reduces the load. Distraction, celebrating and savouring the life we do have help in this process. But in the end, all of us need a reminder that all animals, humans included, are vulnerable to crowding and competitive, irresolvable demands.
“In the face of these, anger increasingly loses its value as a signal to act on our behalf. We must control it to get us through this thicket in reasonable shape.”