COVID-19 AND THE SUPPORT OF A PSYCHOLOGIST
Mónica González Soriano
COVID-19 is not only a health crisis, it is also accompanied by many personal crises that extend to an entire society. On a personal level, we are living the ravages of a virus that affects a whole country, infected or not. We are now facing a situation that on a psychological level presents some very specific and special characteristics.
On the one hand, we are facing a new crisis, never before experienced , generated by a real danger, threatening at the doors of our homes, which can lead to emotions of insecurity, fear, uncertainty, sadness, frustration, vulnerability, fragility, stress and anger, among others. To this threatening stimulus is added the lockdown, which brings with it feelings of isolation, confusion, helplessness, anger, boredom, loneliness, lack of freedom and control, uneasiness, anguish… And with this, the personal circumstances of each individual.
We are in a society that suffers, people in solitary confinement suffer, they feel lonely, worried about their families, helpless and isolated. Our dear families and marriages suffer, in their work-life balance, in conflicts, in the care of children. The sick suffer, isolated in their rooms or in hospitals, far from their families, living the illness and the crisis in loneliness. People who are experiencing economic difficulties, with lack of work activity, facing an temporary redundancy or not being able to carry out their work as self-employed, suffer. Our elderly suffer, they are afraid, uncertain and many live in solitary confinement. They suffer the caregivers of dependent people, the elderly and at-risk groups, who are exposed daily to contagion and even to situations of bereavement
Supermarket workers, cleaners, transportation workers, pharmacists, and all those who work in front of the public suffer. Healthcare workers suffer, facing high levels of stress, anxiety, fear, helplessness, sadness, frustration and multiple unresolved grief situations. They suffer those who experience the death of a loved one, to which is added the absence of support in the illness and farewell.
The psychological impact of this crisis, as we can see, is extensive, but it can also be long-lasting. This emotional cocktail can lead to more serious symptoms of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress.
It is a reality that we cannot avoid feeling these emotions, since they are humanly a response to the situation we are living through. What is in our hands is to learn to live them, manage them and prevent the psychological impact from being greater.
We are experiencing a crisis which is new, which we are not ready to face, since we simply have no record in our experience of living through something similar. Therefore, it is essential to have the help of psychology professionals in this crisis, to respond to the suffering society and so that, in these moments lived with pain, uncertainty, fear and unreality, people are accompanied and have adequate support and support, so as to not only minimize to a greater extent the psychological impact, but also to find meaning to all this suffering