The world has nearly 1.3 million confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, and more than 70,000 people have died from the illness, according to Johns Hopkins University. California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris says this tragic situation has greatly increased the amount of stress people are feeling right now.
“This certainly is a risk-factor for what we call toxic stress: The overactivity of the stress response that leads to increased risk of health problems like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and so on.”
To start managing this stress, Dr. Burke Harris says people should simply acknowledge what’s going on.
“We’re all feeling a lot more stress right now, and it isn’t all in our heads, right? Our bodies are actually producing more stress hormones, and that’s because we are in a really challenging situation,” Dr. Burke Harris said. “So acknowledging and validating that and giving a little bit of space for that.”
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Maintaining a sleep schedule and getting exercise can help mitigate stress.
“Exercise helps to burn up those stress hormones so they’re not just floating around our bodies all the time,” Dr. Burke Harris said. “Exercise, nutrition, mindfulness like meditation, getting good sleep.”
Even after trying all of these strategies for managing stress, people might still need to reach out to a mental health provider.
“If you’ve ever thought about reaching out to a mental health provider or have in the past, now’s a really good time just to pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, I might need a tune-up,’ or ‘I’d love to check in,’ or even just call for some strategies on how to cope.”
Many Californians are worried about where their next meal is coming from, how they’re going to pay their bills, and unemployment. Dr. Burke Harris hopes that people who are struggling economically due to COVID-19 might be more empathetic toward others who dealt with these stresses even before the pandemic started.
“We understand what it feels like to worry about what’s going to happen with my job,” she said. “We see more and more Californians today who are asking those questions and are faced with some of these challenging situations.”
Dr. Burke Harris said supportive relationships can be instrumental in managing stress.
“We have a profound power to be healing to each other, the opportunity for us to reach out and be a force for healing or each other has never been greater.”
Watch the clip above for more.
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