Anxiety and Stress during a Pandemic

We are not living in ordinary times. Anxiety grows. Our reasonable adaptations for stress may not serve us well when stressors comes every day and sometimes ever hour. We suffer emotionally when the stability of our economics, our politics, our relationships, our health, our physical safety and the safety of those we love is continually threatened. Finding balance and reasonableness can be difficult or impossible. 

When we live in a pandemic of disease we also live in a pandemic of anxiety. Tempers flare. Tears pour. Relationships suffer. Self-awareness dims and self-doubt increases. Old coping mechanisms for stress control like binge eating, smoking, drinking alcohol, raging, binge watching, shopping, hoarding return.

These behaviors signal that your normal coping behaviors don't work in abnormal conditions.  

Opportunity to grow through anxiety and find your balance

If you have an eight-ounce glass to catch seven ounces of water, all is well. But that glass can’t handle ten ounces of water. Spill happens causing mlld or major disruption. At times, if you are under a waterfall, the eight-ounce glass is completely irrelevant. You and everything you know and care about is pummeled and washed away.

You are suffering and lack the ability to recognize or resolve your anxiety. You are using desperate methods to quell anxiety. If you use ineffective methods to help yourself feel better you may creates a pattern where you double down on what doesn't work.  You may binge more, rage more, drink more. Such futile behaviors add to your fears of helplessness and unworthiness.

If you wake up to the failure of these methods you are not at a loss. Awareness is a win. You now know that everything you are doing to end your anxiety is not working.

Such awareness allows you to give up on what doesn’t work and turn to new paths leading to strength, competence, and renewal.

Anxiety levels before and during pandemic

All the growth and development you achieved in your life equipped you to live in the pre pandemic world. Now, as anxiety and stress bear down harder than ever, you need more more growth and development.  After all, you don't build a boat to sail on a lake and expect it to function well in the open ocean.

This is a time to  strengthen or redesign your vehicle and travel in this new environment.

One source of help is psychotherapy. It’s time to bring your mind, spirit, and body to a kind, nourishing and healing environment so you can develop what you need now.

Recognize the effects of stress

The Mayo Clinic gives us this list of stress effects: If you are experiencing any of these effects, please reach out for the help you need.  You can grow through your anxiety, even during a pandemic, and live a more rich, satisfying, and competent life.

STRESS EFFECTS (Mayo Clinic)

On your body	On your mood	On your behavior
Headache	Anxiety	Overeating or undereating
Muscle tension or pain	Restlessness	Angry outbursts
Chest pain	Lack of motivation or focus	Drug or alcohol misuse
Fatigue	Feeling overwhelmed	Tobacco use
Change in sex drive	Irritability or anger	Social withdrawal
Stomach upset	Sadness or depression	Exercising less often
Sleep problems

Mayo Clinic

Joanna Poppink, MFT, is a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in eating disorder recovery, stress, PTSD and adult development.

She is licensed in CA, AZ, OR, FL, UT. Author of Book: Healing Your Hungry Heart: recovering from your eating disorder

Appointments are virtual. For a free telephone consultation e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.