Hello again! Have you been feeling and acting different since Covid-19 started? 

Many people have been experiencing  different feelings and behavioral changes since Covid-19 began. Some of these changes include feeling more anxious, sadness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, difficulty focusing, lack of motivation, wanting to shut down and not engage with others, increased hypervigilance, and feeling numb, just to name a few.

This is occurring due to our body's natural threat response. There is a part of our brain (in the amygdala) that spends all day searching for potential threats in our environment to keep us safe. When a threat is perceived, anxiety increases. Our fight/flight response gets activated when this occurs. And if we can't run or flea from the threat, then our freeze response is activated. This is exactly what your body is experiencing because your brain is identifying Covid-19 as a safety threat (which is true- Covid is a threat to our safety). 

When our body goes into fight or flight we are more likely to experience anxiety, hypervigilance, irritability, anger, feeling antsy, feeling like we need to get away, or like "I need to do something". When our body goes into freeze mode we are more likely to experience feeling numb, lack of motivation, depression, shutting down, not wanting to engage with others, or feeling hopeless. For most of us, our bodies are moving in and out of fight/flight and freeze at different points throughout this Covid experience. 

The other thing that is occurring in our brain due to the threat response is that our prefrontal cortex is not on at full capacity. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for rational thinking and executive functioning skills- planning, organizing, impulse control, focus and concentration, etc. Instead, our limbic system (where the amygdala and emotional part of our brain is housed) is online more intensely due to the threat. 

Think of the limbic system and prefrontal cortex as a see-saw. They can both be online and neutralize each other, or one can be online stronger. And whichever one is online stronger, we will notice changes in rational vs emotional thinking.

Since we know that the limbic system is activated due to Covid, our prefrontal cortex is having a harder time functioning at full capacity. This is why people are finding it more difficult to concentrate, focus, plan, control their impulses, perform tasks in a specific order, or follow directions easily.

Our bodies are reacting exacting as they are intended to react in the presence of a threat. The difficult part about Covid is that fight/flight or freeze don't help us in our day to day lives. I have found it helpful to be aware of the effects my brain is going through, remind myself "how I am feeling makes sense", and then start thinking about what would help my body feel soothed (going for a walk, exercise, listening to relaxation music or nature sounds, taking a hot bath or shower, coloring, knitting, reading, writing). Whatever your most soothing coping skills are- do them! It is important to remember that we won't be at full capacity during this pandemic, and we need to try and do things that help our bodies feel as safe and secure as possible. 

Thanks for reading and being in connection with me,

Steph