What is Post Pandemic Trauma, and how can we heal from it?

Post pandemic trauma refers to the mental health issues that are associated with living through a pandemic. It can affect a large number of individuals and communities. Post pandemic trauma can occur in a variety of ways. These include, but are not limited to, witnessing the death of a loved one or friend, being impacted by the death of a community member, and even experiencing global high death tolls.

The fear of getting sick and dying from Covid-19 led to mental health issues such as: anxiety, stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation. Those who already suffered from mental health issues prior to the pandemic were among the most impacted.

Our healthcare professionals have been suffering a lot in the past few years, from the fear of not knowing who would be infected next to the intense stress of treating a growing number of patients with the disease to the devastating effects of seeing their own loved ones succumb to the illness. Healthcare workers who have witnessed a mass casualty event like a pandemic are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Many have described the hospitals as a war zone with too many dying patients and not enough supplies or Intensive Care Unit beds to care for them. They have felt hopeless, as if their efforts to save these lives weren’t enough.

The illness can affect anyone who works closely with patients or their families and is generally seen in nurses, doctors, and paramedics. Healthcare workers are often exposed to gruesome situations because of their jobs. Nurses endured the devastation of patients dying without their family members there to hold their hands as they took their last breath. Some have sat with these patients and held their hands as they died. Having to call family members with the tragic news that their loved one was dying or died, has led to immense grief and trauma.

Many people who have experienced this devastation are too ashamed or afraid to seek help. They may not want to talk about what happened, or they may be afraid that others will find out that they were mentally or physically sick during the pandemic.

For some, it is not possible to just forget about this and move on. People need time to heal from post pandemic trauma. The fear of another outbreak is always a possibility and can ignite the same feelings of panic and helplessness that people felt during the last epidemic. There are ways to deal with this and come to terms with what has happened.

To heal from post pandemic trauma,

1. Acknowledge your trauma and have compassion for yourself. What you have experienced was very scary, stressful, and painful.

2. Seek professional help in order to stabilize your symptoms, and work on healing through various forms of trauma treatments.

3. Integrate back into your life human connections by surrounding yourself with people and activities that feel validating and safe.

4. Create a new identity with which to confront the world by gradually coming out of isolation and integrating back into society. This can drastically improve how you feel.

5. Reconnecting to things that once brought a sense of calm and safety can help the healing process.

Having empathy for yourself will allow you to shift how you manage your trauma and will help your healing process. Healing from post pandemic trauma takes time, and it’s a process. Be patient and kind with yourself.