According to the American Public Health Association, in the coming months, despite the vaccine, which will be gradually administered to all segments of the population, we will find ourselves having to deal with a new health emergency, namely the so-called post lockdown stress syndrome. Life, already characterized by alarming levels of stress in the period before the pandemic, has suffered a sharp deterioration in quality, for several reasons: the danger of contagion, virtual home education, insecurity, financial difficulties, smartworking, keeping oneself constantly (and often obsessively) informed, exposing oneself to not very comforting news that can generate apprehension and frustration. In the most complex and serious cases, then, dealing with illness and death was devastating. Not to mention that isolation has taken a toll on everyone. Many children and adolescents have lost important opportunities for social development. Collective trauma contributes to increased anxiety and to depression and other mental health factors commonly related to disorders. food.
Eros is also suffering from this, given that, due to Covid-19, people's sexuality has in many cases dropped to almost zero.
Fortunately, there is also good news: thanks to the use of masks, in the winter of 2020-21 the flu did not arrive in Italy.
Who will be affected?
The post lockdown psychological emergency, as defined by specialists, will affect all sections of the population. Both those who have been directly affected by Covid-19 and those who have been spared. The most affected will obviously be the people who have experienced the disease directly , at home or hospitalized, or through family members, mourners, health workers, doctors, nurses, most exposed during the pandemic. Then there will be people who have lived through quarantine and not affected by Covid, but bearers of particular frailties, such as subjects with physical pathologies, disabilities, psychiatric problems, the elderly alone, workers in critical situations. And finally, what gives the measure of the extent of this new emergency, tens of millions of people confined to their homes for months facing difficulties, uncertainties about the future and social isolation.
of 2021. The psychosocial damage highlighted by the survey translates into the data: 42% anxiety / stress, 24% sleep disorders, 22% irritability, 18% depressed mood, 13% relational conflicts.
What emerges is a sharp increase in psychological distress (31% of Italians declare a clear worsening of psychological conditions and a concern for it), which finds its premises not only in the conditions / restrictions of the pandemic (51%) but also - and increasingly - in concerns related to social and economic prospects (58%). This is understandable
considering the estimates of a drop in GDP of about 10%, the most negative figure since the Second World War.
Act on psychosocial distress
"Faced with the complexity of the situation, it is essential to have a look capable of grasping the link between the main factors at stake, that is, the aspects that most affect the" general trend and success of the strategies implemented ", confirmed by the CNOP.
The data that emerges is that of a mutual interaction between factors of the social context, such as the health crisis and the socio-economic crisis, and individual and collective psychological factors: stress levels, adaptive strategies, behaviors. An interaction on which the collective equilibrium will depend. As the research has documented, in fact, the impairment of psychological well-being and the "raising of stress levels triggers relapses both on the level of physical health (eg. Greater vulnerability to the virus) and on the existential-emotional level (eg. Attitudes, behaviors, relationships. dysfunctional or at risk, impaired social participation, mental disorders, etc.).
Unfortunately, for a while longer it will not be possible to try to alleviate these ailments through sport, given that, as established by the January Dpcm, gyms and swimming pools will still remain closed.
that can be put into practice right away:
1) spend time outdoors as soon as possible;
2) never lose contact with friends and relatives: even the virtual one is fine;
3) sleep 8 hours (the usual, ie at night, without reversing the circadian rhythms) and eat at regular times.
Then, soon, we will be able to go out again and everything, or almost everything, will be easier.
To get better, you can also use the 7 coping techniques for difficult times.
