The COVID pandemic is over, but not for our brains

These last two years have been full of concern, both for our health and that of our relatives.. COVID-19 appeared unexpectedly and unknown, but with great repercussions worldwide; an unknown disease that has been present since 2020 and that has left many people on the road.

Today, after two years, the virus has been controlled through measures such as vaccination or masks and social distancing, but now back to normal, we find that this pandemic It has not only left us symptoms on a physical level but on a psychological level as well..

• Related article: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

The psychological repercussions of the pandemic

In the first moments of the pandemic, many unpleasant emotions were generated: anger, frustration, helplessness, fear, sadness, hope... thus generating high levels of anxiety. Along with this, the loss of routines and the lack of adaptation created various psychological problems during the quarantine period.

Another aspect to emphasize is the appearance of

phobias, fear of death or pain, which is a primary fear, although concern and lack of information about the virus did, together with the psychological factors predisposing to a phobia, such as obsessive traits or close experiences of illness or deaths, that these fears of going out or socializing increased.

An intensification of different pathologies has been observed, such as Post traumatic stress, especially in people who have had to be hospitalized or with more severe symptoms. Also depressive symptoms, anxiety, insomnia problems and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

In parallel, we find physical symptoms that continue to affect psychologically, such as muscle pain and persistent fatigue, which affect mood. The main emerging pathologies after the pandemic essentially focus on symptoms of anxiety and depression.

• You may be interested: "5 signs of poor mental health that you should not overlook"

Alterations linked to anxiety

Anxiety is a mechanism of adaptation to the environment to overcome certain demands of life. Is about a defense against stimuli that break the physiological or psychological balance. It is positive as long as it is proportionate and it is a powerful motivator to achieve goals.

When this anxiety remains prolonged over time at high levels, it is when it begins to be considered as negative or maladaptive. Negative anxiety is characterized by persistent states of discomfort, worry, hypervigilance, tension, fear, insecurity, feeling of loss of control, etc.

In addition, as a consequence of its prolongation over time, it can generate other physiological disorders such as changes in the endocrine system and in the immune system, making people more vulnerable to contracting a disease, also dermatological problems that have been aggravated.

depressive-like disorders

The depression it is characterized by a depressed mood, decreased pleasure or interest in any activity, increased or decreased appetite, difficulties in falling asleep and staying asleep, lack of energy, excessive feelings of guilt or worthlessness, difficulty making decisions, recurrent thoughts of death or suicide etc.

Under this state of mind we find negative interpretations of the person towards himself, towards the environment and towards the future. It can be generated by various factors, such as aversive experiences for the individual or situations of helplessness prolonged in time, in addition to some event valued as traumatic.

According to experts, it is expected that the post-pandemic symptoms generated will begin to decrease over the next two years, although the recommendations are based on care not only on a physical level, but on a psychological level as well. If you find yourself in this situation or you think that a family member of yours has the symptoms mentioned above mentioned, do not hesitate to ask for help, at the Blanca Esther Psychology Center we will be happy to help you in This process.