3 Science-based Strategies to Build Resilience to Avoid Pandemic Burnout

10 October 2021 - Smashing Mental Health Stigma on World Mental Health Day

?By Grace Loh

The COVID-19 pandemic is fraying nerves, the recent surge in Singapore cases leading to its reactive, stop-start reopening approach has created mounting frustration and confusion, making us feel like we are walking on a tight rope. Without a definitive end in sight, pandemic fatigue leading to pandemic burnout is real and rampant.?

Pandemic Burnout?

The feelings of exhaustion and overwhelm, from the seemingly unending months of energy and time expended to maintain a constant state of vigilance; and a growing weariness towards strict compliance to restrictions can exacerbate mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Bereavement, economic decline, and unemployment are triggering mental health conditions or aggravating existing ones. Mental and physical exhaustion lowers resilience and intensifies the sense of helplessness, and this reduces one’s ability to manage negative emotions, leading to a vicious cycle of even more anxiety, exhaustion, and potentially burnout.?

Less social lifestyles from COVID restrictions can create feelings of isolation and loneliness; whilst those with less personal space and privacy may experience claustrophobia, angst, and resentment. The pandemic has also led to increased levels of alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, and a rise in calls to suicide prevention and crisis hotlines.

World Mental Health Day on October 10th underlines the pressing need to recognise the importance of mental health, and how it is inherently connected to our physical health. As we live through the bearings of the pandemic, mental health is firmly not to be neglected, and we should build solidarity in knowing that no one is suffering alone, amplify awareness, fight the stigma and ignite discussions about enhancing connectedness, building resilience, and demonstrating compassion to oneself and others.?

Strategies for Resilience?

Resilience is the capacity to accept the reality and the immutable nature of circumstances, the ability to create meaning of it and to be able to improvise and choose responses that serve us in helpful ways. By learning healthy ways to move through adversity and uncertainty, one can respond, recover and bounce back.?

1. Master an Alternate Point of View: Switching Up Your Narrative?

Quit rehashing the pain of a negative event in your mind, instead try to journal for about twenty minutes, confronting your thoughts, giving them structure, and exploring new perspectives, contemplating both the negatives and the positives of an experience.?

Cognitive reframing can help you identify and reframe your negative view on situations and respond to them in a more constructive manner, which can improve your emotional wellbeing. Look for specific evidence to support the accuracy of your thoughts. Ask yourself what you would tell a friend in the same situation and look for the middle ground to diffuse black and white thinking.?

A 1988 study by Pennebaker, Kiecolt-Glaser and Glaser discovered that participants who expressively wrote for four days were healthier after six weeks, and expressed happiness up to three months later, compared to participants who wrote about superficial topics. Allowing alternative points of view enable the creation of one’s own narrative and flexing a sense of control and autonomy over one’s intention.

2. Mindfulness

By learning to stay in the present, mindfulness can be used as a therapeutic technique to focus one’s awareness of the moment. This can help you to better manage unhelpful feelings and thoughts, and be able to calmly approach difficulties more effectively.?

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction has wide-ranging psychological and health advantages for people in general, as well as those dealing with mental challenges and chronic disease. The Body Scan is a useful technique to help you focus on each body part to help relax and dislodge physical tensions that might manifest from intense emotions. Carmody and Baer’s 2008 study uncovered that practicing the Body Scan technique was associated with lesser anxiety and greater well-being. Heightening the mind, emotion, and body connection can assist in wiser and healthier decision-making.?

3. Practice self-compassion

Practicing self-compassion requires you to acknowledge your own challenges and look after yourself so that you can better care for others. As the saying goes,?“secure your own oxygen mask before assisting others”. Look upon your own experience through a lens of kindness, without judgment. A 2012 study by Neff and Germer found that participants who completed an eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion program described more mindfulness and life satisfaction compared to people who did not participate. The Self Compassion Break is a simple exercise that can be practiced anytime you may be feeling in distress. It corresponds to the three aspects of self-compassion: be mindful, understand that you are not alone, and, be kind to yourself.?

COVID-19 has necessitated extraordinary human resilience to withstand the pain, pressures, and uncertainty, but through mindfulness, showing compassion to others and oneself, alongside the sense of connectedness to common humanity, we must realise we are all in this together and no one is immune to mental health challenges.?

On this World Mental Health Day (and every day), I choose to smash mental health stigma and invite you to do the same.?

References

Body Scan Meditation (Tame Anxiety). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS2yDmWk0vs

Carmody, James & Baer, Ruth. (2008). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms, and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of behavioral medicine. 31. 23-33. 10.1007/s10865-007-9130-7.

Grossman, Paul & Niemann, Ludger & Schmidt, Stefan & Walach, Harald. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits. A meta-analysis. J Psychosom Res 57: 35-43. Journal of psychosomatic research. 57. 35-43. 10.1016/S0022-3999(03)00573-7

Pennebaker, J. W., Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., & Glaser, R. (1988). Disclosure of traumas and immune function: health implications for psychotherapy.?Journal of consulting and clinical psychology,?56(2), 239–245. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006x.56.2.239

Praissman S. (2008). Mindfulness-based stress reduction: a literature review and clinician's guide.?Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners,?20(4), 212–216. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7599.2008.00306.x

Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self-compassion program.?Journal of clinical psychology,?69(1), 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21923

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