written by Stefano Serafinelli*
What is the real state of people’s mental health during this pandemic? A healthy,
low-stress, and intact state of mind can be considered a good basis for building the
condition of happiness, something which we yearn for. Elements such as good health,
and favorable economic conditions, are actually elements that foster and facilitate
this condition, but they do not necessarily establish it. How many of us know people
who are healthy and prosperous, but also tremendously unhappy?
During this time of the pandemic, we have learned to limit our exposure to the virus,
as the only way not to catch or transmit it.
Unfortunately, we have not been able to do the same with the consequences that the
virus has brought, which are impacting all areas of our lives and most importantly,
are accentuating the critical issues that each of us had in our pre-covid lives. In
this case, our exposure is still very heavy. And what are the repercussions of this
exposure?
The amount of time we are exposed to a stressful event determines whether the
condition triggered by it will be acute or
chronic . In the acute condition, our body
mobilizes to cope with the stressful event, producing endogenous substances
(adrenaline, cortisol) suitable for sustaining the alarm condition that is
generated. During this time, we cope to the best of our ability.
The first wave of the pandemic (and the subsequent seclusion) is part of this
framework of emergency and extraordinary mobilization of resources (personal and
community of belonging) that we have drawn on. The resources and effort produced
inevitably come at a cost: energetic ( at the expense of our
nervous system..) economic ( the burden on our pockets..)
social ( impacting the social structures we refer to, such as
family and institutions).
The end of the state of threat decreases the state of alertness and
consequently (over time..) restores the conditions that the individual had before
the state of alertness. This is the recovery phase.
However, if the threat continues to reoccur over a short period of time, or almost
without interruption, we enter a chronic condition. In such a
condition, our body can no longer sustain the exceptive effort, which as such is
limited. This is what happens in the following waves, in which people and the
systems they belong to, continue to be subjected to extraordinary stress. Chronic
conditions are those that lead to the depletion of the systems’ resources in terms
of health, economic and social.
The Role of Communication The chronic condition that we are sustaining is and will be the challenge of the
coming period. It will affect both the social structure of the countries involved
and the people individually. It is about establishing a new way of relating to
events.
The mode of communication impacts this dynamic. Communication that relies on a state
of distress and concern, as is frequently the case in major newspapers, has a
limited hold over time.
First Page March 24th, 2021
It is a resource that must be used sparingly because it risks becoming ineffective if
protracted too long. It is as if the system (people and institutions) no longer
responds to the conditions, simply because it has been exhausting the resources that
cope with the circumstances
First Page March 24th, 2021
The Covid pandemic has created an enormous state of uncertainty and distrust.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, there has been a significant and immediate
decline in mental health in many countries around the world. For instance,
since May 2020, the number of reported mental health problems in The United Kingdom
increased by 47 percent since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the World
Happiness Report . Even though the need for mental health care has increased,
mental health services have been disrupted in many countries. This is
especially concerning when considering the lasting impact the pandemic will leave on
younger generations. One solution adopted in many countries to limit the spread of
COVID-19 has been physical distancing or self-isolation. However, this has posed a
significant challenge to people’s sociability, vital to their
happiness. According to the World Happiness Report, the happiness of people
decreased when their feeling of connectedness did, as did people whose feelings of
loneliness increased when their social support was reduced.
In contrast: gratitude, drive, pre-existing relationships, volunteering, exercise,
and confidence in their own situations have helped to protect the sense of
connectedness.
It is no coincidence that the happiest countries listed in the WHR are those that
have preserved the condition of trust, security, a primary need of the individual,
even before the need for food.
Those familiar with Harlow’s experiments with baby monkeys in the 1960s will remember
that the baby’s bonds with its mother are primarily vital to satisfy the need for
protection, for safety. As an adult, he will seek a “safe haven” (a relationship, a
place, a community of people) where he can take refuge, relax and recuperate in the
most difficult and stressful moments of his existence.
And when trust is broken anxiety rises, fear rises, and we feel in danger. In this
case, it does not matter if the threat is real or merely a potential one.
This does not imply pretending that the critical condition is resolved, or different
from what it actually is. In contrast to the newspapers where this is often used in
advertising. For instance, during the first lockdown when
stereotypes were illustrated in relation to the pandemic (e.g. the
mythicized home as a warm and protected place, where happiness and harmony reign as
impersonated by “traditional” families). Now, there is a common desire to return to
normality (what normality, is the question…), shifting the focus to trending topics
such as sustainability and “old” topics such as Italian-ness, beauty, and
well-being.
It is complex to provide reassurance and comfort in a time and future, especially
considering the variety of emergency conditions that exist today due to sudden
changes: climatic, health, economic…
Companies, and their agencies, should refine the communication strategy, articulate
it in a broader discourse, and approach the individual by taking into account the
phase we are “chronically” in (explained above). They should develop an approach
that perceives the individual as autonomous and self-sufficient but still considers
them within the context of a community. This could be done much more in
communication strategies today. Elements that decrease a state of distress and
insecurity are: feeling part of a community, rather than individualistic; helping to
“broaden” the vision, rather than focusing it on a single point. This decreases
anxiety.
It reminds me of Mother Teresa of Calcutta when she came to the West and said,
“The poor here are much poorer than there (in India) because, in addition, they
are alone.”
*Clinical psychologist, anxiety disorders, stress, and life cycle discomforts
(separations, losses, new projects). Mindfulness and yoga trainer and instructor.
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