None of us were prepared for the global pandemic we find ourselves in. Not parents, teachers, and certainly not the healthcare workers around the country. Doctors and nurses suddenly found themselves working double shifts to care for sick people. As the rest of the world went into lockdown and people stayed home, safe and sound, these frontline workers showed up day after day, putting their health and lives on the line.
Many, in an effort to keep their families safe, found other living arrangements. The idea of possibly exposing their families to something they may have been exposed to at work was too much of a risk, and so many mothers and fathers also had to deal with the stress and sadness of being away from their families during the height of the pandemic.
While many frontline workers appear stoic, all of this stress and fear took its toll, even on the bravest among us. As a result, many frontline workers have found themselves burned out and experiencing symptoms of anxiety.
Symptoms of Anxiety
It’s common for everyone to feel stressed or nervous from time to time. But when certain symptoms linger, you are typically dealing with anxiety. If you’ve never dealt with this before, you may not know the symptoms. Symptoms of anxiety can include:
- Excessive worry
- Agitation
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Tense muscles
- Panic attacks
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Irrational fears
Is it Time to Seek Therapy?
For many healthcare workers, all of their time and focus is on how they can help others. The idea of self-care and asking others for help is not something on their radar.
If you are a healthcare worker experiencing feelings of anxiety and/or struggling with stress and burnout as a result of COVID-19, it’s really important that you let someone else help you right now. A therapist can offer strategies that will help you cope with your symptoms and deal with the underlying emotions.
If you or someone you know would benefit from mental health therapy, please get in touch with me. I have assisted several frontline workers and medical professionals including physicians, nurses, social workers and others to navigate this crisis and find new ways to cope. I am honored to help in any way that I can.
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