“The Rime of the ancient mariner” is a poem by an English poet , S.T Coleridge published in 1798. The long and short of the poem is that sailors on a ship encounter a fierce storm which blows them off route. The appearance of an albatross, a friendly sea bird is perceived as a good omen by the stranded sailors. When a Mariner shoots and kills the Albatross other sailors are furious. The crew then begins to experience more challenges at sea and they blame the Mariner. They decide to hang the albatross around his neck as punishment. When death visits the crew, all the members die except the Mariner who is now compelled to recount his experiences to strangers. The Mariner is never free of the guilt of killing the albatross. Hence the common metaphor, “an albatross around someone’s neck” meaning a psychological burden that feels like a curse.

The Mariner  went  through a series of traumatic experiences  at sea. Such is the experience humanity is going through as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. It has become such a burden and we seem to be failing to contain it. We have also questioned ourselves on the part we played regarding the origins of the virus. Coronavirus has now become the albatross around our necks and we seem to be failing to shake it off.

We are living in times of the fear of getting infected and possibly dying as a result. We are also living in times of hypervigilance. We have been forced to be on the lookout for any threats and have as a result erected  fortresses that we believe will protect from us. We are now staying at home for the longest times possible and washing our hands as much as we can. We are social distancing and interacting with others as little as possible. In public spaces we are wearing face masks and have been advised to treat the next person as a potential threat to our health. The threat of  the virus is always there, it is pervasive. It feels like it is waiting to pounce on you anytime. Like our ancestors the cavemen, we are surviving on primal instincts. We go out in search basic necessities, we stay vigilant and then rush back to our caves all in the name of self preservation.  

As funny as it was also sad, I once watched a video posted on social media of a 3 year old boy who was crying his eyes out because his dad had gone gallivanting in the neighborhood. He told his mum that he was scared because thought his dad was going to catch Coronavirus and die. According to him, the virus was lurking outside the gate. 

Fight-flight- freeze  response

Experts say the freeze and flight response is our body’s natural reaction danger. In the face of danger stress hormones are released and physiological changes take place like increase or decrease in heart rate, dilation of pupils in order to see better, hearing becomes sharper, increased sweating or getting cold, increased blood flow etc. We are put in a situation where we freeze in fear, run away (flight) or fight. It is a survival instinct our ancestors developed hundreds of years ago in order to protect themselves.

If exposure to danger can be that traumatic, what if it is continuous? 

Psychological trauma

It is a response to a deeply distressing  event or experiences. It involves a threat to life or safety that  overwhelms our ability to cope or function from day to day. The event can also threaten our sense of security and leaves us feeling helpless for example, armed robbery. Trauma is determined by our subjective experience, the more frightened and helpless we feel the more we are likely to be traumatised. While some traumatic events can be once off, others are on-going  and relentless like the current Coronavirus pandemic. The fact that infection and death rates keep going up and none of us is immune to virus is traumatising in itself. The fear and hypervigilance borne out of the situation can result in traumatic stress.

Impact of the pandemic

We seem to be “living the pandemic” because our lives are now shaped by it. In a way we are all infected somehow by the virus. Some effects of the pandemic be can easily detected and some are not.

Behavioural changes

Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD):   While we have been advised to protect ourselves by washing our hands and cleaning surfaces regularly, there is the danger of doing it excessively. And yet one might ask that in times like these, when is too much too much? The behaviour begins when you have that uncontrollable fear of being infected in such a way it begins to interfere with any part of your life. For example one might not be convinced that they have thoroughly washed their hands, repeats the process and takes much longer that the recommended time.

Sleep disorder:  The disruption of daily routines has somehow disturbed our sleeping patterns. Sleeping has actually become such a chore instead of a way of resting. We are finding it difficult to go to bed and falling asleep . Counting of sheep is not working anymore! Getting out of bed is also difficult because there is no motivation to wake up early. After all we have nowhere to go and sometimes nothing to do. We are now resorting to frequent napping. Disrupted sleep can result in emotional distress and mood disorders.

Disrupted eating patterns: These have also been disrupted in such a way that if we have nothing to do, are bored or stressed, we end up binge eating. The result is weight gain which in turn can affect our health.

Psychological  changes

Psychosomatic  disorders: Our mental states have a huge impact on the severity of any illness. The  way we cope with stress and anxiety can make some diseases like ulcers and high blood pressure worse. Some symptoms are also brought on by what goes on in the mind. Fear and anxiety might result in panic attacks. The constant fear of being infected by Coronavirus might even prevent someone from venturing outside.  Every time they try to do so they get panic attacks. It is not surprising that there are people who have not stepped outside their houses ever since the onset of the pandemic.

Hypochondriasis: For some us anything that mimics the symptoms related to Coronavirus can cause a lot of panic. We may think that we are infected or are dying.We may even expose ourselves to more chances of getting infected by the virus ourselves by rushing to the doctor or to get tested.

Only the other day I experienced sudden chest pains which I thought were symptoms of the virus. I ran around the house like a headless chicken looking for a thermometer that I had not used in years. Fortunately I did not find it and somehow the pains subsided just as they had come.

Cabin fever:  Being confined in a place, be it indoors or just at home for extended periods of time can be stressful. One can get restless and irritable or feel like the walls of the house are weighing down on you resulting in generalised lethargy.

Mood disorder:   The stress of living under constant threat of the virus can make us depressed, irritable, prone to anger outbursts etc.

Where are we really headed?

We are living in times of uncertainty and sometimes confusion about the virus. What makes it  worse  is that containment  of the virus has remained elusive to the experts themselves. Just as we are beginning to adjust to the ‘new normal” another normal is recommended. There is information overload and facts keep contradicting themselves. I have never seen facts as fluid as those related to Coronavirus. No wonder it’s a novel disease. There are times we even doubt expert advice and come up with our own half backed and dangerous truths about managing the virus.

Coronavirus is the albatross hanging around our necks. Our lives and experiences are now guided by it. We have lost and keep losing our loved ones to it. Economies have been adversely affected by it. We have had to  change our behaviours and lifestyles because of it. We are living in fear and anxiety ridden times because of it. We are forced to remain hypervigilant, our senses always in gear. Who can dispute the fact that we are being traumatised by the virus?

Some ways of managing stress

1. Structure your days. Plan activities for the day. Do not allow life to just happen to you. Narrating his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp Viktor Frankl wrote, “……..it did not matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.”
2. Get out of the house. Enjoy some fresh air, sit in the sun if it is not too hot. Engage yourself in outdoor activities like gardening, cleaning up the yard or even doing your office work outside.
3.  Take a break. From your work schedule, watching TV and even your mobile phone.
4. Introduce something that is physically or mentally challenging. It can be a hobby or a new skill.
5. Exercise. It helps manage stress and keeps you in form.
6. Maintain regular eating and sleeping patterns.  Resist the temptation to binge eat or binge sleep.
7. Try not to overthink things. Sometimes our imaginations are the source of unnecessary fears and anxieties.
8. Take all the necessary precautions to stay safe and try by all means to follow expert advice. 
9. God grant you the strength to follow all of the above and more.