2020 was a remarkably stressful year. For some, it’s even been described as a never-ending dumpster fire.
Arapidly spreading virus，失业，无数丧生，政治和种族紧张局势，孤立……等等，等等。虽然其中之一足以使我们感到压力，但今年我们中的许多人都面临着所有这些。
“Stress occurs when we feel we don’t have the resources to meet the challenges we’re facing,” saidMarisa Menchola，博士，AZ图森的旗帜健康神经心理学家。主頁(欢迎您)“我们经常在无法预测的情况下以这种方式感到这种方式，而且我们无法控制。而Covid-19是我们无法控制的那种看不见，无法控制的，可怕的东西。”
The pandemic是慢性应激源的不幸例子。我们一直在面对压力大的情况 - 即使是正常的情况，现在也会压力很大：我孩子的咳嗽只是过敏还是19岁？为什么我的同事生病了？是covid吗？我应该对站在我身后的人说些什么不戴口罩吗？
To make matters even worse, the pandemic has also robbed us of many important ways we typically cope with stress and experience joy, likesocializing with friends，去看电影或参加我们的children’s sporting eventsand school functions.
According to a survey由哈里斯民意调查代表美国心理学会（APA）进行的，美国人除了所有其他以前现有的压力源外，还受到了Covid-19的大流行的深刻影响。近80％的成年人说，大流行是他们生活中的重大压力来源，一半的人报告遭受压力造成的身体或情感伤害。儿童，青少年和年轻人还报告了与成人和老年人相比，对大流行的压力水平更高。这导致APA得出结论：“我们面临的国家心理健康危机可能会在未来的几年中产生严重的健康和社会影响。”
What chronic stress does to our bodies
Thanks to evolution, our bodies have adapted to respond quickly to stressful situations, both physical and emotional. Many of us call this our fight-or-flight response. In the early stages of the pandemic, our fight-or-flight response was doing what it was supposed to do to help us stay alert and focused. But fast forward a year later, this constant stress is taking a toll on us, which may be why we’re feeling more anxious, worried, sick and downright in the dumps (no pun intended).
“Usually, when we’re faced with a stressor (say, your boss asks you to make an important presentation in 2 hours), our stress response system launches a biological response, and then helps return our body’s systems to their baseline,” Dr. Menchola said. “However, when there is chronic stress, the long-term activation of our stress response system disrupts almost every process within our body.”
Just imagine your body as an A/C unit. It’s designed to turn on as needed to keep your house cool. But if left continually running 24/7 for days, weeks or months, it’s going to break down. In our case, this breakdown occurs mentally, physically and emotionally.
精神上
在心理健康方面，您可能会出现焦虑，抑郁，记忆或集中问题的症状。您可能会尝试通过变得更加僵化，试图控制生活的每个小方面来应对压力。或者，您可能只是“放弃”，变得粗心，不负责任或草率。这些经历还可以引发创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的症状。
您可能会发展焦虑，恐慌发作，不合理的恐惧，甚至恐惧症或强迫症型行为。您可能会开始避免有关大流行的所有提醒或根本没有发生的。您可能会感到沮丧，绝望，烦躁和短暂的脾气，或者经历创伤后压力的另一种常见的情感症状，这是麻木的 - 您没有“无”，而不是喜悦或愉悦等积极的情绪，而不是恐惧或恐惧或诸如恐惧或也要愤怒。
Menchola博士说：“有创伤后症状的人也经常感到与他人，甚至与他人接近的人脱节，并且可能对他人，未来或世界都有消极的想法。”“如果您说的话，'人们很糟糕'或'这永远不会变得更好'或'只有这个世界上的痛苦'，您可能会遇到创伤后的压力。”
身体上
When we are chronically stressed, our immune system, much like an overstrained AC unit, starts to misfire and not function as well. You may develop headaches, unexplained rashes, stomach pains, muscle tension and other pain. Chronic stress and poor mental health can contribute to a range of long-term physical health problems as well, including:
- digestive problems
- 新的呼吸道症状，例如呼吸急促或预先存在的哮喘或COPD的恶化
- cardiovascular symptoms, like heart palpitations and elevated blood pressure
- abnormal immune system responses
- sleep problems
- 脱发
- weight loss or gain
重要的是要注意,如果你有一个pre-existing medical condition, like depression, anxiety, a history of substance abuse or addiction, or a chronic medical condition, chronic stress might put you at higher risk of developing mental or physical symptoms again or worsening of problems.
消除慢性压力并改善2021年的健康状况
Chronic stress affects our bodies, but that doesn’t mean you can’t snuff it out and better your overall health. There are a number of simple life hacks, such as protecting your sleep, practicing relaxation exercises and eating healthy, that can help reduce stress and naturally boost energy and wellbeing.
[有关有用的提示，请查看“6 Tips for Boosting Your Energy Naturally”]
In addition to caring for our bodies, there are a number of other actions we can take that can lower our stress levels and help us stay mentally strong.
- Keep your day predictable:Stick to a daily routine as much as you can. This can be as simple as waking up a half-hour earlier so you can keep having your morning coffee in silence before the rest of the family gets up or continuing to have Friday pizza and movie night.
- 专注于您可以控制的内容：您可以选择在晚上散步，在特别紧张的一天中关闭新闻，或者说“不”对您问您的大忙。同样，您无法控制大流行或其他人的行为，但是您可以控制自己的行为并限制承担的风险。
- 找到喜悦的时刻：We need positive emotions to undo the harm done by negative emotions, like stress. Often, when we are stressed, sad or afraid, we just want to stop feeling bad. But that might not be enough; we need to feel good. So, enjoy a delicious meal, laugh at a funny movie and listen to music you find uplifting. Make a point of intentionally seeking moments of joy.
- Stay connected:继续花时间与您生活中的那些人接触，并帮助您感到充满希望和充满活力。即使您精疲力尽，只需简短的文字告诉亲人，“我在想你”，也可能非常有意义。
寻求帮助没有什么伤害
There’s no shame, especially during a global pandemic, to reach out for help from your doctor or a mental health professional if you find you are struggling under the weight of the pandemic. Consider talking to someone you trust if chronic stress:
- Starts affecting your health.You experience things like insomnia, chronic headaches or you find you’re relying on substances (nicotine or alcohol).
- Makes it hard to get through your day.You sit at your desk for hours staring at the computer and can’t concentrate or get anything done. You find yourself crawling back into bed or lying on the couch for hours in the middle of the day. You feel overwhelmed by small, routine tasks like做午餐or taking the laundry out of the dryer.
- Affects your relationships.如果家人或亲密的朋友告诉您他们担心或说您看起来不好。或者，如果您开始抢购伴侣或孩子，或者说您以前从未说过的伤害性。
For more advice on how to manage chronic stress, schedule an appointment with a横幅Health specialist. If you需要紧急帮助, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, offers a Disaster Distress Helpline, 24/7, 365-days-a-year: 1-800-985-5990.
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