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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: November 5, 2020
Article composed by Fran Exley, LPC. Clinical Case Manager at the Georgia Tech Counseling Center. Sources cited below.
The contents of this article are drawn from an existing outreach presentation, which has been shared with various Georgia Tech groups, both staff and students- both undergraduate and graduate. As parents of Georgia Tech students, we hope that this information will be both informative and encouraging to you as you seek to support your student. The Georgia Tech Counseling Center, along with the other myriad mental health and well-being resources on campus are here to assist during this challenging time.
Stress is inevitable but not an inherently bad thing. Any effort to completely eliminate stress in our lives will be futile. But stress can be motivating. And in fact, there are two types of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress is short-term and perceived as within the scope of our coping abilities; it can even feel exciting and motivate us to act and has the potential to improve our performance. Distress, on the other hand, causes anxiety and concern and is perceived to be outside the scope of our ability to cope. It may be either short- or long-term, but regardless of its duration, it feels unpleasant and does not spur us toward improved performance. Distress can lead to mental or physical problems.
As COVID-19 is a physical illness itself, it is inherently stressful. When we are feeling less than 100% whether due to a virus, infection, flare-up of a chronic illness, or an injury, our mental health may suffer. This is understandable and normal.
Most of us do not have data from similar past experiences to draw on to inform our decisions at this time. So there is space to give ourselves mercy; it is ok that we do not know exactly how to handle this situation. We shouldn’t necessarily know because we don’t have a precedent. We will not all experience stress in the same way or need to cope in the same way. What I find stressful, you may not, and vice-versa.
As we think about how to mitigate risk and how we will operate in this current environment, we may do well to shift our perspective. We often think about safety as an all-or-nothing issue. Each decision we make to reduce risk helps. Each time we wear a mask, we’re adding to the cumulative efforts to decrease risk. When we socialize outside instead of inside, stay six feet away from others, wash our hands, and avoid large gatherings we contribute to increasing safety and reducing risk for others and ourselves. Every decision we make towards safety and away from unnecessary risk matters.
For those of us who have made a commitment to reduce risk, we may find ourselves angry with those we feel are not contributing to a culture of safety. We may rage against those who resist wearing a mask. But do we take time to be grateful for all of those people who do wear one.
Managing stress is truly a practice – you wouldn’t show up to a sports game when the stakes are higher and there’s extra pressure without having practiced. The more you practice skills like deep breathing (which triggers the parasympathetic nervous response to decrease heart rate and respiration rate) when you aren’t stressed, the more reliable they are when you encounter a stressful moment. Practicing makes a difference!
Steps to manage stress in times of uncertainty:
Works Cited
Schwartz, T. & Pines, E. (2020, March 23). Coping with Fatigue, Fear, and Panic During a Crisis. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2020/03/coping-with-fatigue-fear-and-panic-during-a-crisis
HuffPost Editors. (2020, April 9). Dealing with Coronavirus Anxiety? Here Are Some Ways To Cope With The Stress. HuffPost. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coronavirus-anxiety-stress-tips_l_5e84a845c5b6a1bb76512b7d
Gupta, A. (2020, March). COVID-19 Lockdown Guide: How to Manage Anxiety and Isolation During Quarantine. Adaa.org Retrieved from https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/covid-19-lockdown-guide-how-manage-anxiety-and
Neary, M. (2020, March 27). Using technology to mind your mental health during COVID-19 epidemic. The American Institute of Stress. Retrieved from https://www.stress.org/using-technology-to-mind-your-mental-health-during-covid-19-epidemic
Rosman, K. (2020, March 22). Some Tips on How to Stay Sane in a World That Isn’t. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/us/coronavirus-mental-health-anxiety-tips.html?referringSource=articleShare
Carroll, Aaron E. (2020, August 28). When It Comes to COVID-19, Most of Us Have Risk Exactly Backward. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/opinion/coronavirus-schools-tradeoffs.html
