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10 Warning signs that you are suffering post-traumatic stress from COVID

Capital - 7/4/2021

Did you experience significant stress in your job over the past year? Did the pandemic cause you to take on additional child care responsibilities? Did you feel overwhelmed by these challenges? You are not alone. Surveys show that the COVID crisis most negatively impacted parents with children at home.

Many parents are finding their personal well-being is suffering due to post-traumatic pandemic stress. They're feeling disappointed about how their life has turned out. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Hard work was supposed to lead to a better life. But it's led to burnout instead.

Here are 10 warning signs that you're suffering from post-traumatic stress. The more of these symptoms you see in yourself, the more likely it is that your physical and mental health is in jeopardy. In addition, having many of these warning signs means that your relationships are at risk.

Warning sign No. 1: You're telling yourself, "I can't keep living like this!" You feel exhausted. You realize that you can't keep up this pace. You're feeling resentful you're not receiving more help. You're wondering if all you've been through will result in your being a failure at work and home. You're past fight or flight. You've lapsed into freeze mode, where it's hard to see a bright future.

Warning sign No. 2: You've contracted a bad case of the "its." You can't stand "it" anymore. Little things are getting under your skin, and you're often overreacting with anger. You feel that if you have to deal with "it" anymore, you're going to scream at the top of your lungs, bang your head against the wall, or just pull the covers over your head and hide.

Warning sign No. 3: You're always tired but not always able to sleep very well. You find yourself struggling to concentrate or even keep your eyes open at times. You can't seem to catch up to have time to replenish your energy. You're dragging through your days.

Warning sign No. 4: You feel like you want to be left alone. You have so many hassles during your day that you want to retreat to a safe place. You don't want anyone putting another problem on your plate. The way you're acting and the tone of your voice are telling people to keep their distance. You're withdrawing rather than reaching out to people.

Warning sign No. 5: You're doing what's required at work, but it consumes all your energy. By the time you get through your day, there's little left over for your personal life. When you're with your family, you feel that you've got very little left to give. You just want to collapse onto the couch.

Warning sign No. 6: You're watching TV indiscriminately. Many nights you spend sitting and staring at the TV, but you're not enjoying what you're watching. As time has gone by you find yourself sitting around more, exercising less, and becoming increasingly dependent on food and alcohol to help you feel good.

Warning sign No. 7: You're not even enjoying your weekends anymore. You find it really difficult to relax, even during the weekend. You used to be able to let go and engage in pleasurable activities. But lately you can't seem to get work problems out of your mind. You're missing those times when you could enjoy being with your friends and family. As a result, you're not able to replenish your energy. You hate Monday mornings.

Warning sign No. 8: You're losing that feeling of being emotionally connected to your friends and family. Because you're feeling many more negative emotions these days, you're bringing your bad mood into your relationships. You're contaminating the connections you used to count on for support. You've become more and more isolated as COVID forced you to stop doing many of the things you used to do with other people.

Warning sign No. 9: Your physical symptoms of stress are beginning to take their toll. You're finding that you're frequently struggling with insomnia, headaches, and an upset stomach. You're using OTC medications much more than ever. And you're increasingly using substances - food, alcohol, drugs - to comfort yourself.

Warning sign No. 10: You're feeling that your life is spiraling out of control. You feel that you're caught in a whirlpool that's pulling you underwater. You're scared that you won't be able to get yourself back to normal. You've been ashamed to ask for help.

Here's an effective, private way to find help. The American Psychological Association has compiled an extensive list of resources and helplines: apa.org/topics/covid-19.