Feeling Irrational? Your Stress Response May Be To Blame

It’s hard to imagine how normal life was just a few weeks ago. Can you believe it hasn’t even been one month since the ‘Stay at Home’ order went into effect in Ohio? So many aspects of our lives have changed since the end of March and now we are in this surreal limbo – without certainty of what the rest of our year may look like or how the changes implemented over the last 3 weeks may impact the course of our lives. ​

I hesitate to even type out those words – fearing it’s only my own anxiety speaking. I can only image how others are possibly experiencing similar ‘worst case scenario’ thinking right now though and so I want to bring some validation for you all. We are in uncertain times, and with uncertainty comes anxiety and increased stress. Considering the threat we are collectively experiencing (A.K.A. The physical, emotional and economic impact of COVID-19), it makes sense that our bodies are responding and attempting to protect us. Maybe you’ve noticed these changes, maybe you haven’t. Let’s explore a little, shall we?

Have you been reacting to stress differently than you’re used to? Perhaps you’ve been berating yourself for making ‘irrational’ or ‘emotional’ decisions. Maybe you’ve been feeling exceptionally tired from a lack of quality sleep lately - Especially with the multiple tornado warnings which have occurred within this pandemic. Are you feeling unable to slow down for a moment to even wonder why these changes have occurred? If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these, you’re not alone. 
 
The body has a structured response to stress – it’s the only way it knows how to protect us from danger. Without getting too deep in the neuro-psych stuff, we basically we have a primitive brain whose primary focus is to protect us at all costs. It is constantly searching for possible threats so it can then switch on our protective system – Our Fight/Flight/Freeze response. 
 
Among the physical symptoms shown to the right, there are emotional and mental effects as well when stress becomes a chronic experience. As stress and anxiety increase, our ability to think ‘rationally’ or ‘logically’ decreases. If you have been feeling like you are ‘in a fog’ or simply ‘not yourself’ lately, the increase of stress underlying your daily life since the COVID-19 pandemic began may be to blame. If this is the case, and you have the time and resources to do so, I strongly encourage you to set aside some time for yourself, take a few deep breaths and engage in an activity which brings you joy. You can also check out these previous posts for some self-care tips to get the ball rolling. 

Be well and take care, 

Katie