Thunder Bay Ont. mental health experts say chronic stress a big concern at 1 year mark of pandemic
Experts say realities of lockdown one year into the pandemic will be hard for Thunder Bay residents
Since the month of March rolled around, more and more people might be noticing an increase in feelings such as exhaustion, helplessness and chronic stress.
According to mental health experts in Thunder Bay, the one-year mark since the start of the pandemic may feel like a 'grief anniversary' to some, adding to the stress or sadness already felt during this time.
"We've been on high alert for an entire year and this was already on top of, you know, where in our society chronic stress is already a mainstay. We are already struggling with so many things that we can't use, you know, our built-in evolutionary resources to fight it, said Linda Kelly, psychotherapist and CEO of Kelly Mental Health.
"We can't punch this virus. We can't run away from this virus."
Kelly said that because the Thunder Bay district is in the worst that it's been since the pandemic began in terms of COVID-19 case numbers, reaching the one-year mark of the pandemic might be even harder for some.
She explained that locals might have a harder time processing the grief they're feeling or reflecting on the year that has passed than others in places where the spread of the virus is more under control.
Lockdown makes coping more difficult
"A year ago when everyone sort of, you know, we sort of all agreed as a society, okay, let's just hunker down and we'll stay home and we'll bake bread," she said.
"We did that, but I think we had a lot more energy to do it then. Now, when we're seeing the numbers higher than ever, I think a lot of us are just asking, what was this all for?"
Kelly said signs to watch for during this time are heightened emotional reactions, adding that working on self-soothing coping mechanisms might be a helpful tactic for some.
"So when we find ourselves sort of overreacting or very highly emotionally reactive to other people, the thing that can help is number one getting ourselves calm, but then looking at it as we all want this to end and very few of us know what the real answer is," she added.
For the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Thunder Bay Branch, marking the one-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic has been something that the organization has been preparing for as well.
Jennifer Hyslop, CEO of the Thunder Bay branch, said the news of the lockdown coupled with a switch to virtual learning and a lack of resources for the city's most vulnerable continues to present challenges.
"I think people were really kind of, have been so hopeful that there's some light at the end of the tunnel … my sense is that it really has taken a bit of the wind out of people's mental health positive sails to think, 'oh my goodness how am i going to cope with this and move forward,'" said Hyslop, in an interview with CBC Radio.
She added at the beginning of the current lockdown, which started March 1, 2021, the organization hadn't noticed a large increase in calls. However, Hyslop said they know from previous trends during the pandemic, that the metal health impact from the lockdown or the increase in numbers might not be felt by their organizations for weeks to come.
Resources
For more information and resources from Kelly Mental Health visit here.
For more mental health resources visit the CMHA website or call the following phone numbers:
- City of Thunder Bay: 807-346-8282
- District of Thunder Bay: 1-888-269-3100
- Kenora Rainy River District: 1-866-888-8988
- 1-833-456-4566
With files from Jonathan Pinto and Up North