Acute and Chronic Stress during COVID-19: An Interview

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to Christa Rymal, founder of The Point Retreats in northern Minnesota. Christa’s background in nursing and healthcare administration immediately sprung into action with starting a “Facts and Feedback from Frontline Healthcare Professionals.”

My interview focuses on the signs and symptoms of acute and chronic stress during our global pandemic, along with discussing how we can help each other together through this unusual time. Please watch, listen, and share with your loved ones. Enjoy!

We asked Chronic Stress expert and Trauma|PTSD Therapist Amy Pico, for help understanding the unhealthy feelings popping up as we're social distancing, how t...

Quarantine Hacks: Giving

Last Friday, before our statewide “shelter in place,” I attended my own therapy session. Sitting in my car, a man approached my door. After instructing him to stay a few feet away from my window, I rolled it down and we began to chat. 💴

He asked for some money for some food. I gave him $5, and we began to talk about the virus. He gave me his theories, while telling me a story of when the power was out over several states and he and some friends drove down to where there was power and light. 💰

After I told him I had to go inside, he thanked me, and I wished him well. I would love to say that this is something I did before all of “this.” That would be a lie. My kindness had more limits before the virus. I’m noticing now that it’s expanding to encompass the needs presented before me. 💵

I am in a position of extreme privilege where I have an education and career that allows me to continue to make money during this global pandemic. Therefore, my last quarantine hack comes from a place where I have the capacity to give, where I know many are physically, financially, and emotionally tapped out. This is my disclaimer.

Quarantine Hack 5: Giving

Giving doesn’t have to be monetary. Many of my clients have huge hearts and have asked “What do I do about all the people in need?” Here’s a few ideas:

1. Looking for the natural opportunities: while donating is wonderful and worthwhile, it can sometimes feel impersonal. Looking for natural ways to give, like getting groceries delivered for a family member, or calling your elderly family who are more shut in.

2. Taking extra care: I’m enjoying the opportunity to mail things to others and including a nice handwritten note. Giving can simply be sending a card and writing an update about your life. I find this mode of communication so heartfelt. 

3. Time: how many of us have more time? How about giving some of ti to others? As we warm up for spring, who needs help with their yard? What can I give myself in way of quiet time or time just sitting under a tree?

Remember I still have CO-PAY FRIDAY in effect as a way to give back. 30-minute sessions for the price of a copay. Please email me or share with friends who you think are in need. Perhaps even gift someone a session? 

Quarantine Hacks: Laughter

Today was filled with meetings and client calls. I am feeling the collective tension of our joint isolation. I am also choosing to laugh.

Does this make you laugh? I hope so!!

Laughter is medicine, they say. Laughter heals, they say. And yet…I don’t remember having much of a sense of humor as a child. My younger sister was the clown of the family. My humor began to develop as a form of self-deprecation along with a hint of macabre. Definitely NSFW material as I’ve gotten older. 

Our sense of humor is great and diverse. Humor in the States is different than other countries. It is cultural, regional, and local. How can we use this universal emotion for our good during these times of uncertainty? 

1. Rely on familiar: What gives you a good belly laugh? What stand up comic gets you going every time? What meme account is your go-to for a good chuckle? Watch, visit, or listen to these sources regularly. 

2. Let yourself go all out: With so many of us in isolation, now is the time to let yourself laugh at the things that may make others cringe. With our senses being on high alert, being able to have freedom to laugh at our own humor style can be relieving and refreshing. 

3. Find the commonality in a laugh: I am learning to laugh at myself and the more universal ways we can connect. Watching my cousin’s baby feed himself yogurt? Funny and adorable. Seeing how my dog throws me her toy for fetch? Funny. Seeing myself trip on an imaginary bump on my floor? Priceless. 

When we use laughter as a healthy outlet, we can see the benefits of release. Laughing reduces tensions, massages our organs (ala Tiffany Haddish), and we can learn to reset from these moments of levity. Let’s all continue to laugh friends. We all need it, even in the midst of suffering, sadness, and confusion.