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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been reported in terms of deaths, hospitalizations, infections and prolonged illness. The United States lost over 1 million of her lives. The world number is 6.7 million. Experts say these numbers are underestimated. But that’s not all. History reveals that large-scale traumatic events have long-lasting effects. Collective trauma is experienced by people who share an event or geography, such as war or epidemic.
COVID-19 is unique in that it shares global suffering and no one is spared. Three realities stand out for him:
First, COVID is an ‘invisible’ enemy, forcing isolation and exhaustion. Anyone can carry the virus, forcing people to think about avoidance, fostering massive paranoia.
Second, in previous global crises, people came together to reinvigorate their shared strength. We struggled with the duality of solidarity and separation, safety and freedom, trust and risk, happiness and safety.
Third, even those who say “I’m fine” know the world isn’t that way — the pandemic has wreaked havoc.
- Suicide among young men and people of color is on the rise, the number of people diagnosed with depression has doubled, and feelings of loneliness are on the rise.
- Domestic violence is on the rise, as is violent crime.
- Weight gain is on the rise across the board, and so is insomnia, a force almost as devastating as obesity.
- Bankruptcies are on the rise.
- The standardized test scores of students are clearly declining.
- Life expectancy is three years shorter worldwide.
- Alcoholism, including heavy drinking and associated liver dysfunction, increased by 21%.
The list goes on. No scientific model has been published, but it seems that more people will succumb to the collateral damage of COVID than the virus itself. This amounts to a physical and mental health disaster unparalleled in history.
The chilling truth is that we are traumatized. Effects of trauma include stress, burnout, fear, isolation, anxiety, loss of trust, intimacy problems, social disillusionment, and social disconnection. This collective trauma has tangible consequences such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), anacritic depression, relationship ambivalence, and dysregulation.
The fear of COVID-19 is palpable. With a life-threatening virus raging through his two-and-a-half years, the ensuing hypervigilance strains even the most psychologically conditioned people. GAD is a state of excessive worry. It leads to persistent anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, insomnia, and a chronic weakening of the immune system. GAD is primarily treated with medication and therapy, but this anxiety can become chronic.
Because, according to research, anxiety is an “existential emotion,” generated by threats to our existence that are difficult to pinpoint. Long-term high levels of anxiety and stress can lead to more serious complications, such as depression and a weakened immune system.
Some trauma-inducing life events blind us and leave us without time to prepare or respond. But COVID has crept up on us and hasn’t quite gone. Anxiety is a predictable response and an innate and necessary defense mechanism for survival.
Since March 2020, the collateral damage of “anacratic depression” has had disturbing consequences. Anacritic depression is “involving excessive interpersonal relationships, including feelings of loneliness, weakness, powerlessness, and fear of abandonment”. It’s especially bad for children who may have lost touch with all the friends they’ve ever known. I experienced a deep fear of being cut off. This has led to uncertainties that affect our relationships, be they spouses, co-workers, or friends, causing relationship ambivalence such as being stuck, frozen, trapped, or dysregulated.
Where do you go from here? Thankfully, we have good advice. After extensive intervention by veterans, the concept of “post-traumatic growth” was invented. It is “the positive change an individual experiences as a result of struggling with a traumatic event.” A major consequence of post-traumatic growth is an altered sense of oneself. A changed philosophy of life. And changes in the sense of relationships with others.
Those who heal and grow need to feel the pain of the traumatic situations they have experienced. Between trauma and growing up he has two truths. One is cliché (but true): it is from the depth of our suffering that our growth manifests. This is the reality.
In ancient mythology, the first step in exorcising a possessor is to “name the demon.” Identifying the devil weakens its power over us. Even if you’re named, the devil can drag you down a quagmire or force you to make a fresh start. How you think about yourself and your life is important to better approach your career and relationships. Decide if COVID trauma will enable or disable you, and you can take action.
We have an opportunity to reflect on how COVID has consumed our lives. Ideally, it acts as a giant reset button that allows us to better ourselves. In the words of Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who survived four Nazi concentration camps: To borrow, “Live as if you had done it wrong the first time, as if you had lived again.”
First, recognize and acknowledge the stress that has built up in the trauma. This is the process of identifying social, cognitive and emotional impacts. Acceptance follows and is truly built on recognition but stripped of condemnation. To accept something is to accept it as a fact that requires action, but without feeling guilty for bringing it about. There is, but no one chose COVID.
What exactly has hurt your best self during the pandemic? It’s not always obvious right away. That’s why you dive deeper. We nurture our bodies after physical trauma, so why not nurture ourselves after mental trials?
COVID has exhausted us all, eroding important social relationships and personal aspirations. There was a curfew. We avoided friends and family. We gathered at our home office. We have seen our loved ones struggle. When the mental, psychological, physical, social, occupational, and familial experiences add up, they equate to pervasive collective trauma. Healing doesn’t have to be a lonely journey. For collective healing, we must denounce trauma in society, and employers must acknowledge it and support healing.
Organizations need to have the patience and policies necessary to deal with it. A good performer three years ago may have lost its edge, but humans adapt quickly. Just as we’ve adapted to masking and quarantine, we’ve adapted to surviving in a changed world and striving to become a better version of ourselves. .
James R. BaileyPh.D., is Professor of Leadership Development at the George Washington University Business School and a Fellow of the Center for Management Development at the London Business School.
Scheherazade RehmanPh.D., is Director of the Center for European Union Studies, Professor of International Finance/Business and Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Anthony Szilard, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Leadership, Director of the Center for Sustainable Leadership at the Lewis Business School in Rome and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership at Polytechnic Institute of Monterrey. he also Global Leadership Institute and president social leadership center.
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