How to deal with stress and anxiety in times of crisis

Against the stress

Why resilience is so important in times of crisis

Fear of war, economic crises, home office: the current world situation is a constant psychological strain and causes stress and uncertainty. Mental resilience plays an important role.

Times of crisis are a constant psychological burden. Fear of political escalations, uncertainties in the professional situation and family challenges push many people to their limits. But there are ways to get through difficult situations unscathed. How can resilience – i.e. the ability to survive difficult life situations without lasting impairment – ​​be strengthened?

The living situation during the peak phase of the corona pandemic was accompanied by many fears and uncertainties. The many deaths and isolation placed an enormous burden on many people. In the fall of 2024, corona cases will increase again, the war in Ukraine and the Middle East conflict will escalate into terror and death. Political events in Germany and the USA are currently unfolding. Many people feel powerless and under great mental strain.

“In particular, the feeling of being unable to do anything, of being helpless, is almost unbearable for many people,” explains Dr. Andreas Hagemann, medical director of the private clinics specializing in psychosomatics in Duisburg, Eschweiler and Merbeck. “Continuous stress promotes insecurities, moods and fears, which can lead to or worsen mental illnesses.”

The situation was made more difficult during the pandemic by the reduction in social contacts. Getting together, socializing, sharing, sharing: all of this has been greatly minimized by the contact restrictions. And when you met other people, at a distance, you were worried: “Am I infecting someone? Will someone infect me?” The images of those affected by Covid-19 in intensive care units are burned into our memories.

“Reducing important social contacts to a minimum promotes depressive moods. Because humans are and remain social creatures,” says the specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy.

“This dilemma of having to choose between perceived infection and anticipated loss of existence is difficult for many people to bear. This increases stress levels. It is therefore to be feared that these impairments will lead to an increase in psychological complaints such as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders or depression becomes.”

Resilient people feel less helpless in crisis situations and react with a greater sense of self-efficacy. This means that they have a certain personal conviction that they can get through a difficult situation well. But how do you manage to stay strong in such an exceptional situation and strengthen your own resistance?

The seven pillars of resilience:

1. Optimism: Adopt a positive attitude.
2. Acceptance: Accept things as they are.
3. Solution Orientation: Focus on solutions and less on the problems.
4. Give up the victim role: take action. Take the design into your own hands.
5. Take personal responsibility: Take control of your life.
6. Create relationships: Cultivate relationships with people who mean something to you and who give you strength – even if it's digital.
7. Planning for the future: Look forward more often than back.

According to Hagemann, there is no one reliable panacea for strengthening one's own resilience. Here everyone has to listen to themselves and their own needs.

“It is definitely helpful to try to rationally understand what the acute danger is, instead of letting yourself be guided by fears and emotions. Specifically, you can ask yourself: What is the point of wanting to change something that cannot be changed? It's not much Better to invest this energy in something more meaningful?” advises the psychiatrist.

To strengthen your own resilience, it is important to feel active and effective. Having the feeling of designing something yourself and having it in your hands, being able to have a positive influence on your everyday life and actively doing things that give you strength.

Passivity, on the other hand, weakens your own resilience. The more passive you are, the more the feeling of helplessness and being at the mercy increases. Think about what is important to you – and what creative ways there are to implement this as far as possible, even in exceptional situations and times of crisis.

“Instead of burying your head in the sand and seeing the current isolation as an undesirable coercive measure, it's much more beneficial to look for meaningful tasks and be creative,” advises Hagemann. The digital world offers many opportunities for exchange. Concentrate what you can do to make yourself feel safer.