Everyone has been enduring psychological struggle over the last 17 months.
Adversity brought on by living under and with a global pandemic has taken its toll.
We are familiar with some of the worse outcomes, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, associated with experiencing a shocking, scary, or dangerous event that elicits feelings of terror, as well as flight or fight stress responses. These responses continue when people are not in danger.
But less well known, are times when severe psychological threat precipitates growth stemming from experiences with intense fear, uncertainty, loss and powerlessness. Interestingly, it is possible to grow psychologically from and after experiencing hardship. This type of growth is called Post-Traumatic Growth.
There are five hallmarks of ongoing post-traumatic growth you might be able to identify in your own experience of the pandemic.
- Enhanced self-understanding.
We can, when having to face adversity, develop new and different understandings of ourselves. This might mean looking at oneself from a novel perspective. A client observed his introversion, which he had abhorred in the past was a godsend during the pandemic. He noted it was a powerful tool during lockdowns since he was able to weather social isolation. He used his ability to enjoy solitude and downtime to delve deeply into his interests to comfort himself and reduce anxiety.
- Obtain a new world view.
A post-traumatic growth outcome some are observing in themselves includes having a different take on the world than they had before. For example, a typically extremely career-focussed client found he highlighted work pre-Covid. During the pandemic, he discovered another side to himself. Working from home was trying yet made for some extraordinarily happy times with his children. He decided to find ways to stay re-engaged with his kids as he engaged with his work community.
- Envision a different future.
Another sign of post-traumatic growth includes finding oneself re-imagining one’s future. This does not have to be a grand re-design but can signal a new sensibility emerging from having endured psychological difficulty. A client noted she realized friendship was a gift. She observed how much focussing on being a great friend had been a source of personal comfort during the restrictions. When thinking about how she wanted to live post-Covid, she found newfound purpose by continuing to be an even better friend once Covid lifted.
- Gain a better understanding of how to live one’s life.
Some experience small epiphanies as part of coming through hardship. The option to ask the question: How do I want to live my life post-Covid, can net important answers.
One client who was between-jobs when Covid hit, found herself questioning how she had lived her life. Her arduous soul-searching netted a change in perspective.
She decided to add a question to her decision-making process regarding work and family. She began to ask: How much of what I consider, when making decisions and choices, is dependent on what I think other people want from me and how much is about what I want?
The question helped her determine what was important to her prior to factoring in others needs and desires.
- Reconsidering one’s beliefs.
Our belief systems come up for analysis when undergoing post-traumatic growth. Trauma, upset, anxiety, fear and chronic uncertainty can take a toll. These experiences often up-end previously held beliefs about the world, our selves and how things “should be”. Growth is occurring when we find ourselves re-thinking some key beliefs.
A high achieving business leader discovered she had an unconscious belief about time: It is weak to need down-time for self care.
The pandemic severely challenged this cherished belief. She observed guiding her business, safeguarding staff mental health and meeting financial targets during Covid, had left her exhausted in a way she had never encountered before.
She shifted her belief system away from seeing down time for self care as a sign of weakness, to recognizing the need to take time as a sign of personal strength and competency. Knowing when enough was enough became a sign of wisdom not a character-flaw.
No one size fits all when grappling with serious psychological hardship. While responses can run the gamut, being aware Post Traumatic Growth can occur and is a distinct possibility as we take the next steps in our collective Covid recovery is key.
Dr. Jennifer Newman is a registered psychologist and director of Newman Psychological and Consulting Services Ltd., a Vancouver-based corporate development company. Identifying information in cases cited has been changed to protect confidentiality. Dr. Newman can be contacted at: info@drjennifernewman.com