Trauma and Grief

Aside from boredom or loneliness, you may be experiencing trauma and/or grief during the pandemic in response to death or sickness and situations in the 'outside world' at work, school, or elsewhere. First, let's define these terms.

What is trauma? Trauma can be defined differently depending on context, but for our sake let's define trauma as an event that occurs in someone's life that can be seen as physically and/or emotionally damaging and also includes the response to the event in which people often lose the ability to cope and leads to physical and psychological effects. These effects may be flash backs, nightmares, racing heart, memory loss, anxiety, and more. A traumatic event be something like watching someone unexpectedly die or being a victim of violence. We might not feel that the COVID-19 pandemic is applicable, but the pandemic does have qualities that may define it as a traumatic event as it makes us feel unsafe, out of control, or doomed in a sense due to the imminent health concerns. In response, we can experience a physical and emotional toll in our lives.

What is grief? Grief is mourning the loss of someone which often is a negative emotional experience. Grief does not have to be a death though we may have experienced death during the pandmic. It can also be a something like a loss of a friendship, relationship, or even a job, which may have been a consequence to the restrictions of the pandemic for example. What ever the loss may be, grief can be a very emotional struggle. We may experience a range of emotions, such as anger, sadness, or guilt, and also may lead to crying, social isolation, or trouble thinking.