How does the first anniversary of Covid-19 affect you?

For some time now, I’ve been hearing people say things like,

“March has been one year long.”

“It’s been 50 weeks of isolation.”

“Facebook memories suck!  A year ago I was doing ________.”

We’re now at the first anniversary of restrictions to our daily activities as a result of Covid-19, and that is affecting the majority of us whether we realize it or not.

Anniversaries can have a profound effect on you in the best of times.  You celebrate first dateaversaries, wedding anniversaries, big trips that you have taken, and birthdays.  On the other hand, you might remember the day that a friendship ended, a loved one died, or a marriage ended.  Anniversaries help you remember people, places you’ve been and events that changed your life.

Covid-19 is no different.  It’s just not a very fun anniversary.

According to an article on the website www.theawarenesscentre.com, the term “anniversary effect” happens when you brain has stored painful, sad or traumatic memories that are easily accessed.  This access isn’t meant to continue to cause pain, but rather to remind you and warn you when similar dangers present themselves again.  They describe this as

“a collection of disturbing feelings, thoughts or memories that occur on or around a date that marks a significant event. You could be feeling sad, irritable, anxious, emotionally shutdown, or unable to sleep, and a quick glance at the calendar will help you to connect this emotional state to a traumatic event. It might be the birthday of a loved-one you have lost, the due date of a miscarried baby, or the day an assault or accident happened. As that date nears, bad memories start to resurface, and you will realise that you are experiencing the annual echo of a trauma.

Some psychology researchers think that the anniversary reaction should be listed as a symptom of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), because even though being reminded of difficult feelings around an anniversary is a very common and normal part of the grieving process it can be really distressing. Anniversary reactions are also a signal that you are not yet over the trauma of your experience, and need to process or work through your grief.

When you break down what a traumatic event as something that is

• Unexpected

• An event you can’t necessarily prepare for

• Overwhelming emotions

• Altering how you operate in life or change your perception of what you thought to be good or normal

Covid-19 can generally be categorized as a traumatic event in our collective lives.

You may be saying okay, so it’s trauma and it sucked and continues to suck because of the restrictions in place.  So now what?!

Here are some ways that we are managing our own grief and observance of the first Covid-19 anniversary here at Panorama Wellness Group.

1. Talk about it.  A lot of us have felt heavier emotions over the last few weeks as we have approached this anniversary.  Talking about it in our team meetings or between clients has helped us to know that we’re not alone in this.  It helps when you know that you aren’t grieving alone.

2. Give yourself space to feel the emotion.  This might be hard to identify or even to want to do right now.  This year has been a rollercoaster of emotions.  You’ve probably felt them all - fear, acceptance, anger, resentment, complacency, anxiety, depression - and none of them feel particularly positive.  And yet they’re all valid.  And if you can give them space and time to be felt, they’ll actually start to feel manageable.

3. Commemorate the anniversary.  It can be tempting to avoid thinking about the fact that it’s been a difficult year, and what you’ve lost.  When you directly address the loss and trauma you’ve experienced, you can release your feelings about it in a controlled way.  You could do this by planning a Covid funeral when the government allows us to go “back to normal”.  Planning a backyard get together with your safe six as the restrictions begin to lift.  Take time to acknowledge the losses you’ve survived this year, and allow mourning to take place.

4. Remember that this is temporary.  The reaction to anniversaries can be very strong, but knowing that it will pass in a week or two can help you have hope for coming out the other side of it feeling lighter.  As our days lengthen and our weather begins to improve, the isolating effect of Covid will begin to lighten as well.

As you reflect on the first anniversary of Covid-19, be gentle with yourself.  If you are experiencing the Anniversary Effect, take time to acknowledge how it’s showing up for you.  Take care of yourself and reach out to friends and family or a professional counsellor to help you navigate this time.

If you are interested in receiving services from those of us at Panorama Wellness Group, please feel free to contact us at info@panoramawellnessgroup.ca or 778-726-0550.

Lisa Catallo is the Owner/Director of Panorama Wellness Group and is passionate about helping you heal from traumatic events in your life.