The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly been an oppressive and ubiquitous presence in our lives. However, do you realize that we have a secondary pandemic which is not in the news each day but is creating as much havoc as the viral pandemic? It is called STRESS, or more specifically, Pandemic Stress, and it inflames the viral pandemic tenfold.

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Stress: The Hidden Pandemic within the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly been an oppressive and ubiquitous presence in our lives.
However, do you realize that we have a secondary pandemic which is not in the news each day but is
creating as much havoc as the viral pandemic? It is called STRESS, or more specifically, Pandemic
Stress, and it inflames the viral pandemic tenfold. Each day, we hear about getting infected when
someone coughs, sneezes, or just talks and sprays saliva droplets. We have listened to endless reports
on viral spread and the behaviors to counteract it: wear a mask, wash your hands, don’t touch your
face, don’t shake hands, don’t hug, stay 6 feet away from other people, or, just stay away from all
people except the ones with whom you live. Pandemic Stress is exacerbated by constantly hearing all of
the ways in which you can catch the virus and by having to live in a constricted “pod” to lessen your
chances of catching the virus. Pandemic Stress is made worse by cabin fever, and a realization that life
most likely will not return to what we had known previous to the pandemic.
We had become accustomed to a comfortable lifestyle, watching sporting events, going out to dinner,
meeting people for a drink after work, debriefing at the watercooler, and sending our kids off to school.
All of the viral restrictions that caused the changes in our comfortable life style have led to acute stress,
not only for individuals, but also families, communities, states, and our nation. We need to be a nation of
people who are mentally and physically strong to combat the viral and stress pandemics.
Pandemic Stress
Stress is a cognitive, emotional, and physiological response to a situation in which we are stuck and are
unable to fight. Our entire nation is in a collective and continual upheaval, with each and all of us pointing
fingers: saying I am right, you are wrong and we are stuck. We find ourselves in a complicated situation
and our negative thoughts are driving us mentally, emotionally, and physically toward more stress. Are
you ready to break the cycle of mental stress individually which will change our community of stress,
reverse the negative thinking, and become resilient? Recovery for a nation starts with each individual
as we try to return to a previous state of individual and national mental, physical, and emotional health.
History teaches that most will recover in due time. No matter how difficult the time, we need to look
toward the future with hope, knowing science and truth, and we ourselves will save us. We have all
been asking how long, but the answer is perhaps not long now as science will give us an answer to
mitigate the Covid Pandemic – but what about mitigation to our own personal Stress Pandemic? That,
we need to do individually, with some of the tips listed below, or, if needed, with the help of a Mental
Health Professional. Just as the vaccine will eventually help the body rid itself of Covid, a professional
may help you rid your mind of Covid stress.
Individually, we need to strive for personal Resilience, which reflects the ability to maintain a state of
stable equilibrium and fosters development of positive outcomes beyond recovery. Resilience exists
when people develop psychological and behavioral capabilities that allow them to remain calm during a
crisis or time of chaos and move on from the incident without long-term negative consequences.

2. 733 Washington Road • Suite 402 • Pittsburgh, PA 15228 • 412-344-2277
• Email rex@rexgatto.com • Website www.rexgatto.com
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“We shall not cease from exploration. And at the end of all our exploring, Will be to arrive
where we started, And know the place for the first time.” Little Gidding by T.S Eliot
Ways to Lessen Pandemic Stress
There are ways to combat Pandemic Stress. The series of questions below can help to identify your
thoughts that create expectations and can lead to lessened stress. Address the questions below weekly
in writing to ascertain if your expectations are realistic or creating unwarranted stress. Write your
responses so you will be able to review changes in your responses.
What are your answers to the following questions?
 Are my expectations for self, family, community and nation realistic and based on truth?
 Are my expectations about our American society realistic and based on truth?
 Am I doing something constructive for myself, community and nation?
 What is my plan to lessen my stress?
 Am I feeling hopeless? Why?
 Am I more positive or negative in my thinking?
 Am I a positive support for others?
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go
through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength”. Mahatma Gandhi
Below are some ways to create tension discharge or lessen stress. Focus on the positive outcomes for
yourself, family and friends, and dwell on the positive. Just as we realize that if we follow the virus
mandates we increase our ability to stay healthy so too with the suggestions below.
Try to exercise each day by moving not sitting. Most of us were used to going to work, walking from
the bus or the garage to the office. We walked around the office, talking to others, and may have gone
out to lunch each day. Now, we sit in front of the screen all day.
Walk around the house, go up and down the steps, give your physical abilities a workout. Be safe but
walk or exercise to your own personal abilities. Take time for yourself and get off the clock. Read or
listen to your favorite music and relax. Try to meditate: breath deeply and count your breaths while
mentally picturing or daydreaming about your favorite places, poem or phrase. What the research
indicates is that people working from home are putting in more work hours.
These are difficult times, but don’t get stuck in your pandemic stress: reach out to others in a positive
and constructive manner to begin your healing process. Set times to talk via: phone, face to face or on
the Internet. Set up a friends’ zoom each week – connect!
These times are a perfect storm of pandemic negatives: economic decline, civil unrest, political change,
closure of businesses and schools and uncertainty as to what the future holds.

3. 733 Washington Road • Suite 402 • Pittsburgh, PA 15228 • 412-344-2277
• Email rex@rexgatto.com • Website www.rexgatto.com
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Pandemic Stress is real and not easy to deal with, and is just as severe and problematic as the virus.
Eventually, this will become part of our past - make it the part where you survived, you thrived, and you
made a positive difference. We are hoping for a vaccination for the virus. Create your own vaccination
for your pandemic stress through self-care, attending to and attuning to the abilities already within you. It
is your choice - make it happen.