As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds, many of us are feeling the strain on our mental health. Some people feel anxiety about getting laid off; others have to continue to work at grocery stores and delivery companies, or perform other essential services, sometimes without the protections they need to stay safe. Families are trying to balance caregiving with remote work. We all worry about someone we love getting sick or about getting sick ourselves. There’s also the sudden instability of it all, as the pandemic upends global systems that many took for granted. Meanwhile, the social distancing measures we are taking to slow the spread of the disease have meant weeks of confinement, which brings its own anxieties.
In our concern for the physical risks of this pandemic, it is easy to overlook the mental health burden many of us feel. We may even be inclined to minimize our anxiety, thinking that, compared with what Covid-19 can do to our bodies, its effect on our minds is a lesser concern.
Read the full piece on Harvard Business Review.
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