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It’s fair to say that the whole world is currently experiencing turmoil to at least some extent with very few places – or people – being exempt, however, in South Africa aggravating factors like loadshedding, high unemployment and spiralling crime are driving already high stress levels to an intolerable level.
“Not only are the stressors we’ve been experiencing in South Africa in recent years already on the extreme side of the stress scale, we’ve also navigated 18 months of pandemic fears and restrictions only to emerge from that to find all the pre-existing stressors have not only increased, there is no sign of relief any time soon,” says Yael Geffen, CEO of Lew Geffen Sothebys International Realty and a staunch advocate for mental health awareness.
“As a result, South Africans are not only having to cope and live with high levels of stress on a daily basis, but also, increasingly, growing anger which is only adding fuel to the already glowing fire.”
Geffen says that it’s clear that frustration is mounting and it’s starting to manifest in very noticeable ways in our everyday lives.
“Twice recently, when I’ve been driving during loadshedding and traffic lights weren’t working, the growing rage was very evident – people were impatient, some cursing and swearing at one another and some even to the point of recklessness.
“And this spike in collective negative emotions spilling over to dictate our actions is very concerning because if we aren’t careful, anger can turn into rage which can very often have serious repercussions.
“And, more seriously, it can easily precipitate mental health issues like depression and a sense of helplessness which all affect one’s ability to cope on a daily basis.”
In March 2022, the WHO reported that worldwide, anxiety and depression increased by 25% and Geffen says it’s no surprise that anxiety is now the number one mental health concern people face and that an estimated 275 million people worldwide suffer from serious anxiety disorders.
So, in the face of these seemingly insurmountable challenges, how does one start off a new year with anything other than bleak pessimism? How do we safeguard our mental health by feeling more in control of our lives and less angry, frustrated and despondent?
Geffen says that there are a number of thigs we can do to ease our stress and help us to cope better:
- Remind yourself that you are not in this alone – It’s important to remember that you are not the only one in this situation – we are all in it together and most of us are experiencing the same challenges and inconveniences. It will help you feel more tolerant of others and also to be kinder to others – and that will help to defuse your own anger and frustration.
- Try to limit your exposure to the news – Watching, reading or listening to the news compulsively will only fuel your anxiety. Once you’ve caught up on the main news events over your morning coffee, try to switch off and focus on other things.
- Try to be in the present – With the current state of affairs, it’s impossible not to worry about the future. However, if you can focus on the here and take it one day at a time, you will start to appreciate (and enjoy) all the good things that are in your life rather than expend energy on negative emotions and worrying about things that may never happen.
- Acceptance is necessary to ease anxiety – This is not to say you should just accept whatever happens to you, but it is needed on some level to process the anger we feel towards things that are beyond our control otherwise we will always feel like no matter what we do, it will be futile. Change what you can and accept what you can’t change.
- Take control – Don’t allow yourself to feel that you are merely at the mercy of all that is happening. Make sure you are properly prepared for loadshedding to limit your inconvenience and frustrations, by investing in energy features and keeping an eye on the loadshedding schedule so you aren’t caught unawares half-way through cooking dinner.
If you drive a lot for work, plan your route where possible to avoid outages where delays and even road rage can occur – and high crime areas where car-jacking is common.
- Try to be a part of your community and help – Although it sometimes doesn’t feel like it, many people are worse off than you are and if you can make a difference in their lives, it will not only help them immeasurably, it will also go a long way to easing your anxiety about your own situation.
- Self-care – Resilience is much like a battery in that it needs to be recharged. And the best way to do this by taking care of the fundamentals such as sufficient sleep, nutrition and exercise. You are of no use to yourself or others if you do not take care of your mental and physical wellbeing.
Finally, Geffen reminds us that when the adults in a home are stressed and angry, it invariably filters down to the children.
“When we can’t control these emotions, it gets displaced and creates instability for everyone, especially children and teens who aren’t yet equipped to deal with such issues of such gravity – and should not have to be burdened with them.”
“As Dieter F. Uchtdorf once said, it’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop,” concludes Geffen, “and at the end of the day our response to any given situation is all that we can really control.”