SIOUX CITY — A freestanding wooden carving of the word “relax” sits on a shelf in Jon VanTuyl’s office at Family Wellness Associates in Sioux City.
Relaxing is easier said than done these days. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has just entered its third year, and the war in Ukraine, coupled with rising inflation and soaring gas prices have many Americans feeling stressed out and anxious.
“I know especially with the pandemic, around April 2020, when we really got locked down, I did notice a big rise when it comes to drug abuse and relapses,” said VanTuyl, who is a substance abuse counselor. “There were really not a lot places or people to talk to and connect with. Some people really haven’t gotten out of that.”
According to a survey conducted in March by the American Psychological Association and The Harris Poll, roughly 80% of American adults cited global uncertainty, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and potential retaliation from Russia to be significant sources of stress. Sixty-three percent of respondents said their lives have been forever changed by the pandemic, while 87% reported that the rise in prices of everyday items due to inflation is a significant source of stress for them.
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“Just a couple weeks ago, I had to take a couple mental health days for myself. It takes a lot out of you emotionally,” VanTuyl said of meeting with clients. “You go home at night and it’s like, ‘Did I just run a marathon?’ when I’ve just been sitting in the chair all day. But, you physically start to feel it. I had to take some time and really sit back and find self-care.”
VanTuyl said it’s difficult to encourage clients to do basic tasks, such as getting up in the morning and brushing their teeth, when they feel like they have no motivation.
“Every time they turn on the TV, with the war in Ukraine, it’s just negativity that they feel. Not only in their own lives, but in the world around them. Why venture out into it?” he said.
Images of violence and devastation are particularly disturbing to individuals who have experienced past trauma. VanTuyl said clients try to disconnect themselves from those images and thoughts, but end up disassociating from everything in their lives.
“‘This happened to me, I don’t want to feel that. Now, I see that consistently through my TV screen or on social media, I want to disassociate with that.’ But, it’s hard to just disassociate from one thing,” he explained. “When you disassociate from trauma that you have, you shut yourself off. When you shut yourself off, you shut yourself off to everything and everyone. So again, back to isolating. Back to not wanting to feel anything and that’s when I think a lot of the substance abuse comes in.”
VanTuyl said isolating oneself is a common reaction to stressful times. When friends and loved ones go quiet, he said it’s time to check in on them. Sometimes, he texts a simple greeting to a friend he hasn’t heard from in a while, “Good morning,” to jumpstart a conversation. VanTuyl said it’s not unusual for an individual who has been isolated for a few weeks to sound as they are the under the influence of substances, when they are not.
“They have no one to talk to. When they do get someone to listen to them, it comes out in not really a cohesive manner,” he said. “Everything that they’ve had in their head for the past three weeks is now coming out all over. It’s been very eye-opening lately with the isolation of individuals and trying to reconnect.”
Self-care is key to dealing with the stresses of life. VanTuyl said self-care looks different for everyone. He, for example, takes time out to play pickleball, a racket sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, or binge-watches a TV show. He said reaching out for help varies, too.
“Sometimes, it’s not about sharing. It’s about reaching out and say, ‘I want to talk.’ And it doesn’t have to be necessarily about what’s internally bothering you. It’s just about talking and connecting with someone and hearing your words get put out there,” he said.
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