Using Mind-Body Medicine to Reduce the Long-Term Health Impacts of COVID-Specific Chronic Stress.

Mental health continues to be a rising concern for the global population during the COVID-19 pandemic (1, 2). Addressing these issues requires us to consider the COVID-19 pandemic as a major, global and chronic life-stressor. Stresses related to the pandemic include the risk/fear of getting infected; social isolation; lack of schooling for children; potential for increased interpersonal conflict (domestic violence/trauma), and job/income loss (1, 2). While exact numbers are difficult to come by, early evidence suggests that the global COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in acute stress, along with a corollary increase in anxiety and depression across multiple countries and populations studied (1, 3–5). However, these stressors have already lasted for almost a year and may continue as lockdowns continue to be enforced worldwide, thus making them chronic rather than acute in nature. Moreover, despite the advent of vaccines, public health experts, such as Dr. Fauci (head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infection Disease) suggested a return to normality might only occur at the end of 2021 in the US. Viewing the effects of COVID-19 pandemic as a chronic stressor is important for two reasons: (1) it suggests that the long-term effect of pandemic-related stress may be a worsening of both chronic physical and mental health, both of which are well-documented related to the impacts of chronic stress (6–8). (2) It suggests that specific, practical, affordable, and globally implementable strategies shown to help with chronic stress can be utilized.