Here they are:

C ontrol: Feeling like you don’t have enough control to achieve your goals.

Unpredictability : The situation is unpredictable.

New : The situation or an aspect of it is new, we are experiencing it for the first time.

Ego : The image I have of myself or that others have of me is threatened.

Adapt to manage better

To manage my stress well, I must develop the ability to adapt to the situation. When I adapt, the stress disappears.

Adapt can mean ➾ change the situation.

Adapt can mean ➾ accept the situation.

Adapting mainly means ➾ neutralize the threat perceived by our brain.

If I don't adapt, the stress will continue and its symptoms will continue to manifest.

The stress that results from my difficulty in adapting then becomes chronic stress. It is the exposure to chronic stress that will slowly siphon off physical, cognitive and emotional resources that lead to burnout.

When stress becomes chronic

Chronic stress causes us to react in several ways:

• I am angry (I am trying to regain control)

• I am depressed (I don't see any solutions)

• I am anxious (I try to control the future)

Why do I deal with chronic stress? Why am I unable to adapt?

– Due to individual vulnerability

– Due to organizational vulnerability

Chronic stress will have consequences on my emotions (anger, irritability), my behavior (alcohol, violence), my health (muscle pain, heart pain), my lifestyle habits (insomnia).

[TOOL] Do the COVID-19 exercise!

To get a good idea of where we stand in the current context, ask yourself three questions:

1. What are my current vulnerabilities, the dimensions of my life that are usually under control but which, at the moment, are causing me stress?

2. What do I decide to accept, in my current situation, to adapt?

3. What are the aspects of my current life (in times of COVID-19) for which I am grateful?

For each question, identify at least FIVE elements. These will then allow you to adjust your expectations of yourself and to clearly identify your reality, which will necessarily be different from that of your neighbor.

To help you, I'll give you the exercise I did for my situation:

1. My current vulnerabilities

☑︎ To do my job well, I need to meet my clients face-to-face.

☑︎ We are going to face significant financial losses at the clinic.

☑︎ I have three children at home who don't have school.

☑︎ My basement, including my office, was being renovated when the lockdown was announced.

☑︎ There are two of us at home working full time.

2. What I accept in these times of COVID-19

☑︎ I agree to work via teleconference, even though I don't like this way of working.

☑︎ We will certainly not make a profit during the crisis, but we hope to have enough cash to keep all our employees.

☑︎ I accept that I will perform less well than usual at home.

☑︎ I accept that my workspace is much less functional.

☑︎ I accept that children's screen time is more than it should be and that keeping up with their homework is very difficult.

3. I am grateful…

☑︎ To practice a profession that is always in demand in times of crisis.

☑︎ To be able to keep my business open virtually.

☑︎ To be able to maintain social contact with my children during this crisis.

☑︎ To have a property large enough to ensure the confidentiality of my meetings with my clients.

☑︎ That my partner and I were both able to keep our jobs.

▶︎ To consult a psychologist, you can request one directly here or contact the Sequoia Psychological Services secretariat directly at (514) 393-0013. You will be directed to a psychologist ready to help you.

Sequoia Psychological Services is a company made up of psychologists who are members of the Order of Psychologists of Quebec (OPQ) and who offer services to individuals and organizations.