If you or someone you care about is a frontline worker and you give everything you have to your job, there’s a good chance you’ve suffered some form of trauma since Covid started.  You may not realize it, but there are signs that you have been affected and being aware of those is one of the first steps towards getting over them. 

Frontline Workers Suffer the Brunt of Covid-19 Effects

If you have to go into the workplace every day to interact with the public, you’ve probably seen how upset and agitated people can be these days.  If you work in retail, you can see how rude and downright hostile they can be at times when someone tells them they need to wear a mask.  If you work in healthcare, you’ve seen how sick they can get with Covid and may have even held their hand while they were dying and their families couldn’t even be with them.  Frontline workers have direct contact with people when so many live in relative isolation, and this increases the chances you’ve experienced some type of trauma.  

Signs of Frontline Worker Trauma

These range from the apparently mild to major, but are all signs of potential trauma regardless:

1. Feeling shocked, surprised, or disbelief at something that happened to you or that you witnessed.  When this happens people often wind up feeling numb because of what happened, but underneath it is some feeling of the resulting trauma.

2. Feeling frozen in reaction to an event.  When this happens, you are not able to fight or flee.  You just stand there in such instances, which may be the only thing you can do at the time.  A customer may go off on you and all you can do is watch, but you’ve probably been traumatized all the same.

3. You tend to think about the event long after it’s over, and it may even keep you from sleeping at night.

4. Trouble sleeping can happen whether you’re going over and over an event in your mind or not, but it tends to be chronic.

5. You may think about quitting your job to avoid dealing with a particular situation that has shaken you up before that you feel is likely or certain to occur.

6. Irritability or anger can flare up for seemingly no reason at all, or because of some minor thing that doesn’t seem to be all that bad upon later reflection.  

How to Cope with Signs of Frontline Worker Trauma

Identifying these as signs of trauma is an important first step towards getting rid of them.  If you have friends or family you can talk with about these, that is also an essential part of recovering from them as well.  The temptation to isolate yourself and self-medicate for some people is practically unlimited, so talking to others and not just picking up and using can be very important.  Finding some way to regularly and systematically relax is extremely important as well.  Some of these include deep breathing, meditation, yoga, exercise.  They can at times seem tremendously difficult to engage in, and reaching for alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs can be like a reflex.  The problem is that no substance can get rid of trauma, they can only postpone dealing with it.  Professional help can also be tremendously important in overcoming trauma, but the inclination to just ‘grin and bear it’ can be your natural inclination, as well as to throw yourself into your work.  That is something to work against because unless you are able to take care of yourself, you can’t be of help to anyone else.

How I Can Help If You’re a Frontline Worker

I have been helping people overcome the effects of trauma for my entire career as a clinical social worker, and I work with frontline workers in my practice as a therapist.  I utilize several methods for helping people overcome trauma, including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). If you think you may need or want help in identifying and getting past trauma in your life or work, I encourage you to call me at the number at the top of this page or fill out the inquiry form below to take the first step to putting trauma behind you and being as happy and healthy as you can at this most challenging time in our country and our world.  I offer a free 20-minute phone consultation if you would like to find out whether or not I can help you in your situation.  In any case, I do encourage you to seek out the help that will allow you, those who care about you, and those who depend on you to all rise above the challenges we face in these difficult times.

Visit our specialty page on trauma therapy to learn more about how Scott can help you with trauma.  

About the author:  Scott Kampschaefer, LCSW is a private practice therapist in Frederick, Maryland.  He has an extensive background in working with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder at a clinic for older adults with these disorders in Austin.  He now works with adults and adolescents 14 and up in private practice. His new book is entitled The 5 Pillars of Addiction Recovery and is available for purchase on Amazon and in paperback on this website.