Developing resilience amid the Covid-19 crisis: How to handle stress during lockdown

As New Zealand continues through week two of its lockdown, many are feeling the effects of the stress Covid-19 has brought about.

At a time when businesses are failing and people are losing jobs, emotions may not be on an even keel.

TVNZ 1's Sunday spoke to psychologist Sarb Johal who said the reality of Covid-19 will be affecting many people.

“A lot of it’s going to be anxiety as we see the case numbers rise,” he says.

“Even me just going to the supermarket, I’m going to have to think about how I get there, is it public transport or not?

"When I get there, there’s lots and lots of other people who are also doing the same thing, so I'm going to have to keep myself safe. And then when I get home, I’m going to be thinking about what I’m going to do with the shopping and what do I do with myself,” he says.

“All these little decisions that we used to do without thinking about just a few weeks ago, we are now having to think about all these decisions in minute detail.”

He says this is called moral fatigue - where people are feeling tired and weighed down from the extra mental load we are carrying. 

Watch the video above for the full story.