HEALTH AND WELLNESS
FOCUS ON WELLNESS: STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEES’ MENTAL HEALTH IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD
Dr. Sandra Primiano, a Montreal-based psychologist at Homewood Health
Q: Is there any event that you can compare the pandemic to that can cause similar mental trauma? A: The pandemic has been characterized as a traumatic event, one that would be compared to a natural disaster. Much like a natural disaster, the pandemic has caused a dramatic change in lifestyle that’s been driven by prolonged fears. It has been very difficult to manage mentally.
periencing a greater level of anger due to the frustration of dealing with things like masks, gathering limits, isolation, restrict- ed activities and the inability to travel. Ordinarily, we have things to look forward to and anchor us, but a lot of people lost outlets that made them feel well — going to the gym, support of friends and family and normal socialization — and that can lead to sadness, anger, trouble sleeping, over- eating, binge drinking (more in men than women), doing drugs and smoking. Those things happen when people are languish- ing rather than thriving. Q: Many people have been working from home and are now heading back to workplaces. What can employers do
BY TODD LEWYS As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health is at the forefront, particularly with Canada’s workforce gradually transitioning back to offices from working at home. M ake no mistake: the pandemic has caused incalculable trauma to the psyches of workers across the country. Dr. Sandra Primiano, a Montreal-based psychologist at Homewood Health, took the time to talk about what has happened over the past two-plus years — and the strategies that employers will need to institute to begin the process of helping employees restore their mental health.
Q: What kind of effect has this prolonged stress had on people?
A: All the uncertainty of not knowing what’s going to happen — and all the constant adjusting and adapting — has been very stressful. The result has been a significant decline in well-being. Pre- pandemic, 68 per cent of people aged 15 and older said they had a good sense of well-being. That dropped to 54 per cent during the pandemic. Q: What are some of the signs of that reduced sense of well-being?
to help people start the process of recovering their mental health?
A: I think the first thing is to not pull back on mental health resources now that the pandemic is largely over. One good resource would be webinars in which qualified professionals could share information and educate people about mental health strategies. We need to show people what they can do to support themselves and how
A: Prolonged apathy, where people aren’t thriving but aren’t quite depressed. People have also been ex-
"We haven’t fully seen the effects of the pandemic yet. It’s going to take time for people to recover." – Dr. Sandra Primiano
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SUMMER 2022
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