A YEAR IN LOCKDOWN = U.S. “STRESS” PANDEMIC

On 11 March, marking just about one year since the lockdowns began in the U.S., the American Psychological Association (APA) published its “Stress in America” poll. The results show a particularly dangerous rise in weight gain and alcoholism.
The Harris Poll taken for the APA reveals:
“A majority of adults (61%) experienced undesired weight changes – weight gain or loss – since the pandemic started, with 42% reporting they gained more weight than they intended.
Of those gaining weight, they gained an average of 29 pounds… and 10% said they gained more than 50 pounds…. Such changes come with significant health risks, including higher vulnerability to serious illness from the coronavirus.
For the 18% of Americans who said they lost more weight than they wanted to, the average amount of weight lost was 26 pounds.
Adults also reported unwanted changes in sleep and increased alcohol consumption. Two in 3 (67%) said they have been sleeping more or less than desired since the pandemic started. Nearly 1 in 4 adults (23%) reported drinking more alcohol to cope with their stress.”
Commenting on alarming stress caused by the extended lockdowns, Dr. Arthur C. Evans, Jr., chief executive of the APA, stated,
“We’ve been concerned throughout this pandemic about the level of prolonged stress, exacerbated by the grief, trauma and isolation that Americans are experiencing. This survey reveals a secondary crisis that is likely to have persistent, serious mental and physical health consequences for years to come.”
The APA reports that those who’ve suffered the most have been parents with children under 18. As bad as the mental health decline numbers are for adults in general (about 30 percent), almost half of all mothers whose children have not been allowed back into classrooms suffered mental health issues.
And more than half of fathers, according to the poll, gained weight and have increased alcohol consumption to deal with the increased stress.
Additional data revealed by the Harris Poll:
“The majority of essential workers (54%), such as health care workers and people who work in law enforcement said they have relied on a lot of unhealthy habits to get through the pandemic.
3 in 4 (75%) said they could have used more emotional support than they received since the pandemic began. Essential workers were more than twice as likely as adults who are not essential workers to have received treatment from a mental health professional.
Hispanic adults were most likely to report undesired changes to sleep (78% Hispanic vs. 76% Black, 63% white and 61% Asian), physical activity levels (87% Hispanic vs. 84% Black, 81% Asian and 79% white) and weight (71% Hispanic vs. 64% Black, 58% white and 54% Asian).
Since the pandemic began. Black Americans were most likely to report feelings of concern about the future. More than half said they do not feel comfortable going back to living life like they used to before the pandemic and that they feel uneasy about adjusting to in-person interaction once the pandemic ends.”
Vaccines Offer Little Confidence
While the mainstream media continues to pump up vaccinations as the solution to the pandemic, this poll shows:
“Overall, Americans are hesitant about the future, regardless of vaccination status. Just about 50 percent responding said they were not confident they would adjust well to being close to people again even when the coronavirus loses its strength. Adults who got the shots were equally despondent about the future as those who haven’t.”
TREND FORECAST: With each new year, during what used to be called the “Flu season” – before the COVID War began and the flu disappeared from the face of the earth – the politicians, media, and Big Pharma will be pumping the “Next Wave” of COVID Fear, selling the public on the need to get vaccinated and re-vaccinated.
Thus, there will still be large segments of the population afraid to resume a standard of living that existed before the COVID War was launched in March 2020. As a result, the economy will continue to steadily contract, pushing the world further into the “Greatest Depression.”