Pandemic anger, ‘panger’, is a real mental health concern. Expert suggests 4 steps to deal with your emotions

The coronavirus pandemic has left many people feeling angry, frustrated and anxious, a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist says, as he offers 4 steps to deal with ‘panger’

Patrick Bigaouette suggests slowing down and observing your emotions – it will help create space between your anger and what you do about it

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The coronavirus pandemic has made many of us agitated. Pandemic anger, or “panger”, is real, researhers say. A psychiatrist suggests ways to cope. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15pm, 27 Jun 2022

Are we out of the woods with Covid-19? Have we reached the endemic stage? Should we adopt the mindset that the virus is just a part of our lives now and carry on as usual?

Many people are walking around with more questions than answers as new variants of the coronavirus emerge and case counts continue to fluctuate. Without a definitive answer as to what the next phase of the pandemic will look like, mental fatigue has set in for many during this Covid limbo – as has anxiety, depression and persistent anger.

“It’s been well over two years since the start of the pandemic, and of course people are frustrated and anxious,” says Dr Patrick Bigaouette, a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic Health System in the US state of Minnesota.

“When Covid-19 case counts tick back up, people are naturally nervous about whether it’s OK to go to a movie, send their child to school, or the possibility of increased Covid-related public policies. The recurrent feeling of anxiety can be mentally fatiguing.”

Patrick Bigaouette is a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic Health System in the US.

Research has shown an increase in frustration, agitation and anger throughout the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Pandemic anger, or “panger”, is a real mental health concern many people are dealing with.