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UW-GU webinar experts offer strategies for pandemic-induced stresses

A man wears a face mask as he walks on Pier 45 in Hudson River Park in New York on April 30, 2020. The pandemic has taken a harsh toll on the mental health of young Americans, according to a new poll that finds adults younger than 35 are especially likely to report negative feelings or experience physical or emotional symptoms associated with stress and anxiety. (Mark Lennihan/Associated Press)
By Treva Lind treval@spokesman.com(509) 459-5439

A free webinar will offer tips for recognizing and coping with stress in daily life and what’s heightened by the cumulative effects of the pandemic.

The Next Generation Medicine Lecture Webinar on “Stressed and Depressed: The Effects of COVID-19 on Mental Health” is scheduled at 6 p.m. Thursday. It’s offered through the University of Washington-Gonzaga University Health Partnership.

The webinar will include Paula Nurius, professor in the UW Department of Social Work, and Megan Kennedy, director of the UW Resilience Lab. After their presentation, they’ll be joined by panelist Dr. Amy Burns, ambulatory associate program director for Spokane Psychiatry Residency.

Burns will add local insights to the conversation.

The session will go over how stress and related mental health struggles are of growing concern. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a sudden and rending effect on well-being. Research on the effects of the pandemic on college and university students will be used to illustrate a “stress framework” to understand normal stressors alongside those raised by the pandemic.

The speakers will discuss the ways in which our mind and body interact when stressed, the disparities among those most affected and interventions to foster resilience and increase the ability to cope in multiple ways considering the cumulative effects of the pandemic in daily lives.

The webinar is open to everyone at no cost. Register at uwmedicine.org/nextgenmed.