Changes in your emotional and mental health are common in long COVID. Dealing with long COVID can be stressful, especially when symptoms last a long time. It is common to have feelings of stress, anxiety (worry, fear) or depression (low mood, sadness, hopelessness).

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Your mood can also be affected by feelings of frustration or grief about not being able to return to work or the daily activities that are important to you. You may experience a sense of loss around the changes in your health or sense of identity. 

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In an emergency or crisis (if everything becomes too much and too hard to bear):

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If you or a loved one is at risk of harming themselves or others, please speak with someone immediately:

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• Call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency room if you are afraid of hurting yourself or someone else, or if no other options are available.

• Call or text 9-8-8 from anywhere in Canada to reach the national suicide crisis line.

• Call 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) if you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide.

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How Long COVID affects the nervous system

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Long COVID can cause dysregulation in your autonomic nervous system. This means that your body likely spends more time in the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) versus the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Having a dysregulated nervous system can mean an increase in emotional symptoms such as depression and anxiety.  

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Managing stress, feelings, and supporting your emotional and mental wellness are an important part of your recovery and can help you spend more time in the parasympathetic nervous system. It’s important to know that many symptoms of long COVID are linked -- an improvement in one area (such as sleep) can lead to an improvement in another area (such as fatigue, low mood).