COVID-19 is changing our brains and making some of us rethink our lives, experts say

There's a collective comedown we experience at this time of year, when the festivities and holidays of Christmas, the new year and Australia Day are over.

But it's not just the post-holiday blues we're contending with, amid COVID-19. We're also trying to resume normal routines in a world that hasn't been normal for some time.

That feeling of malaise you might be noticing is a sign of something very particular happening in your brain.

"Essentially our brains have lived through two years of extreme threat and anxiety", says Susan Rossell, a professor of cognitive neuropsychology at Melbourne's Swinburne University of Technology.

"When we experience a threat, stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol are increased substantially to enable us to be vigilant. Those stress hormones have stayed high for two years, causing anxiety."

The need for physical interaction

In February 2020, COVID-19 didn't even have a name yet. Border closures were unthinkable, and we were free to enjoy the simple pleasures most generations have taken for granted: to dance, sing, show and receive affection, or just be together.

There is a tonic for the hormonal rollercoaster we've endured since. It comes in the form of human interactions that supply us with those feelings of love, trust, pleasure, motivation and desire.

Perversely, these very interactions have not only had to be scaled back at times, they've also become a source of anxiety for some.

If you're wondering why your video-chats with friends don't quite hit the spot, Professor Rossell says they are no substitute for the real thing.

"We do need that physical contact with other human beings."