BACKGROUND The recent pandemic of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, has had financial and social repercussions apart from its consequences to the physical and mental health of humans. OBJECTIVE The aim of this work was to study the way of the self-management of stress and fear which has been caused by the pandemic crisis, as well as the impact of the pandemic on daily living. More specifically, the factors which influenced the management of the symptoms of fear, either in a positive or in a negative way, were studied, and also the ways individuals and their families use to manage fear. METHODS The method which was used was the case study of an adult female who lives and works in a Greek town, during the third curfew, in March 2021. The tool which was used for data collection was the semi-structured interview, by utilizing a questionnaire consisting of 10 open-ended questions. Before the start of the interview, a signed informed consent form was obtained. The questions were divided into three topic areas, with the first concerning the demonstration of stress before the pandemic broke out, the second concerning the fear during the pandemic, and the third dealing with the ways of managing fear, the availability of persons capable of helping, as well as the kind of help she could have sought to cope with this situation. RESULTS The results of this study showed the impact of the curfew restrictions for the management of the pandemic on the daily lives of the people who experience them. Before the start of the pandemic, stress was primarily related to work and to the need of maintaining a routine. Public fear intensified during the pandemic and the lockdown, both in relation to work and in relation to the pandemic itself, and also in relation to its effects on work and social life, and certainly on physical and mental health. Her stress affected the rest of her family members; however, her social network proved to be a significant support. CONCLUSIONS Stress and fear increased during the pandemic and the lockdown which was imposed in Greece in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This stress, which prior to the pandemic was focused mainly on work-related issues, spread to other areas of daily life, a fact that affected all the family members. Discussions and support from the husband, and also from the wider circle of family and friends, helped deal with and manage the situation which was caused by the pandemic, due to the special living conditions which were in force.

Mindfulness-based interventions have increasingly gained the interest of health professionals in the last decade, especially practices that are short, economical, easily accessible, and physically, cognitively, and psychologically compelling. Nurses of Emergency Departments are a special, dynamic, but at the same time vulnerable group of health professionals who work in shifts and face multiple challenges. Considering the recent literature and the fact that stress and a hostile work environment are the top ranked health professionals’ challenges, there is a need for a further study of the use of mindfulness. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the application of mindfulness on nurses in the Emergency Department on several factors related to daily nursing practice and that directly affect these specific health professionals. This experimental study was performed on 14 participating nurses in the Emergency Department of a Public General Hospital in Athens, randomized into two groups: a control and an intervention group. The data collection tools were two digital smart devices, participatory observation, and semi-structured interviews. By practicing mindfulness meditation, the participating nurses in the intervention group showed improvement in their cognitive functions (attention, thinking, memory, concentration), professional interpersonal relationships, personal satisfaction and communication with patients and caregivers, sleep rate, negative emotions, and behaviors. The findings suggest that the application of mindfulness practices should be considered an easy, affordable, economical, accessible, and effective method that nurses can use to strengthen and empower themselves, enjoying its multiple benefits. The effectiveness of the application of mindfulness remains an important issue for future research in other health professionals as well.