In response to a Daily Maverick survey on how readers were surviving Stage 6 load shedding when it was implemented on 18 September, readers shared that rolling blackouts were taking a mounting toll on their mental health.

After a brief respite from rolling blackouts over the weekend, the power utility announced on Sunday that Stage 2 load shedding would resume from 4pm to midnight from Monday to Wednesday.

The responses from many readers to a Daily Maverick survey highlighted the heavy toll increased blackouts this year are taking on the mental and emotional health of South Africans. Many say they are enduring depression and anxiety.

“The chopping and changing of outage times and the extended periods of power cuts play havoc on people’s mental health,” noted one respondent. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Load shedding is adding to the anxiety, depression and mental health toll among South Africans”

Another Daily Maverick reader described the rolling blackouts as “one of the most frustrating and depressing things [they’re] going through at the moment.”

“My thoughts of this country are at an all-time low. I wish I was young enough to start over elsewhere,” continued the reader.

Another respondent said: “Eskom has made me depressed because I am helpless and at their mercy and I can’t even sue them. They’re playing with my income and I’m paying the price for their mess-up.”

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Many readers said the blackouts were disrupting their business operations and contributing to feelings of anxiety and frustration.

“Most of my work is online. [It] is a daily struggle. I am worried, anxious and getting demotivated,” said one reader.

Teachers said they were struggling to mark examination papers in dim light, and students said they were frustrated because they couldn’t use the internet and were unable to meet their assignment deadlines.

“It is a very frustrating period in my working life. I am unable to mark Grade 12 Preparatory Exams scripts at night because of poor light. I am very worried that I will not meet the deadline for submission as expected by the Department of Basic Education,” explained another reader.

Daily Maverick has previously published articles on responses from our readers about their rolling blackout experiences. Read here and here.

Stress and anxiety

Dr Alicia Porter, a psychiatrist and a member of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (Sasop), told Daily Maverick the rolling blackouts contributed to feelings of stress and anxiety: 

“Because it is something that is out of our control… It’s often at short notice, it’s erratic — so it does disturb our daily structure and, for lots of people, it also impacts financially.”

Porter said because Covid-19 shifted many businesses into the online and remote working environment, people’s work operations were disrupted when blackouts happened.  

“The disruptions are difficult to predict, and because it’s difficult to predict, it does increase a sense of helplessness and hopelessness which then contributes to the overall feeling of stress and distress,” she said. 

How to cope

Porter said it was normal for people to experience frustration, anxiety and outrage over the energy crisis. Speaking to Daily Maverick about how to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety which may arise during extended blackouts, Porter said it was important to take control of what you could.

“We can control our response to load shedding, and we can also make sure we look at our load shedding schedules and adjust accordingly,” said Porter, who warned that complaining about the situation could lead to more frustration and stress.

At the same time, “it is also important to acknowledge the impact” rolling blackouts were having on you, she said.

“The one thing that we have as South Africans is resilience, and we shouldn’t forget that we are resilient,” said Porter. “In spite of adversity, we are able to overcome — whether we’re using humour or finding other ways of utilising our time when power outages occur.”

“We can either fight it or we can lean into the discomfort and rise above it.” DM