New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo described the Covid-19 pandemic as "a trauma for this country," and compared it to war, in a press conference Wednesday.

"I don't know that we've even fully appreciated all of the effects of the trauma that we've gone through," Cuomo said. "There's going to be PTSD from Covid."

In the face of a traumatic event like the Covid-19 pandemic, it's common to feel intense flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, anger and fear.

While many people associate post-traumatic stress disorder with something like war, it's a chronic psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, such as a serious accident, terrorist attack or a physical assault.

After the SARS outbreak in 2003, both healthcare workers and people who were self-quarantined exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Covid-19 pandemic could have a similar effect, according to experts. Even if you aren't clinically diagnosed with PTSD, you may have a strong emotional reaction to the trauma of Covid-19 that can last long after an incident.

"When we think about traumatic events, it's not just what the event is, it's really your interpretation and what the event causes for you," Luana Marques, clinical psychologist and associate professor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, tells CNBC Make It.

For example, healthcare workers providing frontline services, as well as people who have lost loved ones or jobs due to the disease may be at greater risk for developing long-term difficulties. Those who struggle with other mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression, or who have a prior history of trauma, may be at increased risk of more ongoing distress.

Even if you aren't directly affected by Covid-19, the pandemic has been a significant stressor on everyone's lives, Alyssa Rheingold, clinical psychologist and professor at the Medical University of South Carolina who specializes in trauma, tells CNBC Make It. Indeed, there could be long-term consequences to the stress, anxiety, and fear that has overwhelmed the globe for months.

While it's impossible to predict what life will look like in the future, there are some things we can do in the present to "flatten the mental health wave," Marques says. Here's what experts say you should be aware of how to prevent future issues: