Okay, so, another 3 weeks... Let’s talk about it. About where we are now. This bit, this is a different psychological phase. We’ve passed through the initial shock of finding ourselves in a global pandemic. We’ve built some kind of new normal, uncomfortable though it may be.
The psychological struggle in this phase is a different one. But it is a struggle. We are re-evaluating what we have, who we are, how we function.
Whenever our beliefs about the world change, it is tough. A challenge, both cognitively and emotionally. We thought we knew how the world worked. Suddenly we have to navigate our way through a world that looks entirely different.
In this phase, it’s common to feel exhausted, burnt out. Remember, your brain is still working very hard to process all this. That is inherently tiring.
And that sense that we can’t handle this, that we are losing control, are falling apart, all those thoughts can be just as threatening to us as threats that come from the outside, as the virus itself.
We may feel tearful, disbelieving, pine for the way things were. We may feel guilty that we are better off than others, that we aren’t grateful for our lot. We may feel angry. How could this have happened to us? Why didn’t someone stop it?
We may feel disillusioned, hopeless. Like this will never end, that life will never go back to normal. When a community has lived through what we have lived through, research shows that it’s really common to feel like this. And this too shall pass.
While the jury is still out as to what we need to do, how best we can survive this and remain psychologically healthy, evidence suggests that active coping, that is, taking steps to practically change your situation, helps the most.
We can’t do anything to change where we are. All we can do is endure. But we can do something about our day to day. We can get out of bed. We can get dressed. We can have a routine. We can eat at set times and sleep at set times.
Small steps, but steps that allow us some control in this uncontrollable situation. We can communicate with those who bring us joy. We can seek out films and books and music that bring us comfort. We can play Animal Crossing (seriously...I love those weird little dinks!)
We all want to know what comes next. We all want answers. We can’t get them right now. But we can survive this.
Hang in there!
Hang in there!
