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COVID blues are…well…they’re a thing. Pandemic fatigue. COVID fatigue. Quarantine and isolation fatigue. A year ago at this time we just didn’t have these word combinations in our vocabulary. So, we’re wondering: How are you doing? Are you ok? Thriving? ‘Tired of being asked how you’re doing?
If you are in distress and need support, click here for help.
Too hot, too cold, and just right
How you’re interacting with (even the idea of) COVID blues has so much to do with so.many.things.
I’m a recently almost-divorced woman with grown children. My space and my time are my own.
Side note: as I write that sentence (completely coincidentally) the Good Lovelies song, “Free” is chortling in the background. “I keep my lid on tightly…I dress the part and smile…but something’s stirrin’ underneath…It’s been brewin’ there awhile…I’m free…free as a bird…I’m free…free as a bird…”
Which is to say, the pandemic has been a gentle experience for me. So far. I’m not a newly home-schooling parent. I didn’t have a rush of adult children move back home. Working from home was my normal, so that wasn’t an adjustment. And I’m healthy. Tending fastidiously to sanitizers and face masking is the extent of my easily isolated life.
I fit into a teeny tiny percentage of the world’s population right now. So many have extreme experiences of pandemic life. Extreme boredom. Exponentially increased work loads. Exposure. Risk. Isolation and loneliness. It’s pretty rare to have a sweet spot in the middle of it all like I’m experiencing.
Is it normal to feel this way?
And I am exhausted. Like just.so.tired.
Can you relate? COVID blues may be a complication on top of many other of your life’s difficulties. Or, if you’re lucky, your experience is one of relative safety, health, and good company.
Regardless, you are as disrupted as ever you’ve been.
We hear big, scary language like, “global crisis,” and “human crisis.” Which is to say, this thing that’s affecting the whole wide world is also interrupting you. Me. The dog. The dog is probably going to come out of this in the best shape.
It is normal for us to feel the effects of something of this scope — and to feel them however we feel them.
I’ve scoured the internet for help…
…and nothing is making a difference.
Does this ring true? You’ve reached out for support. Yoga is now part of your previously un-bend-y life. You’re part of a mindfulness and meditation community. You’ve taught yourself how to play guitar, streamed all of Netflix, called your mom, and taken a stab at writing poetry.
You’ve done it. And eaten all of the creative meals you can stir up while doing all of the done-it.
Despite your best efforts, COVID blues is harshing your lockdown vibe.
And that is okay.
It doesn’t feel okay.
But it is okay.
Because these are uncharted experiences for all of us. We can’t rely on media to report with complete accuracy. Not because media is inherently flawed, but because this is all new. Falling back on history to give us the scope of what is happening and what will become of us isn’t an option either. This is a first in more ways than it’s not.
It’s (probably) going to be just fine
We are facing into the unknown. The “Thar Be Dragons” portion of the map. We do not have to figure this out. Like you’ve read everywhereelseontheworldwideweb, we do need to take of our bodies, our minds, and our hearts. But we do not need to feel badly about…well…about feeling badly. We are having mysteriously disproportionate feelings of despair, anxiety, exhaustion.
Notice the feeling. Give it a name. Acknowledge that it’s arrived, uninvited, to dinner and give it space at the table. Give it enough attention that it knows you’re paying attention…and then let it get up and leave.
You are not flawed. You are in crisis. In the middle of your very own tiny part of something enormous.
If you’d like a little serotonin boost
Canadian charities are continuing to attend to the mental health and felt needs of our most vulnerable friends and loved ones. That’s where we – and you – come in:
Reaching out to care for others is one way to put some breath back in your lungs. That’s what we’re here for. Step 1: connect with us (that, right there, will be a little bright spot in your day). Step 2: our tow agent will connect with you (more human interaction for the win). And lastly, Step 3: do good for a cause that you love. A little bit of self-care; a whole lot of Goodness.
