Holy sh** guys! This is not news or a hot take, but ohhh-weee life feels pretty chaotic right now. Not just fear around the virus itself, but also how you're going to get through the quarantine, how it will impact you financially, what will it do to our country and the world!?!
There are a lot of posts and blogs out there about things to do to stay busy. Great ideas for crafts and work outs to do and shows to binge and home projects to keep you busy. And that is great. We can’t just sit around and worry. We need some structure and distraction.
But if you JUST stay busy, I predict you will explode or implode at some point. Maybe you get panic attacks or find that you need to drink or you pick fights with family or on the internet or at the grocery store.
And why will that happen!?! Because distraction and busy-ness don't address the real issue. The real problem isn’t boredom; the real issue is fear and grief... fear of the current situation and an unpredictable future and grief over a sense of normalcy and predictability. Those feelings are real and valid and need to be named and acknowledged and validated and processed and extracted.
Just distracting would be like if you had cavity and went to the dentist and all they did was give you a shot of Novocain and sent you home. Bonkers, right!?! What needs to happen is to go into that tooth get that stuff out. If you're squeamish like me, that sounds terrible, and admittedly is more uncomfortable in the moment (just like observing and describing and feeling fear and grief). But in the end, it's so important so it doesn't get worse.
So, while I'm not going to knock any Netflixing, working out, organizing your closet, breathing exercises or whatever some other blogs have recommended, I AM going to suggest that BEFORE you do all that stuff, you take a minute to check in, and feel your feels, and know that they are normal and that you're not alone.
If you are struggling and having a hard time coping with the fear and uncertainty, we are here to help! Although our offices are closed, we are offering virtual sessions so we can help those who are in need. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health when it comes to isolation like this. Please reach out if you have questions about our virtual sessions and how we can help you cope.
Hang in there everyone! Xx - Erika