I think I can safely say that I’m speaking for the majority when I say that everyone is feeling a bit crap! Two years, it’s been two years, two years in our lives that none of us were expecting or prepared for and now it seems not only was it COVID-19, 20, 21 but likely to be Covid 2022!
This blog post is not all about doom and gloom it’s about the reality, the fact that I’m speaking to people daily who are on their knees, who are struggling. It’s not just the front line workers who are finding this increasingly tough and believe me I wouldn’t swap places with them, but it seems each individual person has their own struggle and their own challenges right now and it’s getting harder and harder to keep going with any sense of optimism.
Do you plan things? If we plan things, should we be prepared to change the plans or cancel the plans? Is it worth having things to look forward to? Is it worse to have things to look forward to when you then have to cancel? These are conversations I’m having with my clients on a daily basis along with many others about how to keep going through this pandemic.
I’ve talked about Covid fatigue before, it’s a thing… we are all feeling fatigued, worn down, energy less. I appreciate that there are people out there who have made amazing things happen during this pandemic who feel motivated and energised and have achieved some quite remarkable things, but it goes without saying they too have been touched by what’s been going on around them in varying ways, how could you not be?
So here’s the thing, we have got a way to go yet and as much as we wish this were all over it quite clearly isn’t so we have to find a way through, a way to cope, a way to manage and a way to keep focused on the light at the end of the tunnel because believe me it is there, it might seem a very dim and distant but it is there!
I have been making list of the things that bring me joy and they can be the smallest things – the moments of joy, watching the sunrise walking the dog eating a delicious mince pie with extra thick double cream reading a good book chatting to a friend on the phone. All of these things bring me moments of joy and right now I’m hanging onto those moments.
If it feels a real struggle right now to find the joy, consciously sitting there and writing down things that give you those moments really does focus the mind it helps us to go out and look for any joy we can possibly find and believe me that’s really important right now.
What gives you joy? What things big or small give you that moment of escapism that moment that makes you smile, that moment that helps you reconnect with who you are and reminds you that there are good things going on in the world? We have to find the balance we need to find the way through.
Have the hot chocolate with the marshmallows and whipped cream, watch the tv programme that makes you laugh out loud, listen to the music that uplifts you. Turn off the social media, limit your intake of the news, spend time with people that add something to your day, avoid those that don’t. This is not a time to feel guilty about self-care, this is not a time to feel guilty for making choices that protect your mental health, say no to the things that cause you additional stress and anxiety, say yes to the things that remind you of the good things in life.
Finally, if you are really struggling, please ask for help – it is out there, no-one will judge you for not coping right now, you are important, your mental health is important, there are people that can help and support you.
We will get through this, we will all find a way. Focus on the joy……….
