Facing the pandemic has had many consequences in the life of each person. Many changes have hit many in different ways. All of this can lea...
To prevent these from damaging severely, it is essential to take into account the following points:
1 You are not in a crisis
Crises have a learning curve in the face of change, and a new normal. In these current events, normality does not come, it becomes the state of life. This makes it difficult to cope and use resources.
It is very confusing to know what decisions to make if you should keep thinking that things will go back to the way they were before, or if this is the new normal, or if there is an uncertain future to prepare for. There is no clear definition of what is coming.
2 Duels
All these days have meant losses. Loss of routine, spaces, schedules, and even for some, the loss of jobs, loved ones, school stages. When it is something explicit, it is evident that it is a duel, but for the rest, it is something so unclear, that it is not easy to assume that it is going through there.
You may even feel ridiculous - or be judged ridiculous - for feeling like you've lost something. However, the feeling of loss and sadness is real. Naming it helps; to be able to assume that you are grieving, and therefore go through similar or equal stages. And even if you are in a suspended duel, (which refers to when you cannot recover the body of the person who left) it will be more difficult to get out. Assume your grief, and start by naming what you have lost, perhaps mourning it.
3 Name the fear
Our body naturally reacts to uncertainty with fear. And fear has important organic implications, such as the segregation of certain substances that alter our entire body function (one of the reasons why many people have gained weight).
In addition to this, you have been - and will continue - on the alert. This also causes insomnia, little rest, and excruciating exhaustion, as you are always with your whole body in a “reacts to danger” mode that is, but is not visible and concrete.
Name your fear. Express it, acknowledge it, and give it place and form. Discussing it with others can help you both in sharing it and in finding solutions that others have discovered.
4 Changes and how to deal with them
It is clear that everything is changing. The way we move outside, how to introduce elements inside our home, the way we interact, even the way we work. Many borders of space and territory erased, and many things disturbed at the same time that must be attended to immediately.
Maybe less income, maybe more demand for your home. Everything changed in the blink of an eye, and adapting is difficult, especially for those who struggle with change. It requires all your creativity, your effort, to solve these new multiple situations. Begin to realize what things are changing, what costs you more work, and what you urgently need to rearrange so that you feel an approach to normality.
5 Need for contact
One of the characteristics of this stage is isolation, not being able to see people with whom you lived on a day-to-day basis. Not even seeing your relatives, the people you love. Or if you see them, without being able to hug them, without being able to relate to closeness and normality.
Given this, it is quite strong how your psyche can go into a voracious hunger for contact. For this, it is important that you can detect:
a) With whom you recharge
Find with whom you can recharge your energy. Your peers, or those who are older than you, like your parents, grandparents. Find a way to lean on them, be it emotionally and even materially. It is important that you continue in communication, and that you can detect that there are people who can help you, you are not a superhero, there are others who can collaborate.
b) Who do you take care of
To be able to sustain, contain those who depend on you. Especially if they are minors. For example, your children, or maybe students. It is important that you can draw strength from those who recharge you to be able to sustain those who touch you. If you don't, you may find yourself lacking the strength to do so, or you may find yourself surprised that minors are holding you up. And, the problem with this is that these minors can end up being seriously affected if they do not find someone to lean on.
6 The loss of hope
Inevitably, this current situation raises existential questions that we cannot avoid. Being able to face them and move to find answers will be essential to continue facing this reality. These questions can break you down, maybe it's time to get back on the path of your spirituality.
Look for answers that may have always been there but that you stopped paying attention. What is the meaning of your existence, and of everything that your being expresses? From there, recover the hope that allows you to face reality from a much more authentic and lasting internal strength.
This will also strengthen your psyche.
7 Seek professional help
If you have serious difficulties in this new reality, do not forget that there is always the option of going to the professionals who can accompany you in the search for answers. It is important to do it before the damage can be much stronger, and affect more people around you.
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