Psychologists talk about Surge Capacity. We get a surge of energy in response to a crisis, like Covid. We find ways to cope and adapt. The trouble is, this crisis is going on a long time. With no end in sight. Adrenaline has run out, creative response run dry. We have no more surge. No more capacity. We feel depleted.
Add to this, what psychologists call, Ambigous Loss. We are experiencing loss - loss of meeting friends, family, hugs, loss of routine, loss of doing things we did, loss of holidays, loss of income, loss of security, loss of freedom, loss of sport, loss of church, loss of a loved one... Some of our loss is ambiguous - there are no solutions. It's ambiguous. We feel sad.
Add to this Indefinite Anxiety. Anxiety about the virus, anxiety about the future, anxiety about your job, anxiety about winter, anxiety about your mum...it goes on...We feel anxious.
This is a potent cocktail of emotions. No wonder many of us are feeling low, depressed, unmotivated, exhausted. We are struggling. We feel sad.
And it is normal during periods of prolonged stress.
So what now? Is there hope? How do we recover? How do we develop resilience? That comes next...
(With help from Ann Maston, Tara Haelle & Pauline Boss)
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