Life will never be the same again. It came out of nowhere. Priorities have changed, things that used to be important are just not anymore. Maslow's hierarchy of needs comes into play here because we all have been forced to go back to the bottom of the pyramid where we need food and water and safety/predictability. It doesn't seem that important any more if I feel belonging or feel successful.
As a Therapist, it feels a bit as through the rug was pulled out from under me, because a world event like this brings us all to our knees, nobody is immune to the health risks or the anxiety. I'm being forced to look at life from a new angle and to be more vulnerable, not only with my clients, but with my children.
I used to be able to say that everything is going to be okay and believe it myself, I did try to shelter my kids as much as I could from the harsh realities of life, but I can't do that any longer. My goal for as long as I can remember is to feel better and to help others feel better too. That turned into healing from trauma. Now we must find a way to thrive during trauma.
We are looking at months at home. That doesn't scare me, I'm blessed to live with my kids. What scares me most is the possibility of running out of food/water and having the clinic/hospital be quite different than what we are used to depending on. Knowing that people in my circle may die is very sad. I am not afraid of death when it comes to me, but I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love.
How does one process something of this magnitude? I keep going through the stages of grief. Shock/denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. I see my kids going through them too, and everyone really. We've been thrown into a new way of life.
I feel gratitude and my heart goes out to the health care workers and their families. There are so many other people too, who find themselves stuck somewhere with people who are expressing toxic and dangerous behavior. People who are not with those they love and don't have access to communicate with them. I wish I could help them all.
It is a helpless feeling. How can I go from victim mode into survivor, or thriving? What does it mean to thrive? It means something different than it used to. We are all being forced to go inside literally and figuratively. How to be aware of our thoughts and redirect them, to appreciate the good we do have, to accept our new reality while doing what we can do to take care of us and those we love.
We are all in this together. What a journey.
For a free 1 hour Guided Meditation that I created last week to help ease the anxiety we are all facing, click here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7532482-easing-anxiety-guided-meditation
