Coping with Quarantine
Have you been noticing feelings of general irritability, anger, or sadness? Have you been feeling overwhelmed with emotion or, on the contrary, numb to your feelings? Whatever you are feeling, it is ok to feel it. You are not alone and it will not last forever.
Because of COVID, we are experiencing something new and strange right now. There is a lot of change and a lot of uncertainty which expectedly will create a great deal of distress for most of us. In addition to fears about the health of ourselves and our loved ones, many people are experiencing financial distress coupled with change in routine. Social distancing creates space to spend a lot more time with those we live with and a lot less time with classmates or coworkers who bring necessary balance to our lives. In addition, many events that we looked forward to are being canceled. It is no wonder that we may feel we are losing control.
Although we have never experienced a pandemic before, many of us have experienced unexpected loss. In many ways, we are grieving and coping with a crisis at the same time. We may notice that our normal coping skills are not working or just are not available. I am reminded of my work with incarcerated men who found themselves unable to access many of their normal coping skills due to being isolated from family and social gatherings. Although many of my inmate patients felt hopeless at one point, once we were able to get creative and access their resiliency, they were often able to grieve and feel better. So…
Get creative. Utilize your strengths in new and interesting ways. Pull out that clarinet from middle school and have a backyard concert for your dog. Find a box of crayons and play pictionary with your roommate. Have a skype hangout with your friends in the garage after the kids go to sleep. Make art. Write poetry. Connect to people who you love over whatever medium you have available. And, most importantly, allow yourself to grieve. I recommend book-ending your day with positives and allowing those uncomfortable feelings to flow in between.
If you would like some support and encouragement through these difficult times myself and my colleagues are here to offer that. We have availability for telehealth sessions for individuals, families, couples, and groups. I look forward to virtually meeting you soon.
Be Well.