I am grieving the loss of normal with Corona Virus. I know I am vacillating between stages of grief. How are you responding?
Grief is unique to individuals, it could help explain why we are seeing so many different ways each of us is handling it. We are all moving in and out of these fluid stages in ways we can’t necessarily explain.
Here are some ways I am grieving the loss of normal with Corona Virus and how each stage might show up in our thinking and actions.
Denial – an attitude of denial or “invincibility “has many people continuing life as normally as possible and going shopping, gathering with friends and traveling. Not paying close attention to those directives from state and federal authorities and heeding the increasingly restrictive recommendations. I began saying “85% of us will have mild symptoms, why do we need to take drastic measures?” or people saying we are “over reacting”
Anger – This often involves blame, criticism, fear, shaming .. there is a LOT of that happening!!!!
Bargaining – We start to want to follow some of the guidelines but not all of them
Depression – This is where isolation has it dangers. Ask for support, set up times to connect, talk to others. We are all in this together!
Acceptance –this is when we begin hearing about those truly affected by the virus – job loss, no paychecks for the foreseeable future – that, even more than dwindling toilet paper supply, finally starts to hit home. This is where I am seeking the blessings, seeing the kindness and caring and finding calm in the chaos and knowing that this too shall pass if we all knuckle down and follow the CDC and WHO guidelines.
I actually have this belief “Staying home while we figure out how this global emergency plays out means I am looking at this pandemic outside myself and seeing the greater good I can be part of”
Where are you on this journey? I would love to hear your experience. I hope these words help your process.
CLICK HERE for my previous blog on how to boost your immune system at this time
