When most everything feels so abnormal and foreign to us right now, it’s okay to feel it and at least to normalize the feelings. We’ve never been here before, collectively. The adrenaline of new information and new risk is wearing off as we settle into our shelter-in-place lifestyles. The novelty of using Zoom, Discord, FaceTime, and any video calling service is wearing off. And our bodies are finally starting to catch up with our racing minds.
For two or three weeks now, all we hear about, all we think about, maybe all we talk about is the coronavirus and what impact it will have on us. And our bodies didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for it. Personally, I’m experiencing greater levels of fatigue and sleepiness throughout my days than I ever have before in my former, office-working life. My body is teaching me what it’s like to mitigate risk by running marathons, not sprints.
So if you’re starting to feel the adrenaline buzz wear off, the novelty is just not so novel anymore, and you’re missing the old life, it’s normal to feel that. We all lost something, albeit temporarily, so abruptly that we went into fight-flight-freeze mode to get through the immediate danger, and now we’re realizing that the enemy moves much slower, but can run much longer too. We are feeling the adjustment as we shift into road trip mode instead of drag strip mode. Allow yourself all the grace you need and know that it’s normal.
We’ve never been here before. It’s totally normal to feel anxious and worried.
Some of us have never been homeschool parents. It’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed and stretched thin.
Some of us have never worked from home. It’s totally normal to struggle with focus and feel like your work and home are too close.
Some of us have never been without work. It’s totally normal to feel angry and afraid of how you will provide for yourself and family.
Some of us have never stayed in one place for so long. It’s totally normal to feel restless and confined.
Some of us have never been alone for so long. It’s totally normal to feel a need for human touch and affection.
It’s totally normal to feel exactly what you are feeling.
Yes, beloved, it’s totally normal and I hope you can rest in that. Thank your body for taking care of you so well.
Anakephalaiossathai. Grace and peace, my friends.
Stephen Henning Words 