It’s OK not to feel OK

This is a strange time for all of us. It’s likely that we are all staring at some kind of screen each day more than ever before. A lot of that time is maintaining or searching for human connections in places like YouTube. COVID-19 has brought more anxiety, depression, grief, and loss even if you haven’t actually lost someone to the virus. Our time has been stolen by an unseen thief and we are exhausted and mourning that loss.

The first thing to remember is not to judge yourself by how you are feeling or spending your time based on what others are doing. Do what feels comforting to you. Maybe you just want to watch movies and tune out the world; maybe you just want to eat chocolate, or maybe you just want to sit on your porch and watch the world go by. Everyone copes to stressful circumstances differently and there is no one right way to do it. We are all going through this together for the first time in our lives, and it’s important to remember that everyone in the world is going through the same thing with differing circumstances and in their own way.

It’s OK not to feel OK right now and just doing your best to get through this pandemic. Instead of setting unrealistic goals, practice taking care of yourself. If there is one glimmer of hope during this time it is that we have the opportunity to take time to appreciate what we have and understand how much of our lives are dependent on others whom we often overlook, and how we are all connected to a global human community.