09/05/2020
I wrote this post some weeks ago, and it never seemed like the right time to post it ... this crisis is a very personal experience, my clients and followers were experiencing all different aspects of the situation. Then out of the blue the South Wales Argus contacted me.... this is a summary of what I shared with Jon ...
COVID-19 … why am I feeling so disorganised?
Initially during the COVID-19 crisis people experienced feelings of separation, the foundations you have come to rely on fall away … ‘where is my life?’ Life as usual, business as usual is no more, a time of shock and denial for many.
With the initial shock over, we crossed a threshold into the unknown, a transitional phase, the start of which was marked by a sense of grief and loss. A time of uncertainty between what was, what is no longer and what is yet to be. Eventually, life will be reconfigured and reintegrated … but at the moment, we don’t know when or what that might look like. The process of an extended crisis is very similar to a rite of passage, a transformational or transitional change of one state of being to another such that things won’t be quite the same again.
If during this period we resist our feelings and suppress grief, such that it gets stuck in the body, we can end up with chronic stress, anxiety, sleep problems and or fatigue, increased aches and pains, digestive issues and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
During this crisis we have also experienced forced separation, from people, work, ‘normal’ life, and the uncertainty that brings. It will have made people acutely aware of the importance of human connection and community, the extended lockdown contributing to ongoing stress and separation anxiety. For some, this sense of loss may also have triggered old wounds and stirred unresolved emotions, with our own grief being compounded by hearing of others’ heart-breaking stories. This can contribute to nightmares and night terrors as our mind processes these emotions and extreme anxiety.
Sleep is a very personal thing, and lots of things can interfere with it. Our natural sleep pattern may be different from the one we have been programmed with in early life, so when something transformational or traumatic happens our programs may also get disrupted.
It’s worth remembering that we are feeling beings and it’s ok to grieve our losses. Many of the anxious feelings we have as adults are from times when our power was denied as a child, so it’s understandable that some people will feel helpless during this time when there is much still out of our direct control. However there is much that we can do, we can self-soothe, we have control over our reactions to what is happening by shifting our thinking, we have choice ~ that is our human free will.
We are able to create structure around our daily care, move your body when you can, follow a recipe to give structure to your eating. Some people are starting to get organised around a new way of life, making their own life more predictable again, finding creative ways to connect with others ... this agency over our inner world gives us trust in our self and can help to relieve stress and anxiety.
In time, the lived experience will bring opportunity for a different strength and resilience, and belief in our ability to recover from adversity ... supported by help from a professional or other trusted person if necessary.
Have you struggled with your sleeping pattern during the Covid-19 lockdown? Can't sleep or sleeping too much? Whatever the problem with your sleep,…
