Coronovirus - The Anxiety

COPING WITH THE MENTAL IMPACT AND UNCERTAINTY OF CORONOVIRUS / COVID 19

Most of us have been touched in some way by the pandemic, we have either lost a job, a business or sadly a loved one, we may have also lost the future we had planned or have to contemplate a different future for our children.

Generation C are those who have had their education interrupted and generation C are anxious, witnessing the disorganised attempts by those who we looked to for authority has shaken their trust in the world.

Confronted by an invisible danger, a threat that affects parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, employers and employees, it’s not just about trying to manage social distancing, the whole fabric of our society has been disrupted, if you believe in a god; your faith will be tested, if you are just wanting to meet some new people, find a partner or get a hook-up, its all changed and its not for the better.

For many anxiety will be inevitable, depression is possible and financial hardship looms. We look at people in the street, on the bus or train as potential infectors of the virus, our ability to just go about our business has been ruptured, a level of fear has entered our society as we wonder just who else has got it.

Our faith in just being who we are, fulfilling ambitions, enjoying leisure, a meet-up with friends, going to our workplace, all of this has shifted together as PPE has entered everyday vocabulary.

We have not yet witnessed the anger that will emanate from the fear, a swell of injustice must rise from so many thwarted ambitions, failed businesses and potentially living in debt in a debt-ridden, arrogant and isolationist country in a fearful world.

Anxiety is inevitable, depression is possible and financial hardship inevitable, the; contrast between rich and poor will widen and the millennial dream of a better, greener world become unaffordable.

The long lasting effects of the pandemic are yet to be imagined, it's not just a cancelled wedding or holiday, an interrupted education, being furloughed for 3/6 months or made redundant, it’s the uncertainty which will linger, the trust in things being the way we thought they would be, the belief that the world is safe, that’s what has changed.

The effect is different for everyone of us, just as we are individuals so will the impact differ, it will be different depending on your life stage, your sense of loss, your place in society, your very personal feelings of fear and anxiety.

It is not surprising that we may be questioning what we want for ourselves and those we love in this life, trying to see the next step forward and worrying if it’s the right one to take, we don’t want to make mistakes in an uncertain world, we want to be sure of who we are and what we want.

To make those decisions we need to prioritise, see clearly, recognise our values and dreams, learn to live flexibly and see opportunities; challenge the old order and see the new normal.

The new normal for counselling and psychotherapy is acknowledging that this pandemic has raised so many questions, tilted the world on its axis in so many ways for so many people and, the need to work holistically to address every aspect of the clients world is increasingly important as is the ability to work on-line and develop the empathic working relationship online rather than face to face.

Privacy and confidentiality remain of utmost importance, I can guarantee to deliver this and, if it is problematic for the client; recommend working from your car or a quiet room or even on the move whilst walking.

I am working at pandemic prices (£40 per hour, £60 for couples ), which will stay in place until I can provide a safe face to face service, and, if you are from the emergency services there will be no charge at all.

Stay safe.