After nearly a year of restrictions, I have recognized a significant increase in people acknowledging that they “feel low, without any reason”. They are feeling unmotivated, unexcited and generally down-hearted and blue. When we explore what fills us up, many talk about socializing, exploring new places, trying a new restaurant, visiting with family, attending a concert. For some, a quiet cup of tea and a good book is what fuels them, a walk around the neighbourhood, or an opportunity to work from home. The past year has forced many of us to slow down, turn inward and embrace our yin energy. At the beginning of the pandemic, many people reported feeling happier. They noted a better work/life balance. They reported more time spent with family. They spoke about opportunities to explore their own backyards and a chance to slow down. However, as the old saying goes, “too much of a good thing is still too much”. People long for balance. Many want the opportunity to work from home, but also to have a reason to get out of the house. A chance to spend time with family, while still having the chance to connect with friends, have time to themselves and meet new people. Time to explore nature around their communities while being able to escape to somewhere completely new for the weekend.
If you find that you are feeling low, down-hearted and blue, take a moment to recognize what you may be grieving. Grief is the normal process of reacting to a loss. Validating our own experiences of grief can be challenging as we often attribute grief only to the death of a loved one. Very differently from this, we experience grief in our every day lives. We grieve the opportunity to hug a friend, the fact that our children cannot play with other children, the chance to see extended family. We grieve independence, the ability to plan and the opportunity to get excited about the future. Also, unresolved grief can easily be brought to the surface by new experiences of grief. If you find yourself feeling angry, sad, regretful, or even persistently hopeful for the end of this period of time, I encourage you to pause, turn inward and reflect on what is that you may be grieving. Through acknowledging this sense of loss, we can validate our own experiences and put language to “why” we are feeling low.