Do You Have The Corona Blues? You Are Not Alone.

In times where positive thinking seems to be the answer for every psychological and life challenge -and at the moment there are a few-, I see a lot of people, -also those who are in apparently safe situations-, struggle mentally in a way that, from the outside, doesn’t look like suffering at all, but certainly is.

We function, we do stuff, we know how to communicate, how to behave, how to make ourselves likeable. We come on time, deliver what is expected of us, share our best photos, answer the question “How are you?” with “Good, and you?”. We have ok days and nice evenings, or the other way around. We meet people or not. We smile friendly and sure, also certainly do have good times!

Yet, now and again, something is nagging at us, a small little crack inside. Something that is calling for attention, taking part of our energy. Maybe it is not all as good in us as it looks from the outside. We carry an emotion, a sadness, a wave of anger, a fear, a disappointment, a frustration, a tension, a worry, an emptiness, tiredness or whatever is weighing on our soul. Something isn’t working well.

How do we know? Our body is sending signals, our sleep is maybe unsettled, or our digestion, our weight, our vitality… We still do what we are supposed to do but.. we don’t focus as much as we usually do, don’t listen as much as we should, rush from one meeting to another without taking time to think in between, forget things, have more difficult conversations than usual, meetings feel longer than before… We push things, and still, our motivation, our inspiration, our actions are not at their best.

But we know how to control our emotions, we override them with positive affirmations or with loads of activities, with our sense of responsibility. We make stressful thoughts smaller than they are, or we ignore them. We know that some people have to face some challenges way bigger than ours. We should not complain. We push ourselves to smile to deal with what needs to be done and stay positive. We are busy with life. But it is not smooth anymore.

The discomfort is diffuse. We don’t always know what it is. Don’t always notice really what is going on. We see signs, feel the increasing discomfort of something that is coming and going, like emotional ghosts.

We miss the time before all this started. We miss so much of our previous life. We didn’t notice how much we lost in those last months until our emotions started to send us signs… Signs that we may need to slow down and look inside to acknowledge what we actually have been through. The strength we have taken for granted that needs recognition now, a pause to take care of our soul, and maybe our body. We don’t need more functioning but an emotional reset.

Can you relate to some of that? I can right now. I call it the Corona blues.

I noticed this week that it has been 8 months since the Corona and Lockdown madness started. I was not aware of the time that passed until my emotions started to send some signals.

I see that also in organisations where I am asked to intervene. Because a certain behaviour is expected at work, there are some kind of taboos around being sad, anxious, worried or anything that could look like a weakness. Especially amongst those with responsibilities for others. It seems to be a kind of code of conduct: how good we can deal with challenges in a socially acceptable way, including the ability to control or suppress emotions..

We want to look a certain way. Positive, constructive, action-oriented: a Linkedin compatible attitude. Real or fake. It makes it difficult to talk when we are not feeling well.

But it is not like that. We are only human and have all our moments of blues. Please reach out to each other. Check on each other’s well being. It is now more important than ever.

I see people struggling mentally in the workplace even if they are functioning well. I see people who would talk if they knew they would be genuinely heard.

Please talk to each other, not only about the job.. Share what you feel. Listen to each other. Notice small changes in your colleagues behaviors. Ask how they are doing and wait for an answer. Show that you really care. Sometimes it is enough for our souls to know that someone does. We don’t even have to talk.

And, don’t forget to take care of yourself… especially if your life is about being there for others.. for your family, your teams, your clients etc.. Being there for others gives us a lot but can also take a lot from us.

Getting in contact with our “emotional ghosts”, our low mood, our dark side and embracing these parts of us with love is one of the most healing ways to deal with them and certainly the fastest way to move on. The longer we ignore or deny them, the longer we carry them inside of us, with all side effects it can have.

How does it work? You don’t have to fake happiness until you make it! That’s enough to notice what you are really feeling and listen to your needs. Faking positivity is one of the best ways to prolongate the discomfort, unconsciously.

Our moods and blues are not there to stay. We have a built-in mental immune system that works the same way as in our body. When we have the flu, we usually know to take a rest and help our body do its healing job. With our soul, it is the same.

I didn’t even notice that, after 8 months, lots of losses, and the days now shortening, I just got the blues. Noticing what was going on inside was already a big part of the work.

Now that I know, my soul takes care of itself. The healing system has started. I am now resting for a few days and letting my soul do the rest. I do what intuitively occurs to me to do to help my soul do its part of the job. For me, it means: talking openly with friends, family, and trusted souls, lots of reaching out, but also walking in the woods, home cycling, writing, meditating, slowing down on my work projects and giving more space to my personal needs.

How are you doing these days? Could you need a bit of noticing? What is your way of helping your soul do its healing work? Listen to your wisdom; it will tell you what to do to take care of yourself. It knows.

And please remember, you are not alone.

With Love, Drissia

On this subject you may also want to listen to some of my podcast recordings, read one of the many beautiful articles you will find on the Less Stress More Success platform or reach out!