Runners talk about “hitting the wall” when doing long runs or marathons. Something changes and suddenly they feel drained and unable to keep going.
In talking with my clients this week (via online teletherapy) it seems that some are “hitting the wall” with COVID-19, how we are coping, and social distancing.
My clients all have completely different lives, and thus, challenges. Some are dealing with elderly parents, others with health concerns, others with pressure to home school kids while still working from home. Some are health care workers and first responders – completely different challenges.
My clients at home have described the past few weeks as, “…sort of a strange holiday with restrictions.” Work may have ended or not been demanding much at first. Some of us filled our time with playing games and puzzles like an extended stay at a cottage.
Now, clients are describing an increase in boredom, frustration, loneliness, despair or conflict in the home, in addition to the deprivation effects of not being able to see and hug our friends and loved ones. So here’s a scale I’ve been asking my clients to rate themselves on. Review it and give some thought on where you are on these scales. If you see you are on the low end of any of these these, get busy and problem solve, think outside the box, and ask others for help on how to fix it.
Easier said than done? Here’s some things my clients came up with by way of solutions:
TT: “Vacation’s over. I want to get going on my job search process. I need to do something on that each workday.”
FS: “Got my yoga mat out and I’m watching the daily broadcast from my yoga studio.”
HH: “I was working out of my bedroom all day, literally four hours at a time, break, then back to the bedroom. Was getting achy and brain numb. Now I have another work site in the rec room I can use. Sometimes I even bring my laptop to the living room – not that I get as much done, but I can connect with the kids for an hour, then go back. I can’t sit in the same spot all day.”
LS: “We’re rediscovering all the music we used to listen to. Even finding concerts online we actually attended. Digging out the music from our lives and making a point of playing music every afternoon.”
JK: “It was a rainy day and I felt low. So we got in the car and drove along the lakeshore and some country roads. It helped.”
LM: “I got tired of texting all day with friends. I’m trying to do at least one phone call a day.”
BK: “My husband told me I’ve got to watch my drinking. I guess I’ve been treating this as ‘holiday time’ but it’s not. It’s the new normal. I’d better establish a more normal routine and That includes less alcohol.”
We know that low engagement in social support, in pleasurable or satisfying activities can cause depression, so this is important the longer these COVID-19 restrictions continue. If you’re feeling low or anxious and you’d like a consultation with one of our clinicians, we are doing teletherapy during the coronavirus health crisis.
