It would be very hard to overstate how difficult this time is for all of us. Whether we are working in essential services and thus putting ourselves at some risk, or staying at home as we are vulnerable ourselves or care for others that are, there is a lot to think about.
It is also almost impossible to escape from the pandemic for long. It is worldwide, so the news and talk from every country is dominated by the situation. You cannot travel at all, and even if you could there is nowhere really you could go to escape this situation. And when you are confined to your home most of the time (for very good reasons), it is difficult to keep finding distractions and not go a bit crazy. A book, a film or a game can take you away for a while, but the world is still there afterwards.
However, you are reading this so you are still there, still going. Well done. You may be anxious, stressed, tired, angry, whatever – but you have made it to today.
If you are sick or grieving, I am so sorry. The human cost of this time is heart breaking and will leave an impression on all of us for a very long time. All any of us can do is to try to stay strong, support each other however we can and keep going.
People with mental illness are often very familiar with the idea that sometimes you have to operate in baby steps when things are hard. It may be that many of us are in that position right now. Some days when you are struggling, it is a huge achievement just to get out of bed, feed and wash yourself and so on. Again, that applies to more of us than normal at present. So please be kind to yourself. Just functioning in any way vaguely resembling normal life at the moment is awesome. Don’t dwell on what you have not done, rejoice in what you have. Take one day at a time and we will get through this.
You deserve a medal. Yes, you, not some other person you are thinking of reading this. Stay strong and keep up the good work.