Post-Pandemic Reflections
đWeekly Inspirationđ
Itâs now been four years since the world shut down due to COVID-19. It still feels surreal to meâin some ways, the stress of it seems like yesterdayâŚin other ways, it feels like eons ago. Anniversaries can be a good opportunity to pause and reflectâand share our feelings and realizations with loved ones.
Every family fared differently during the pandemic. Some families had loved ones pass from COVID, some families lost jobs, and some families got divorced. For some, it brought a welcome slower pace and more family time. For others, it brought more conflict. Some children thrived, some children languishedâŚ.some continue to languish. My practice doubled or tripled in need over these last four yearsâchildren who typically would not have needed therapy were suddenly queuing up to get in to talk to someone. I do feel the worst is behind us and families have been incredibly resilient overallâyet we are not totally out of the woods yet. There is still incredible learning loss (which causes added stress/anxiety/depression) and our most highly sensitive kids are still really struggling to re-engage academically and sociallyâŚand are behind developmentally.
There is much grief for all that was lost during that time. We are all forever changed â¤ď¸.
Ask yourself:
What stands out to me four years since the pandemic began?
In what ways did my family thrive?
In what ways did my family struggle?
How did my children actually fare?
What were the protective factors that helped them to be resilient?
If they are still struggling, how can I get more active to stop the ongoing languishing?
How has my partnership changedâfor better and worse?
How has my professional life changedâfor better and worse?
What would I do differently? What could the world have done differently?
Can I have a vulnerable conversation with my precious loved ones about how they feel they were changed?
Breathe â