It is a sunny day, I look out of my window and the view looks calm and peaceful, like any normal day, but unfortunately it is not. I feel a big lump in my throat, it is not a fever or cough. I cannot name feeling like anxiety but it is more pervasive.
The Corona virus pandemic has invaded all aspects of our lives, from the way we work to our dealings with people on the street, and no one knows how long the situation will last, and no one guarantees the safety of his loved ones or the continuation of his work.
It is a strange feeling, and according to a report by the Dubai Future Observatory «Future Observatory», it is a feeling that does not leave you, and even a veteran writer cannot describe it in words.
In an interview with the Harvard Business Review, David Kessler, the author and expert in the area of distress, says what we really feel is: collective distress. Kessler described this disturbing feeling in a way that might help you cope with the current situation.
"We feel a change in the world, and it is real change," said Kessler. We know everything is temporary, but we don't feel it. And we really know that things will change after it's finished. The visit to airports also changed after September 11. The feelings of losing a normal life, the fear of economic outcome and the loss of social contact affect us heavily, so we all feel sorry, and we are not used to this kind of grief. One type of distress is pre-emptive distress, and occurs when the result of a virus test is positive or the person carries concerns and fears that he or she will obtain a positive result, so he or she must know the result. Kessler stresses that anticipatory distress is a kind of pathological disorder, and that anxiety and physical pain are the result of this distress. The goal is to find a balance in your thinking. ”
The fact of the matter is that our enemy is invisible, which makes it more difficult to shatter our sense of security. The question remains, how do we overcome collective distress? You may know the five stages of distress, denial, anger, compromise, sadness and acceptance, and Kessler suggests that these stages are not linear, but may affect you all together. So how do we get rid of the disturbing sense of distress? Kessler continued, "You must bring yourself into the present to calm her down. It is well-known advice for those who have tried meditation or vigilance exercises, and many may think that it is cliche advice.
Feelings need movement
"You can't control what your neighbor does, but what you do, so stay two meters away and wash your hands," said distressed writer and expert David Kessler. Poison your feelings, when you name them, feel them to move inside you. Feelings need movement. ”
David Kessler: “We know the epidemic is temporary, and we know that everything that happens is temporary, but we don't feel it.”
"Things will change after it ends ... Just as the visit to airports changed after September 11," he said.