"You know, Matt, I wouldn't be surprised if all of our mental healths are suffering," said a friend of mine today on the phone.
Agreed. The 2020 blast hit us when the weather was turning warmer, and for that first wave, we had spirit and courage, resolve and resilience.
Today, the numbers look similar to then (the new variant has seen to that) and we're in a foggy, freezing, January lockdown.
I've found myself longing for a little slice of normal today. You know: going for a cup of tea with my parents, booking a table for dinner in a restaurant with soft music and glistening wine, maybe taking in a movie, or going for a stroll by the river with the contentedness of good friends in high spirits; travelling - flying on planes, booking holidays, catching trains, or just hopping on a bus without the need for a facemask.
To be honest though, it's just the exhaustion of it all that's getting into my bones. I'm so tired, and there's still so far to go. How do you hold on when you already feel like you can't do much more holding on?
My friend was referring to church people, but it is wider and truer than just us. I reckon a lot of people are feeling the chill and the sink of lockdown-just-after-Christmas. The difference with Christians is that we tend to heap guilt on ourselves on the top of the low mood, because all of us have been taught that we should be the 'Happiest people on Earth'. And honestly? We're not.
So how do we go easy on ourselves? What do we do? Positive self-talk? Regular fresh air and good food? Better sleep cycles? Exercise?
Yeah probably. But also, admitting that we're in need of a little help sometimes. We're not designed for isolation, after all.
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