22 June 2020
Director/ Psychologist at Transitioning Well
Overnight Victoria announced they would revert back to tighter restrictions with 5 people allowed in homes for at least the next 3 weeks. Whilst many will understand the logic behind this, for most there will be increasing anxiety levels and frustration. In comparison to the rest of the globe Australia’s numbers are low and we certainly are the envy of many countries. But even whilst one’s fear of catching the virus itself might be low, one of the biggest issues we now face is the fear of ‘being stuck’ in this transition.
The ‘swinging pendulum’ is starting to highlight that the path out of this is slow and beyond anyone’s control. If we compare this to the pendulum of the grief process we know that it takes time and that before one reaches acceptance we bounce between a number of other emotions such as anger, denial and blame.
For some, their first reaction when these restrictions were announced was anger, for others frustration. But for most it is fear- fear for how long we will actually be swinging. The problem with ‘being stuck’ is that one can’t plan- and when you can’t plan you have a lack of control. This includes financial and emotional control, and although one can argue there are many things in life we cannot control – right now this feeling of having limited control can be overwhelming.
This lack of uncertainty is unfortunately why we will continue to see a rise in mental health issues. We are already in a state of regression, so it is so important to ensure that we are supported going forward.
The onus of this needs to be collective. It cannot fall on the shoulders of individuals. With no end in sight, workplaces need to step up and help their employees to have the endurance needed to run this marathon. If they don’t, the long-term impact will be far reaching and the recovery process will be slower.
We recommend having a transition tool kit that helps people understand their sticking points and allows them to harness what they can control and create a tailored action plan. Want to know more? Come and talk to us!
1300 824 808 or info@transitioningwell.com.au
