THIS is Heavy... Is This What a New Normal Looks Liks?

Hi, everyone. Let me start by saying this:

All of this is heavy. THIS is heavy.

I came home yesterday after seeing clients via telehealth, and just felt drained in a way I can't describe... it seems like teletherapy is taking more out of me than face-to-face... I hope I adjust.

The other thing i noticed was that clients were looking at me with pleading eyes, either literally asking me or implying, "When will this be over? Will I make it through this?" We're so often in a position of knowing... we know about how long antidepressants take to kick in, and how different family roles appear in addictive family systems.

But this time, we just don't know. It's as grave for us as it is for them... we're all standing on the sidelines, just watching and wondering, "Will I financially get through this? Will I get it? Will my beloved older or ill loved ones get it, and, if they do, how bad will it be? How much of my savings have I lost forever?"

We also have the honor AND burden of wondering about clients, too, in addition to ourselves and our loved ones: "Will he relapse? How much worse will her depression get? Will he go back to his abusive ex because he feels so isolated? Will they lose their home?"

It's helped me a little bit to read about past pandemics and learn about how they went... at least that gives me some kind of psychoed. I got to interview a psychologist who is an expert on pandemics last week for that free CE course we’d released, and that gave me some grist for the mill. For example: It took communities hit by Ebola about two months to figure out what to expect from it, like who they could trust for information and how to protect themselves.

I'm not really writing for a big purpose, I'm just writing to say that I see you and that we're in this together. As I get dressed for another day of this, I'm in the same boat you are. I have no idea when this will be over and we'll find a pandemic-free normal again (and suspect it'll be measured in years, not in weeks or months), but I do know that we'll all be relying on one another to get through it.

Be well.

- Beth