Grieving the Loss of Routine
By: Jodii Maguire
Within a matter of weeks, your world has most likely gone from a stable and predictable routine, to being turned on its head. Thanks to Coronavirus, we now work from home, leave the house only for food and exercise, socially distance from loved ones, and homeschool our kids.
What we might not realise is that we are also grieving for the loss of the proverbial status quo rug that was abruptly ripped from under our feet, longing for things to go back to the way it was.
One day, we were who we were with our routine, but now we have a growing list of personal losses:
- social identity
- occupational identity
- personal identity
- purpose
This is called Disenfranchised Grief.
Through rapid change and excess information, we realise we no longer have control of the situation.
So, how do we combat this?
Remember that this change and lack of routine won’t last
Firstly, this will pass. It will be with us for several months, but it will pass. The fear and facts that we see, that will pass over the months.
Protect the things that are good for your mind and body
Secondly, we have to maintain our mental and physical wellbeing. In this situation, we’ve had to prioritise setting up a new routine for our kids so they can be educated from home. Then, we have the priority of establishing our workspace from home. By the time we’ve done all that we are exhausted physically and mentally.
We need to consciously and deliberately find space in the day to do physical activity, and reflect and think about what is important and what values will sustain us through the chaos, and who we want to be when we come through the other side of this.
Article supplied with thanks to 98five.
About the Author: Jodii is a mum to three girls, and founder of Think! Performance Psychology.
