Saving tears
Gritting our teeth, keeping our backs straight, and pressing on.
Willpower. There is no time to compromise.
This is not the moment for weakness. We must carry on, and we do.
And then there is the emptiness of the night, and the emptiness of the day, too.
An emotional void. A void left by the absence of togetherness. A void in activities, in work, in…
You put on a brave face. You save your tears for when they are truly needed—when there is no other choice.
We are living through difficult times.
Corona arrived like a stealthy invader; now it is part of us, woven into our lives.
We can fight it, try to prevent it, curse it roundly, avoid it, isolate ourselves. We can… well, what can we really do?
We feel powerless against the invisible virus that impacts us all so deeply.
We view others differently now. We turn away and step aside in fear.
We keep our distance, because the other person could pose a potential threat to us and to society.
We cannot and must not get too close; no touching, staying bundled up, wearing face masks, not…
We are on high alert. Our subconscious plays a vital role in survival, and suddenly, we are aware of it. We consciously do what we can: we wash our hands raw, keep a 1.5-meter distance, wear face masks. We make sacrifices we aren’t used to making… but is it all enough? Is it meaningful? Are we doing too much, or perhaps too little?
We wonder: could we be sick? Fear sets in, and we remain on edge. After all, we want to survive.
Our conscious mind conjures up worst-case scenarios, and we find ourselves resisting the situation.
So many things are different—and will continue to be different—from what we are used to.
Our subconscious is also a bit lazy; it dislikes doing new things… and that makes us incredibly tired.
Making sacrifices, uncertainties, fears, anger, loneliness, doing things you’d rather not do, learning and trying new things in a short span of time, you do your best, yet want to do more, and so on. We long for physical contact and closeness. Dropping by for a quick visit, stopping in to see each other spontaneously. We yearn for a time that already feels like the distant past.
All of this is exhausting, yet it is simply part of life during the coronavirus era.
Amidst all these dynamics, both the healthcare sector and you personally must try to stay standing. Can we keep this up?
How do you manage to stay standing?
We need to shift our mindset. Learning through experience and action, while occasionally making compromises. New ideas will emerge. Movement: dancing to your favorite music, walking, swinging…
And looking out for one another. Do you let others care for you, or do you feel you have to do it all alone? Finding safe, new alternatives to be together and have fun. Asking for help from those around you.
And if tears stream down your cheeks, let them flow; there is no need to hold them back. You don’t have to bottle them up.
Strong together, we will get through this together.