Tag Archives: COVID-19

Week 11 – Time for a COVID style rant.

It’s time for a COVID style rant.

I have been trying to maintain positivity throughout the semester and see the benefits that have only happened because of this pandemic, but really, everything has sucked just a little bit more than usual.

Last week I was starting to feel particularly drained from school, life, and being stuck at home. On Wednesday I was called into work in person, which was surprisingly so wonderful! I had not realized how much I was missing casual interaction with people until I saw my coworkers and was instantly in a better mood.

I am extraverted, which means I replenish my energy by being around people, but I did not realize how true this was until we had our second lockdown and I noticed myself getting more and more tired and sad. I couldn’t identify what was going on until I had some work interactions and I felt energy again!

How strange is it that now talking to strangers is almost frowned upon, and having people over is banned. This is such a contrast to the start of our semester where we discussed the mental health benefits of talking to strangers and filling your day with small positive moments.

I have really appreciated this class, but I miss classmates.

I have loved the creative outlet of blogging, but I miss personal feedback.

I have learned through zoom calls, but I miss the easy interactions of being in a classroom.

Needless to say it’s been a challenging semester, but a growing one nonetheless. I am so looking forward to the time when we can talk about having to stay six feet apart from each other as just a distant memory.

Fighting Fear in Fear Obsessed Media

Let’s talk about fear.

COVID has been a scary thing hasn’t it? I was reading a friend’s post online about how this pandemic has been a shared traumatic experience and this is consciously and subconsciously affecting all of us.

Recently I’ve been feeling discouraged. I’ve been feeling like things are continually getting more bleak and less joyful. Maybe it’s because of the rain or the shorter days, but I think it’s also due to the underlying fear a lot of us are feeling with the looming numbers of COVID-19.

So how do we deal with fear? Do we run away and pretend it’s not there? Do we get angry and blame the people around us? Or do we confront it and try to find what’s really going on within our soul?

This podcast from Bridgetown Church features Tristen Collins, a therapist in Portland, Oregon, and she talks about how fear can often hinder us from living a life that is free and filled with joy. Take a listen to hear Tristen’s definition of fear, what fear looks like in different individuals, and how we can address the fear in our lives.

Tristen Collins shares about fear and learning from our emotions.

This presents a Christian perspective on fear and how God views emotions, but it also presents practical advice on how to address our fear and begin moving past it.

Throughout the podcast, Tristen reminds us that all of our emotions are good and valid, even though not all of them feel nice. She quotes Mr. Rogers who said, ‘There’s no should or should not when it comes to having feelings. They are part of who we are, and their origins are beyond our control.”

Tristen emphasizes that all our feelings are valuable, and what we do with them will affect the rest of our lives.

There’s no should or should not when it comes to having feelings. They are a part of who we are and their origins are beyond our control.

Mr. Rogers

I hope this podcast brings you peace today and reminds you that there is healing from the pain we are currently feeling.

Keep journeying on friends 😊

Life in Quarantine

Over a month ago, when COVID-19 ramped up significantly and caused my classes to go online and my jobs to close, I made the decision to go back to my hometown and quarantine with my family. I’m so glad I made that decision, as I can’t imagine how I’d be feeling if I was alone in my apartment right now.

Temporarily moving back home has been pretty weird. The first few days, I just worried about everything going on, but I slowly calmed down and tried to be more positive. I started adjusting to my new normal, and now I’m completely used to living here. I truly never thought I would live with my parents again, but this is a pretty unusual situation, and at the end of all this I will be heading back to Vancouver, although being there will surely feel different.

My initial plan while staying here was to be extremely productive and do everything I’ve never had the time to do before, but I quickly realized that that was not going to happen, and that’s okay. I needed to relax and focus on my mental health for the first little while before I could think about doing “productive” stuff. I watched movies and tv shows, I spent hours on reddit, I talked to friends constantly. It was actually really nice to have a break – I think I needed it. Life has been pretty crazy, with COVID-19, me finishing my last semester of university, and my post-graduation plans being thrown out the window, at least for the time being. I needed to just unwind and take a break.

Now that I feel sufficiently relaxed, I’m ready to start being productive. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself – I initially planned to write an entire novel while in quarantine, but the pressure to do so caused a lot of anxiety that led to me being too scared to even start. I’ve since made my goals a little more realistic, and have subsequently started working out, started reading again, and started writing blog posts again (guess I’m doing pretty well so far). There are a few more things I’d like to do, including video chatting with friends, as I’ve done this once so far and found it much more enjoyable than talking over text, plus I would really like to talk to people other than my immediate family. I would also like to do some creative writing, but this time, I’m not going to put as much pressure on myself – I don’t need to write an entire novel, I can write short stories or slowly start writing a novel without pressuring myself to get it done right away. I think if you put too much pressure on yourself, it impedes your ability to actually get things done (or maybe that’s just me).

Apparently, we have at least another month of social distancing left until things go back to “normal”, and in a weird way I am grateful for that, as it means more time with my family and more time (hopefully) being somewhat productive while I actually have time to do everything I want to do. Nobody knows how long this will last, but it’s important that we all take care of ourselves and our mental health right now and do what is best for us, whether that be accomplishing nothing at all or being super productive. We also need to show empathy to others, as not everyone is lucky enough to relax at home and not have to worry about their loved ones. These are truly extraordinary times, and hopefully when everything is said and done, we can work to make this world a better place.

Stay safe, everybody.

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