After listening to a few episodes of “Girls Gotta Eat” by Rayna Greenberg and Ashley Hesseltine, I came across one of their episodes titled “The Emotional Rona-Coaster.” In this episode, awareness coach, Adela Raffa, is featured on the podcast to talk about the emotional impacts that this global pandemic has had and how we can cope and move forward in this time.
One of Raffa’s main focuses is on gestalt therapy, which she describes as being present in the moment to what is. This means questioning how you are feeling, what you are experiencing and what we are in contact with in our lives. In Raffa’s practices, she starts with present periods in her patients’ lives and then can take a look at the past to what has created these feelings or look forward to help navigate these emotions.
Greenberg and Hesseltine asked their listeners how they were feeling and many had similar responses of loneliness, anxiety, depression, confusion, unmotivation.. It’s safe to say that many of us are feeling the same way and we are unsure about how to keep a positive mindset in all of this. One of the listeners described this as the emotional rona-coaster, which really grasps the ups and downs of this situation. Some days, we feel at ease with life at home, feel motivated to get work done, start projects in the house and keep ourselves busy. Other days, we feel exhausted, don’t change out of pajamas, barely get anything done and become frustrated with everything. Not only are we having internal emotional conflicts, but as a collective we are going through this. As we watch family members, friends, doctors, patients, go through this, it can trigger further anxiety about this issue.
We are not alone in this and it is normal to have completely uncertain thoughts and feelings. However, this may be a time to look at our inner selves and question who we truly are and want to be. Raffa invites this idea of “inviting your loneliness to coffee.” This means instead of going out and trying to fix and get rid of your isolated feelings, raise awareness to this loneliness and learn to accept it and grow from it.
House dynamics may look different depending on whether you are alone, with your partner with your family, with your roommate, etc. Therefore communication and building boundaries during this period may be extremely awkward and difficult. However, this is an opportunity to understand what a positive space means to you and what it means to the others around you. If you are having a rough day, it is important to communicate these feelings with who you are living with and express that sometimes you need time away to think. Navigating this pandemic will look different to everyone. If you are experiencing the “emotional rona-coaster”, understand that it may be a bumpy ride but if we stay positive, be present in the moment and express our pain during this time, we will get through this and learn about ourselves during this time. Stay safe, stay positive and stay inside!