Have you noticed there’s a new phenomenon upon us?
Welcome my friend, we will be discussing this today as we sip our cuppa’s, munch our treats & look at the beautiful view above.
Don’t you just want to dip your toes in that water!
I’m having a chai tea with some little Date & Almond protein balls. What are you having?
Now we’re comfy let’s begin…
Are you feeling a little off kilter lately?
I’ve noticed many are feeling a little off kilter.
Have you noticed the same?
Maybe I need to explain what I mean, I’ll put my professional cap on & we’ll have a little look!
I’ve observed many people around the globe experiencing a feeling of being out of balance.
And while we all just want to get back to ‘normal’ moving forward from the last few years.
After having CoVid restrictions, lockdowns, border closures & the never ending variants.
We really need to acknowledge it had an enormous emotional impact upon us.
Thus many are experiencing the effects of traumatization from the last few years.
In other words we have become;
A traumatized global village!
Are you experiencing…
In fact, I had some conversations recently with professionals working within their communities which confirmed my observations.
And the latest research also seems to be supporting this;
“….the general population may be suffering from various levels of vicarious traumatization, although strictly speaking this would not qualify for PTSD’s Criterion A for trauma exposure.” Refer II
I’m not suggesting the general population is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) here but rather differing levels of emotional traumatization.
These professionals had observed some or all of the following behaviours in either themselves or in others as I have done. You may see yourself here;
- Many have retreated into their homes & aren’t as social as preCoVid times. Because we all had to hunker down in our sanctuaries for so long. A behavioural modification of retreating into the safe place has happened…
- Or alternatively you may feel the constant need to ‘escape’ & go on a break but the refreshment from that break doesn’t last very long.
- You may find news broadcasts overwhelming & anxiety inducing.
- You may find the sound of your phone ringing anxiety inducing.
- You may either find it difficult to plan for the future or do so very, very tentatively in case your plans are cancelled again… An over vigilance has resulted.
- You may find when you go to social events, your energy levels deplete quicker than pre CoVid times. Your emotional capacity for socialisation has lessened.
This is not an exhaustive list but gives you some of the behaviours that traumatization can induce.
These are the result of long term stress & traumatization.
And we have all been under enormous stress since 2019 when CoVid hit this world on the back of devastating Fire Storms, Floods & Famines.
CoVid also brought with it it’s own individual economic, familial & social challenges.
The Solution
So what can we do about this traumatization you may ask?
This type of long term trauma & stress will take time to recover from my friend.
A good way to begin the process of recovery & yes it’s a process is by practicing the following strategies in The Art of Quietness*
Please Note;
If you’re feeling anxious all the time or feel you’re not coping with life. Please seek a Mental Health Care Professional in your own locality as soon as possible.*
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
or
in Prayer
© 2022, Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by Asad Photo Maldives on Pexels.com
*Disclaimer: The author of this site does not claim to provide any type of individualized Mental Health Care for any individual through this site. This is to be done face to face in consultation with a registered (certified) mental health care professional in your own locality.
Tea With Jennifer 
I love visiting with you and having a virtual cuppa with you. I’ve got to say that I have been off kilter. For me it’s because of Seasonal Affect Disorder you can bet from November to March in the Northeastern Us I’m in a funk. But the days are getting longer here and the sun’s out more. So I’ll be fine shortly.
Thank you for sharing this great information with Sweet Tea & Friends this month my friend.
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I’m glad you know why you feel low during that period of time Paula.
SAD is new to Australia as it had previously been a Northern Hemisphere disorder, we always have plenty of sunshine here in Australia even during winter.
Unfortunately, we don’t have an explanation for this turn around here as professionals.
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So insightful, when I went into lockdown my life was good (for me) until that fateful day in April 2021 when I received a phone call to say my mother had a stroke and was in hospital and I had to break from shielding
Since that day my life is now so very different! When only talking to my parents on the phone for a year, I didn’t notice their decline in health and them both slowly developing dementia
My whole world has been turned upside down, I no longer recognise these two elderly strangers living in my parents house that I’m now the sole caregiver of, nothing from before will ever be the same again, so much has changed!
I have a good support system in place now, but I’ll always regret not doing things differently and seeing what was happening
I really miss who my parents were and still struggle the fact I missed their decline because I was terrified of catching COVID and avoided seeing them for what I thought was for everybodies safety
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I’m so glad you have a good support system Dawn, that’s so very important when being a carer.
Dementia is such a devastating disease, I’m saddened to hear both of your parents suffer from this debilitating & insidious condition.
You’re experience sounds similar to our experience.
Our parents health, during CoVid lock downs, drastically declined & both ended up in different hospitals at the same time.
It was harrowing, sadly one has now passed.
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So very sorry to hear one of your parents has sadly since passed
I think everybody has been touched in some way because of COVID and we’re all struggling
This post has really helped me understand how I was feeling about everything that happened and I’m sure it’s helped others too xxx
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Thank you Dawn, that’s very kind. And I’m delighted to hear you found clarity here 🙂
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…thanks, it’s been a while since I’ve seen blue skies.
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You’re most welcome Tom! 😊
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These last couple years have definitely changed us all and we are all still trying to recover and come back out of our shells.
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That we are Julie! Those years have definitely left a huge impact upon the whole global community & our economies!
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I see an interesting phenomenon among my students–they don’t want to take their masks off, even though they don’t need to wear them anymore :(. Fortunately, we have therapists on staff who can work with the kids to overcome their fear of removing their masks.
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It’s good to hear you have therapists on staff Anita.
Sadly, the Pandemic has caused many behavioral issues related to anxiety.
We have Omicron & it’s variant raging through our country at the moment. And although most of our population are triple vaccinated it is still making people very ill indeed including those vaccinated (many of our family have been very ill) 😕
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Prayers and hugs for God’s healing our hearts, minds and bodies across the globe… ❤
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Amen! Lovely to have you drop by today sweet friend ❤️
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My pleasure, Jennifer! 💞 xo
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This post is insightful. I agree, covid changed the way we behaved before. Now, when I see some destinations that we visited before, I can’t believe how we visited. I can’t even imagine how will be our future tours. social life is already impacted. Thanks for sharing these.
Have a great day!
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Thank you Amila! Lovely having you drop by today 😊
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I believe the pandemic shook all of us to our core. I’m very grateful our family did not suffer any severe losses.
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Yes, gratitude is an important component of the healing process Susan. While grief is unique to each person & each of us will grieve differently, we all need to process that grief for a healthy future. Lovely having you drop by today 🤗
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I agree with you, Jennifer. I see such a collective emotional trauma all around me and inside me too. This has definitely been a unique two years, and it will take awhile to work it out in our psyches, whether we’re aware of it or not. Of course the more awake we can be to it, the better! I appreciate your Art of Quietness article again too.
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Thank you Lisa. Yes, awareness is the first step to healing. Lovely having you drop by today 🤗
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