It’s OK to Mourn What Was Lost

Since this pandemic has began, people have talked a lot about the new normal.

This is a tacit acknowledgment that the world we once had, the way of life we once accepted as normal has left us. The ability to walk freely from place to place, to gather with friends and family, to go to work in a “normal” fashion was taken away from most of us by the pandemic.

And that is sad and frustrating. Some people cope by making the best of a bad situation, others cope by making a situation worse so they can feel like they have control over something in a situation that is beyond their control.

Change is scary, and that’s why people resist it. We don’t want to be thrust into this new normal. Especially when it’s much worse than what we had.

But sometimes life is like that. And while nobody likes it, the strength of human beings is being able to look forward, to look for solutions to our problems, to improvise until we find something that works, and to keep moving forward.

And while we have to move forward, it’s OK to take time to mourn what we’ve lost and acknowledge how it’s changed us. We have changed. We have lost the sense of safety and security that we once had. Some have lost loved ones. Some didn’t get to say goodbye. Some have lost jobs. Almost all have lost their daily routines.

It is a lot. And it happened quickly and drastically and, for many of us, with little warning. If some days you don’t feel like moving forward, it’s OK to acknowledge that. It’s OK to give yourself a break as you figure out how to cope.

The good news is, we are all learning together. Reach out to people if you need help. Not all will reach back (unfortunately, these situations can bring out selfishness and cruelty), but many people will reach back. The best of humanity reach out to others and lend a helping hand. And a kind word. And sometimes that is just what we need to help us move forward.