The five stages of lockdown grief

Lockdown grief:

I’m in the kitchen, making a coffee, minding my own business and then my housemate enters the room.

“Did you hear the news?” she says. My eye begins to twitch, this is not a sentence that has ever been followed up with something positive. “Lockdown got extended”

It takes me a solid minute to understand, for my brain to translate what she has just said. In my mind “Lockdown extended” really means “Life on hold”.

I check my phone to see for myself. I stare at my screen and start the reoccurring cycle of the five stages of lockdown grief:

1.Denial: This cannot be happening again. WE JUST CELEBRATED GETTING OUT LIKE A WEEK AGO. Maybe, it’s fake news? Maybe, my housemate was listening to an obscure international news station that was reporting on a country in Europe instead?

2.Anger: WHY?! I have a lot of emotions at this point, none of them happy.

3.Bargaining: I pinch myself – maybe this is a bad dream, I’m sure I’ll wake up sweaty in about 20 minutes.

4.Depression: Again, I ask myself: WHY?! Why us (Melbourne)? Why anyone?! Why is life so hard? I cannot see another wellness blog that says, “get outside and go for a walk.” I know they mean well… I am a content creator myself, but it has come to a point where I am past wanting advice, what I really want is for life to return to normal.

5.Acceptance: Well, guess it is time to buy some more bananas and bake some more banana bread. Better message the group chat and see if anyone has any new tv recommendations too.

By this time, my coffee is well and truly cold, and my housemate has left the kitchen. In my head it is dramatic, but just like every other lockdown, I have made it through. The silver lining is that these lockdowns have made me aware of my feelings, made me slow down and think about things, feel things I would usually never get to feel because of distractions of normal life. These feelings are hard and not always nice, but they make you stronger. Just like anything else, we start to adapt. It has made me try new things and appreciate the wonderful connections I have with my friends and family.

In all seriousness, if you are struggling for motivation please reach out. Below are some suggested professionals that will listen and hopefully help you through this. YOU CAN DO IT!

Stay strong and remember: WE CAN DO HARD THINGS.

If you or anyone you know needs help: