Last week, in What Do YOU Want? we outlined an approach to considering the skills you want to use because they delight you and the environment in which you thrive.

We heard from a number of you and some of our clients that while they know there are things they want to learn, grow into, do more or less of, etc., they have no energy or motivation to take action. They asked:

Is something wrong with me?

The short answer is no. What you’re feeling makes sense in light of all that we’ve lived through this past year!

The longer answer is this: We’ve lived through a year full of change, grief, and the unknown. As we reflect on our own experiences, those of our friends, family, clients, and this MMBC community, it’s stunning to consider what we’ve experienced.

COVID experiences:

  • Fear and anxiety about getting COVID
  • Getting Covid
  • Family or colleagues dying from COVID
  • The inability to travel to see loved ones who became ill
  • Friends who are COVID long haulers

Society and Culture experiences:

  • The horrifying killing of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor, and far too many others
  • The rallies and protests challenging systemic racism and the systemic abuse of power
  • Historic weather events that are the result of climate change
  • The riots at the Capitol
  • Attempts to derail our democracy
  • Significant divides in responding to the elections

Life experiences:

  • Illness and/or deaths in our families from causes other than COVID
  • Job losses / financial crises
  • Increased houselessness
  • Increases in violent crime and more theft from homes
  • Moves and relocations

When you consider this list of experiences in our lives and the lives of people around us, it makes sense that we’re worn down, depleted, and that our brains are working hard to integrate all that we’ve been through.

So, is there something wrong with you?

No, and we can’t live through a year like this without it taking its toll. Most of us are doing OK enough, but we still feel the costs and the consequences of a traumatic and traumatizing year.

This week, as you go through your days, when you feel irritable, frustrated, unmotivated, etc., remind yourself that this makes sense.

Be kind and generous to yourself
in the way you would be
with someone you loved.

And, if you find that you’re depressed and anxious in ways that are interrupting your ability to do most of your normal activities, please reach out to your doctor, therapist, or the local mental health crisis line.

Being vulnerable and asking for help
doesn’t make you weak.
It shows that you’re both strong and wise.

Keep us posted on how you’re doing!