Return of the Bubble
The groundwork was laid last week when Jacinda gave a warning - any community transmission of the Covid-19 Delta variant would mean a swift level 4 lockdown.
Just days later, news came of a community case in Auckland. It was a familiar, yet long distant feeling, waiting for the 6pm announcement. The nervous anticipation and speculation seemed to buzz in the air. Text messages came quickly from friends claiming to have the inside scoop from their cousin’s uncle’s best friend’s sister. My mental checklist ran overtime thinking of any urgent supplies we needed (rather than toilet paper think entertainment; DIY supplies for the husband, craft supplies for the kids).
I texted the organiser of the parenting course I was meant to attend that night (yep, psychologists need parenting courses too). I wouldn’t make it; something had come up. In truth, I didn’t want to sit in the school hall learning about ‘positive parenting strategies’ when the world around me was changing. I wanted to be with my family, watching that press conference, contacting my friends and whānau and working out how to manage the next steps.
So, while the kids ate ice cream on the couch, we watched and listened and processed that from midnight, New Zealand was in lockdown. Feelings of disappointment, fear and relief simultaneously swirled around in my body. I thought about my friends and whānau; who is vaccinated, who will need extra support, how do we manage the kids? Will the cross country run my boys have been training for be cancelled? I thought about my clients, what will they need from me? Can I Zoom them and homeschool at the same time? I thought about the DHB I recently left; how they will cope with yet another crisis, what does this mean for the health sector and what will the long-term health impacts be? I thought about all the people already struggling; be it physically, financially, emotionally, socially. What will this mean for them?
It was only when my Fitbit buzzed to reminded me to move my body, I remembered to breathe. Slowly and deeply. And with that steady breath, the swirling whirling thoughts began to dissipate. And in their place, calm thoughts arrived. Our strong collective kindness. Clear leadership. Swift action. Scientific approach. Vaccination programme. These are our tickets out of lockdown.
Together, we can do the mahi. But, as we go about this mahi, it’s normal to feel a bit off balance. Swirling whirling thoughts are my brain’s default setting during uncertainty. Other peoples’ brains default to sad thoughts, others to angry or blaming thoughts. Noticing where your brain goes is often the first step to putting the brakes on unhelpful thoughts. Then you can take some deep breaths and take a moment to regroup – or sit down and write a blog post about it.
Kia kaha New Zealand.
For helpful wellbeing tips during lockdown, check out the Mental Health Foundation:
https://mentalhealth.org.nz/getting-through-together/wellbeing-tips
