For those still recovering from quarantine...

You are not alone. 

Maybe you’re sick of hearing about COVID, and I wouldn’t blame you. Whether you were hurt physically, financially, psychologically, or all of the above- one thing is for sure, you are definitely not alone. 

I specialize in coaching high school and college age students. Some of them struggled during quarantine, others are struggling with adjusting to life post-quarantine. Depending on your personality, this may or may not make sense to you. Some people are comfortable with staying indoors, and for others it’s their worst nightmare. But regardless of your introversion, (or lack thereof) there have been a few themes that you may relate to. 

Motivation. I keep hearing over and over again that over quarantine people just “lost it,” and they’re struggling to get it back. If this is you, I invite you to consider why this may be. Perhaps you’re just out of routine, or you’re not exercising or eating enough. But chances are there are deeper themes at play here. 

Did something happen during quarantine that you feel may have traumatized you a little bit? 

Let’s take a step back for a second. In clinical psychology, Trauma (with a capital “t”) is what happens when you’re faced with a real or perceived threat of harm or death. For some of us, this was (or is) very real. Maybe you or a loved one got sick, maybe someone close to you died. I think it’s understandable why you may be distressed for awhile after an event like this. 

But then there’s what we call “lowercase ‘t’ trauma.” These are things that cause similar levels of distress, but the causes may not seem like your conventional traumatizing events. For many of us, quarantine fits this description. Maybe your family fought so much during quarantine that it caused a rift between you and your spouse or kids. Maybe your business took a serious hit, or you weren’t able to adapt to the new environment COVID created. Maybe you were already struggling with stress that became greatly exacerbated by the sudden onset of quarantine. 

Whatever the case may be, I think it’s safe to say that many of us are still recovering. 

If this is you, first and foremost remember to be gentle on yourself. A lot of harm is done when one tells themselves, “I should be able to get more work done,” or “I should be able to make more money than this.” At Mission Driven Advisor, we call this “should-ing all over yourself.” 

With a little self-compassion, some adaptability, and perhaps a lot of coaching- the motivation will come back. 

Don’t forget to ask for help when you need it; we are here to guide you through it.