COPING DURING COVID-19
Life continues. But it is certainly not the same as it was before.
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So much has changed since March 2020 when COVID started.
Parents of young children have been impacted significantly.
Ordinarily easy decisions have suddenly become a delicate risk-benefit analysis.
Parenting partners are beginning to differ in terms of risk tolerance and the calculus shifts weekly and monthly.
Childcare is less reliable due to the potential to quarantine classrooms with little notice.
Usual coping mechanisms have returned, in some form, but you do them with increased anxiety and they do not recharge you in the way they used to.
Feelings of failure are frequent because you are being asked to do the impossible.
I USED TO BE ABLE TO COPE & MANAGE VERY WELL.
COVID CHANGED THAT.
I hear this a lot. Pre-COVID, I heard it from the numerous clients I worked with as they talked about the transition to parenthood and how their time, energy and resources have shifted to taking care of the baby and away from themselves and their relationship with their partner. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have been reaching out more than ever for extra help processing the emotional toll placed on them by the steady state of uncertainty caused by COVID. The constant changes and updates associated with the pandemic make planning for the future incredibly difficult. For those who self-identify as "type A planners who are highly organized", COVID + Parenthood has delivered a "1-2" punch to your ability to cope and manage your anxiety. So yes, you did use to manage well in the past. But many things that existed "Pre-Covid" are not returning in their previous form, if they return at all.
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HOW CAN ONLINE THERAPY HELP ME?
Those who are able to adapt quickly are less stressed and less depressed on average. Online therapy can help you see your situation from a different perspective. It also provides you with essential quiet time each week to reflect on that is going on in your otherwise hectic and chaotic life. For most, you don't have time to put two sentences together coherently, let alone communicate what you are thinking or feeling with your partner. Therapy allows you time to uncover what is driving your feelings of uneasiness, anxiety, anger, frustration or sadness. And after you come to better understand it yourself, we will work together to develop a plan to help you find a new self-care routine that works for your current situation. And we will work together to help you more effectively communicate your needs to your partner.
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IT'S MORE THAN ANXIETY. IT'S PROFOUND GRIEF.
Grief is profound right now. Your daily routines were yanked out from underneath you in March 2020, with no concrete return date. You may not know when, if ever, things will return to "Pre-COVID" status. There is profound grief associated with having change forced upon you. It can trigger unresolved grief and trauma for sure. Many of us have also lost friends and family to COVID-19. All of us have had life disrupted. And some have had unstable relationship dynamics permanently impacted. Online therapy can help you make sense of what is grief exactly and how the events of the past 18 months are triggering these feelings. Online therapy can help you develop a plan to forge a path forward.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM ONLINE THERAPY
Online therapy is very similar to in-person therapy. It is highly effective. Your privacy and security are my top priority as well, so I always conduct online sessions over a secure and encrypted connection. We typically begin by identifying what you want to work on first and setting goals to work towards that. I also like to begin by working to better understand what you are feeling and experiencing so we can develop a tailored treatment approach to your unique situation. Sessions are either 45 or 60 minutes long. I also offer 30 minute sessions in select situations for those clients doing well who want to maintain regular check ins. The frequency and length of sessions may change during the course of treatment, depending on your concerns and how you are coping. Your treatment will be tailored to you!