You freaked out when you spilled your specially brewed coffee all over the bottom of the fridge. Then you got upset about being upset. Normally, it would have just been spilt coffee; you could get more; it’s only about cleaning it up, no big deal. But you were REALLY upset and felt out of control. What’s going on?!
“I only have first world problems. People are suffering so much more than I am! Who am I to complain!?”
Does this sound familiar? Perhaps you still have a job, friends, an intact relationship.
The weirdness of the silent, undetectable threat of a virus wafting through the air and all the attendant frustration, isolation and restriction of lockdown takes a toll. Now that we’ve got the vaccine, we are in an undefined transitional period. How long it will last? What will our work life, family life and social life look like as each week, month, and season passes? How do we plan?
This causes stress we experience in possibly unusual ways: fatigue, physical symptoms, disturbances in thinking, concentrating, and remembering; lack of motivation, large reactions to otherwise small annoyances.
How can therapy help?
Carrie says: “When I ranted to you about how I lost it when I was trying to talk to Aaron and he just kept looking at his phone, you didn’t judge me. I had felt like ‘I am just off the wall,’ but then I started to get a lot calmer as I realized how done I am with this whole lifestyle. I think I can approach him now and have a decent conversation. And I’m almost in the mood to get more exercise, haha!”
When we put our upset into words in the presence of an understanding person, the power of the upset diminishes and sometimes even disappears. Regardless of the reality of a situation, there is a sense of mastery. Sometimes solutions just pop to the surface. Other times there is just a feeling of relief, of more stability and balance.
TALKING HELPS. Your “first world problem” deserves attention. Period. AND, when we feel better, we can make a better contribution to those around us.