One psychotherapist says recognizing discomfort early on can help ease people to adapt
TORONTO -- While the pandemic has changed many aspects of everyday life, some may be struggling to cope with that change.
Samuel said underlying dread and anxieties may slowly grow over time if one finds themselves in an uncertain situation, including a global pandemic. She says it is these feelings that push people to change. "If you have joy at one end and pain at the other end, if you block the pain, you also incrementally block the joy, so you live in a very kind of flat line existence," she continued.
"Do the things that actively support you and allow the change to come through your system and then you do naturally adapt. But if you try and kind of push against it, you hurt yourself more," she said. "We need our village, we need the people at work, we need our friends, we need fun, and so everything that we need as human beings is poured into one person," she said. "And I think everyone feels very worn out."
Samuel added that having structure to one's day can also assist, in addition to doing small, achievable tasks.