Planted, Not Buried

 

I have been surprised multiple times over the past couple of months by the way one phrase can have a truly profound effect on me.  I've been feeling the winter slump especially hard this season, which definitely has something to do with the COVID-19 pandemic and the length of time that we all have been feeling off.  I've always been somewhat effected by the darker days of the frigid winter because I feed off of the energy of the sun and my ability to be outside in nature.  But this season is different.  

Whatever effect winter normally had on me or the average individual in a regular year seems entirely multiplied.  We've all been staying at home, wearing masks, working remotely, not having social gatherings and generally just being isolated from anything that is normal for over a year now.  Add in some darkness at 4pm, freezing temperatures and news stories that continue to posit that we aren't out of the woods yet, and it makes sense why this season seems even more like trash this year.

Negative feelings aside, I know that looking to the future and being hopeful ARE the best options when I find myself in a challenging space.  Of course, this is easier said than done.  Something that I've personally found surprisingly helpful is the words of the many Peloton instructors that I've been riding with in my home.  I never really know when a phrase is going to be just what I need to hear, until it happens.  Most recently, that phrase came from Kendall Toole.  She isn't an instructor that I've taken rides with too often, but I do like to add in a ride or two of hers here and there.  During this ride, she was talking about mental health and how human it is to get into a funk and struggle to get out.  She then said that it is important to remember that 'You are planted, not buried.'  Buried insinuates an ending, something that is over and done with.  Planted, however, speaks more to beginnings or laying in wait until one is prepared to pop above the ground.

I am, unfortunately, not alone in my struggle during this dark winter.  A survey by the US Census Bureau taken in December showed that 42% of people reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, up from only 11% the previous year.  It seems that younger people are more vulnerable during this time because they have a stronger need for the social interactions that are currently absent.

On a positive note, researchers are trying to take the opportunity to see if they might be able to identify which COVID- control measures 'such as lockdowns or restrictions on social interaction — reduce or exacerbate mental-health stress, and whether some populations, such as minority ethnic groups, are disproportionately affected by certain policies. That could help to inform the response in this pandemic and future ones.'  One such study, called the COVID-19 Health Workers Study, includes 21 countries.  This study hopes see geographical differences that identify how quality of mental health services, availability of social care and poverty levels have affected the reactions.

Some scientists specializing in recovery, Sabine Sonnentag and Charlotte Fritz, have taken this time to highlight how extended periods of stress, such as this pandemic, make recovery necessary.  I found their work interesting because they spoke about there being a difference between recovery activities and recovery experiences.  Recovery activities are what you do in your leisure time.  Recovery experiences are what you need to experience during and after those activities to truly recover.  These two researchers identify 5 different types of recovery experiences.  They are:

1. Psychological Detachment - fully disconnecting during non-work from work-related tasks or even thinking about work issues
2. Relaxation - being free of tension and anxiety
3. Mastery - challenging situations that provide a sense of progress and achievement
4. Control - deciding yourself about what to do and how to do it 
5. Enjoyment - process of deriving pleasure from seeing, hearing or doing something

Of these recovery experiences, psychological detachment is the most important.  It also would appear to be to most challenging.  Many of the other experience seem to be more based on distraction, while the psychological detachment involves mindfully avoiding thoughts of work.  

This idea brings me back to the quote that struck me.  Being planted, the time before one sprouts, can be seen as the time where we are really working on ourselves.  It requires focus and effort, just like trying to psychologically detach to recover might.  It also sometimes takes longer than we want it to...  But, I do believe that we have the capability to find our own peace.  So for now, I chose to believe that I am planted, not buried.  And the time to bloom is approaching soon.  

-Vicky