Many of us will be reflecting on our own and others mental health this week after Sunday’s marking of Global Mental Health Day. As part of my self-reflection, I want to share a word I learnt recently from my 12-year-old daughter. The word is liminal. For those of you who are like me and don’t have an extensive vocab it means transitional or as I like to think of it, the ‘in between’ times. I think it sums up this time of year quite well, the changing of the seasons and also our mental state right now in the Autumn 2021.
An author and speaker I follow – Amy Cuddy – has been talking a lot about Pandemic Flux Syndrome recently and although not a medical term I personally think it does sum up what a lot of us have been experiencing, psychologically speaking. After such a prolonged liminal state things are collectively taking their toll on our metal health.
Working with groups and individuals in a training and coaching capacity over the last few months we’ve noticed that the conflict of feelings and emotions individuals are experiencing is intense right now – and how very different views and feelings exist in close proximity to each other. The lack of government guidance has meant that individuals and organisations are creating their own rules and assessing their own levels of risk and this lack of consistency for many is hard to navigate. One large client is stipulating mask wearing, testing on site and limiting numbers in the communal kitchen areas while others are operating in much the same way as they were in 2019. Clearly many people are back to normal and eager to be back in the office, be in a lively pub and use public transport. Yet some are more cautious wearing masks, online shopping and testing constantly.
Pandemic Flux Syndrome can present itself in a variety of ways. For some of us it will be increased anxiety, for others fatigue. There can also be a real impetus for us to want to make large changes – move house, find a new job, change our appearance or start a new relationship. We are certainly fatigued – mentally and physical as we’ve been relying on our ‘surge capacity’ to get through so many new circumstances. We can’t keep going on that reserve indefinitely and need to take a break to recharge. We also may have assumed that being reunited with friends and having our calendars full again was going to be a transformational but actually it isn’t and we may feel slightly out of control as our lives become hectic once more.
So I believe we need to be more mindful of the mental toll we’ve been under – and be kinder to ourselves and those around us, as we continue to muddle through the aftermath of a long period of sustained stress and upheaval.