How often has one of your friends said to you”what planet are you on?” Iknow that has been asked of me many times. Sometimes it’s a joke, and other times its because we may be behaving unrealistically, or are somehow just out of it!
As circumstances re the pandemic continue to effect and restrict our lives it can feel surreal. These kind of feelings are due, in large, to the insidious trauma which has never gone away, we can feel so many negative feelings or literally feel frozen maybe moving as a zombie, carrying out our basic life needs without enjoyment or engagement there is a danger of becoming ‘stuck’ which is not helpful with our ongoing health needs.Being ‘stuck’ is a complex matter which I hope to address in ongoing blogs with the view to helping those of us who are able to manage this situation, feel better and live safely.
While walking down the street the other day I passed a new ‘Bonka’s shop on the high street ,and again I asked myself, ‘what planet am I on? There was that surreal feeling around it seemed that my feet and those of others did not quite touch the ground, and the very name of the shop was so foreign to the surroundings it emphasised the strangeness. It would be a bit far fetched to say that , at any moment I was waiting for aliens to come out of it, or at the very least, some giffgaffs doing an unconnected continuous dance, but there is a useful point here, we are living’out of it’ at times on another planet, so to speak.
I decided to visit the ‘nemisis’ and tackle it head on, after all why should I walk on my toes and not flat on the ground? I gathered my courage and entered, my! what a strange place?There was a sickly smell of sweetness, and strange items in the glass cases, no bacon sandwiches here! I asked about what they stalked and a very nice girl explained their produce to me. I pondered a moment and then excused myself.
You may feel, and you’d be justified, that this is a strange conversation,almost mad, I am trying to get you to see that the feelings of strangeness can be tackled by knowing what they are and doing what you need to, and or can to own them and find a way to cope day by day.
We all live in sane and insane places but we do not necessarily break down we can control and rationalise whats happening to us. The place ‘Bonka’s had new and strange things inside, it was not completely ‘Irish’ a new planet , if you like! However it also contained new acceptable things if you could trust and explore them If you feel stressed and think you are losing it, it’s quite likely you can take appropriate action to manage your stress and overcome it.
GROUND YOURSELF FEEL THE EARTH BENEATH YOUR FEET TRY TO GIVE EYE CONTACT FROM BEHIND THE MASK.M ore this next time.
aoibheann thoughtful reflections 