Normal human responses to a global pandemic that do not need to be pathologised or treated as abnorm

Not everyone adjusts to change and difficult circumstances in the same way. It's not uncommon for people to experience a loss of resilience that makes coping feel difficult. Experiences like intrusive thoughts, stress, self-harm, difficulties with food, feeling 'negative' and chronic illness may feel difficult to manage. It's not unusual for difficult thoughts, feelings and behaviours to surface and feel out of control. For many people there are processes that reflect stages of grief: anxiety, anger, denial, shock, gradual acceptance and ways of adapting to change (note:the process isn't as linear as it sounds!). What matters is making space for the difficulties you are feeling and applying self-care in whatever form that takes for you. Guidance that tells us we "should" act in a certain way or information that pathologies' difficult emotions isn't helpful or compassionate. If you feel like you are struggling, it doesn't mean that you are "weak" or "ungrateful", you are a human facing a global crisis which can be considered a collective trauma.