Hey! Got A Minute? Let’s talk about patience!
I’ll tell you straight, I’m REALLY tired of being in lockdowns. I’m tired of not being able to see my friends, tired of not being able to go where I want, when I want, tired of my kids not being able to see their friends because it’s driving them nuts. We’re all tired though. Right? I mean, it’s not just me. I know this because I’m seeing it on social media. I’m seeing everyone venting, I’m seeing friends having meltdowns on Instagram live, seeing people snap at each other in the grocery store…and that’s actually what I want to talk about today.
We’ve all been stressed for over a year now. We’ve NEVER been through anything like this, we have governments scrambling to try and figure out what to do, we’re being fed conflicting information courtesy of social media and the internet in general. It’s hard to know who to trust, it’s hard to plan more than a day or two ahead of time because who knows what’s going to happen with lockdowns, school and active case counts? We’re all on edge. Even those of us who don’t realize we are, are under a LOT of stress right now. This is something we need to keep in mind when we are dealing with each other. I’m seeing a lot of people losing their minds (figuratively speaking) online, people who wouldn’t normally ‘Troll’ or argue with others online are snapping. We can brush it off to a degree, we can chalk it up to stress, but it’s still really remarkable.
Here’s the thing though: The people that are snapping due to stress, are snapping at people who are also stressed out. The harried single parent who has been dealing with homeschooling for more or less a year, is no less stressed than the teenage cashier at the grocery store who is constantly being inundated with new covid protocols while literally surrounded by germs for their entire workday. Who is going to snap first? Is it justifiable for one of them to be short with the other? Who gets the justification nod? Well, as far as I’m concerned, neither one is justified. Sorry, but they aren’t. We are all dealing with a ton of crap right now but that doesn’t given ANY of us the right to be a jerk to someone else.
I’m not going to sit here and preach patience and compassion to you. You know this stuff and honestly, I’ve had my fair share of snarky moments over the last few months. All I can say is that when you do feel the ire starting to build, when you feel like you are ready to absolutely lose your mind on the person not wearing a mask at the grocery store, or standing too close at the LCBO…take a minute. Take a breath. And remember that this person did NOT create the stress that is the root problem of your anger. They aren’t to blame here, and even though the Coronavirus isn’t someone you can yell at and unfortunately, that’s where your anger belongs. Not with your kids or significant other.
This weekend looks like it’s going to be beautiful! I hope you have a chance to get outside, we have a LOT of nature here in Thunder Bay and you would be absolutely amazed at how much good walking through the trees will do for your mood and your mental health!
