In March 2020 we were locked down to contain COVID.
Unfortunately, no one could have foreseen the emotional side effects.
There are several ways people have been affected:
- Being locked away has resulted in some people being unable to feel safe around others.
- Many do not want to return to their place of work because home feels ‘safer’.
- Self-harming and anxiety, in teenagers, have increased as bullying has escalated online.
- Many relationships have broken down as families have been forced to be with each other 24/7.
We are not used to being in the same space day in and day out with our partners and families. We went from having jobs and school to attend to suddenly plunged into the unusual situation of having to be with each other without a break.
For some families, where a person was away on business frequently, it bought them closer together. However, in many other cases, the pressure was too much, and the result has been abusive and violent behaviour.
In my experience, this behaviour didn’t just appear.
It took these exceptional circumstances to bring to the surface unresolved trauma from the person’s early years. Suddenly being together all the time shone a light on everything that was wrong with the relationship and because there was no escape, ‘fuses blew’.
Unconscious emotional patterns can remain hidden for many years. They may come to the surface and things often get uncomfortable when a change needs to occur.
The world is going through rapid transformation. I believe that all the above side-effects are a reflection of our wider world and the need for change in our lives.