With the news of Victoria’s flash seven day hard lockdown last week, I’m reminded again what a yoyo of an experience this whole thing has really been. On one side I’m in Europe where measures against Covid were relatively mild… and I say relatively because the flip side of that coin was Australia where life in my home state basically stood still for months on end. At first I was thankful I was in Europe, where we were coming into summer and were safe – this thing would be over soon. It was lucky I wasn’t stuck in Australia in a hard-core lockdown. That would be awful. But then it flipped again. Europe hit the cooler months and Covid raged… while in Australia it was back to business as usual.
And there’s these words I keep hearing again and again… it’s not so bad…
Boo hoo, we can’t jump on a plane for a week in Mallorca. Boo hoo, we didn’t get to do our usual spa weekend at Christmas. Boo hoo, I have to get a covid test every 3 days just to go to the outdoor swimming pool. Boo hoo. These are all first world problems. Because… it’s not so bad. And because it’s… not so bad… you’re not allowed to be upset by your cancelled birthday plans or the fact that as a direct covid contact you’re now stuck in your house 24/7 with two kids a dog and a husband who’s taken up opera singing (it could happen). Because there are people dying out there, damn it! There are people who have lost their jobs! And you’re worried about a birthday party. Or a house lock in? Get a life!
Except that is your life.
I’ve said these words plenty of times, too. I’m being super duper positive. Covid sucks, but it’s not so bad. Yes, I have to take extra time out of my day to get tested; yes, I can’t make any long term plans; yes, I don’t know when I’ll be able to see my parents again… but it’s not so bad.
But the thing is, every one of these little not so bad’s that you’re not really allowed to whine about can add up into a whole lot of big bad. So I think it should be ok to vent every now and again; to feel a little bit down that your birthday party got cancelled; to not be 100% ok all the time; even if your problems are… like mine… mostly first world. I think it’s still ok to acknowledge that it sucks to have plans cancelled, and it sucks that there’s a tightening noose around your freedom… even if it doesn’t ruin your life.
So stay with the positive attitude. Give yourself a pat on the back if you’ve been able to grimace and then remind yourself that it’s not so bad. But also give yourself a break from the guilt. Because it’s not so bad, but it’s still disruptive.
And if you’re someone who is finding that the all the insignificant not so bads are stacking up… I hope you’re ok. Talk to someone, get some fresh air, and do whatever it is you can to rise out of the funk. It’s not over, but it will end. It has to.
an aussie in austria 