The Guilt of Being Okay
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Is it okay to exist okay when then many others are struggling? That seems like a silly question, when would it e'er not be okay to be okay? Merely the guilt of being okay is very existent – especially in the wake of a pandemic, when thousands of people are losing their lives and millions more are losing their livelihoods. It's a trying time for fifty-fifty those of us who are technically okay.
The Guilt of Being Okay
I'm not trying to downplay the suffering of all those that I mentioned. Information technology'southward overtly obvious that they have information technology a thou times worse than those of united states of america who are technically fine.
But that's where some of the guilt of beingness okay comes into play. We're worried and anxious and scared and don't know what'southward going on in the globe, only information technology seems immensely unfair for usa to stress about these things when then many others are in existent hurting. So then, we feel guilty for having those feelings. And nosotros also feel guilty for continuing to stress out well-nigh our seemingly mundane bug.
What Does Guilt Do to A Person?
Guilt can have a ton of negative effects on people. It affects some people physically, leading to improper hygiene, poor eating habits, and other destructive behaviors. Others are mentally afflicted, with guilt manifesting in feelings of shame, anxiety, and frustration.
When these feelings build up over time, they can outset to touch our self-esteem. We may feel inadequate, and nosotros may even kickoff to punish ourselves -either by assertive that we don't deserve success or by thinking that nosotros deserve to feel bad.
The guilt of beingness okay can manifest itself in whatsoever of these types of feelings. If any of this describes you and how you are feeling right at present, delight annotation that yous aren't alone. It's actually an incredibly common psychological response called survivor's guilt.
Survivor's Guilt
Clinically speaking, survivor's guilt refers to people who accept survived a traumatic issue: war, a machine crash, natural disasters, cancer, etc. Now I'm no psychologist, but I'd definitely wager that pandemic will be added to this list.
But permit's say y'all aren't feeling guilty about the pandemic then much as about the economy. You still accept your chore while thousands of others are filing for unemployment, unsure of when they volition encounter another paycheck. Technically speaking, I remember survivor'southward guilt is literally near surviving – but that doesn't hateful that the same concepts don't apply. I'd imagine that the same emotions and psychological complexities take identify when nosotros are talking nearly livelihoods equally when nosotros are talking about basic survival (once more, not psychologists of any kind – simply my armchair opinion).
Symptoms of Survivor's Guilt
If you are experiencing survivor'south guilt, yous may feel a variety of symptoms. They include obsessive thoughts about the event, irritability, feelings of helplessness, fearfulness, confusion, bug sleeping, lack of motivation, and even thoughts of suicide.
If you lot're feeling whatsoever of these things, peculiarly suicidal thoughts, please seek assistance. The number for the National Suicide Hotline is 1-800-273-8255, and they are available 24/7. Even if your symptoms aren't severe plenty to include thoughts of suicide, you should notwithstanding consider seeking help. Although nosotros tin can't become to in person therapy at the moment, there are tons of online resource available. You tin can find a wealth of resources on finding the correct online therapist for you here.
A General Feeling of Unease
Possibly your symptoms aren't astringent enough to exist considered survivor's guilt. Maybe you're just feeling a general sense of unease, and peradventure you feel guilty for doing normal things while others are struggling.
This is a very real problem, and information technology tin can happen to all of u.s.a.. I had my blog posting schedule for April all laid out in early March, merely as the pandemic was ramping upwardly and earlier so many people lost their jobs. But when it came fourth dimension to post about having an empty rental home, or paying taxes on my rental property, or basically anything that had to practice with being a landlord (which I had scheduled for this month), I had a sense of unease.
How privileged and out of touch am I if I'm writing virtually the mundane struggles of owning two homes and being able to pay for them when millions of people have lost their jobs and are unable to make payments on a single domicile? Why should I be in such a good position all the same when and so many others are struggling?
It'due south Okay to Exist Okay
The thing is, it's okay to be okay. It'south also okay to still have the mundane struggles that you had prior to the commencement of this pandemic – to take the same worries, concerns, and problems that y'all ever had. And I get that yous experience similar you shouldn't be allowed to, but give yourself permission. You are allowed to struggle, even if others have it worse. Anybody is on their own journey, and nobody else's pain minimizes your own.
That's non to say that we should flaunt our good fortunes though. At that place's a fine line between accepting that you lot are okay and bragging about it. It's okay that I'g still struggling with some of the normal challenges of being a landlord. But at the same time, I should acknowledge that there are tons of people struggling with tons of other things during this pandemic, and I should try to exist sensitive towards that. Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. I can do both. And you lot can too.
Means You Can Help
Sometimes, we feel guilty because we want to practise something, or feel like nosotros should be doing more. There are some ways that yous can aid. Hither's a modest and definitely not all-inclusive list of things you tin practice (and here are some more things):
- Donate to a charity – Project 100 is giving directly cash payments to families in demand
- Run errands for high risk members of your customs
- Make and donate masks
- Give thanks a nurse
- Put coin into the local economy by ownership local whenever you have the option
- Other ways to assist your community
- Support your blogging and freelance friends by visiting their blogs and using their affiliate links
- Cheer upwards your neighbors
- Stay home whenever possible and help foreclose the spread
Some of these things may non seem like much, but every petty fleck helps. Banding together and helping each other out in these trying times is a great fashion relieve some of that guilt.
If you can't assist, that'south okay besides. Taking intendance of yourself first is always the most of import thing. And if you are feeling extra stressed, check out my postal service on salubrious ways to handle it.
The principal thing I want to leave you with today is this: It's okay to not exist okay. It'south also okay to exist okay. And it's okay to experience guilty virtually beingness okay. Whatever feelings you are having are okay. Nosotros'll all become through this together.
Source: https://partnersinfire.com/lifestyle/guilt-of-being-ok/
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