The other night I was so depleted that I didn’t feel like doing anything besides Googling “pandemic fatigue.” Maybe I wanted to understand it better. Mostly I just wanted to know that it was normal.
I found just what I needed to hear in the Salon piece, "It’s not just you: Why everyone is super exhausted right now." It says that we’ve been in a state of chronic stress for a year now. And while it may seem strange that we can feel more weary just as we’re nearing the “after this,” it’s when we come out of survival mode that we have the headspace to process all that’s happened.
As that next phase begins, and as we start figuring out how to navigate our new normal, it helps to seek comfort in nostalgia. In our latest podcast episode, linked below, we quote psychology professor Clay Routledge as saying: “I believe many are turning to nostalgia, even if they do not consciously realize it, as a stabilizing force and a way to keep in mind what they cherish most.”
Gill and I have been finding comfort in the music of our early years, books we loved as kids, and connections with old friends – the ones you can pick right up with where you left off, no matter how much time has gone by. I’ve been texting pals about old memories that come to mind, and doing activities with my kids that I loved at their age.
I discovered the delightful Cash Register Alert newsletter that revels in 90’s and 00’s nostalgia and have been looping 90’s playlists (like 90’s Singer-Songwriters, 90’s Female Singer-Songwriters, and 90’s Mixtape) as well as music our parents played when we were kids, like The Beatles and Paul Simon’s Graceland.
We’d love to hear about what makes you nostalgic, and what kind of nostalgia you’ve been drawn to during the pandemic – hit reply and tell us. A trip down memory lane to happier and more predictable times can remind us of the blessings in our lives, and help us look forward to the memories we’ll make in the future.
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