MOSSEL BAY NEWS - On Sunday, 11 July, South Africans listened as President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation, saying the high rate of Covid-19 deaths and infections necessitated the extension of level 4 lockdown.
The Covid-19 pandemic deprives us of personal contact and involvement in others’ lives. Isolation and the absence of interaction with others can be highly traumatic.
Best-selling author Alison James refers to traumatic events such as the death of a loved one or any circumstances where one is deprived of something dear to them, as "loss events".
"The pandemic created many loss events," says Barbara Muller of the Caritas Care Centre, who spesialises in narrative pastoral care.
Due to lockdown restrictions, it is often not possible to visit our loved ones.
"However, when we do have the privilege of paying someone a visit, social distancing rudely awakens to us the reality of separation, which causes emotional disconnection.
"This lack of togetherness creates a certain sense of loss and downheartedness."
British Swiss writer, Johann Hari (Lost Connections, 2019), speculated that feeling disheartened could be a form of grief, grief over our lives not being as they should. The outcome of any loss or traumatic experience (like the pandemic) ends in grief, the normal and natural response to loss.
Grief can be worsened by what people say. For instance, telling someone to "just get over" their disappointment, merely accentuates the sadness associated with loss. Listening with a loving and sensitive ear may ease their burden.
"We may also lessen the loss events by focusing on the uplifting narratives of how people’s unselfish and lovable actions reduced the distress of others, for example, stories of medical staff tenderly reaching out to patients and trying to ease the loss of their being without their loved ones in their last hours.
"If your loss has become too heavy to carry and you need assistance to manage your grief, you are welcome to contact us," says Barbara Muller from Caritas.
Call Caritas Care therapist Mandi Jonker (071 473 0507).
Grief can be worsened by what people say. Photos: Unsplash
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