Seven Stages of COVID-19

I am depressed, confused, angry, frustrated, hurt, disappointed, and afraid. For those familiar with the seven stages of grief that are often experienced after the death of a loved one, you may understand my analogy in calling this set of emotions the “Seven Stages of COVID-19”. After all, for months now we have all been experiencing death – of people, jobs, once-in-a-lifetime events and traditions, and pretty much all of life as we knew it just a few months ago. We are living a new normal and, like the death of a loved one, it is virtually impossible to find any solace for the pain most of us are experiencing. Our lives will never be the same again. We are grieving.

But the trigger for my feelings isn’t just the COVID crisis. You see, I could also call these same emotions the “Seven Stages of Reading Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic by my Friends and Family on Social Media”.

It seems COVID isn’t just a threat to our respiratory systems. Apparently, this nasty novel coronavirus also stealthily invades our hearts and minds – often turning polite, rational, intelligent people into mean, spiteful, unreasonable commentators who seemingly fail to care that they are unleashing their own Seven Stages of COVID-19 on people who are hurting just as much as they are. Even if you believe that this disease is nothing more than a media fantasy or an election-detouring conspiracy, you can’t deny that it has seriously aggravated the polite (said facetiously) political discourse that regularly runs rampant on social media.

I have long had a personal policy to comment publicly only in response to cute animals, small children, and vacation photos. I make no apologies for my “lack of like”, refusal to cut-and-paste, or my silence on all matters of personal opinion or politics.  I’ll admit I often find it difficult – earlier this week I crafted a lengthy reply to a dear family member who posted an article that I personally found to be misguided and offensive. But before I could even add the last triple explanation point, my PC battery died and my righteous indignation went up in a cyberspace poof. Thank God. I almost risked hurting someone I love for no reason except a misplaced desire to “set him straight” or even better, tell him which group of people he aligns with are clearly morons (another name-calling post I restrained myself from responding to).

Life on land during the COVID-19 crisis has had its share of challenges for this sea-loving mermaid.  I long for the day when I can exchange my facemask and hand sanitizer for a snorkel mask and sunscreen. Yet my personal wishes pale in comparison to my concern for my children and grandchildren, who must live in a world that has been on hold for so long – it will be a difficult recovery and we have no idea the repercussions. So yes, I am depressed, confused, angry, frustrated, hurt, disappointed, and afraid. But I promise not to take it out on you in angry social media blasts. And I pray that you will pay forward that same courtesy. We are all swimming upstream together.