So, how have you been handling all of this?

I looked up into the camera on my laptop screen at my health care provider. “Not very well. I haven’t been able to sleep. My mind won’t stop. It’s been 5 or 6 AM before I’m finally able to sleep, and if I’m lucky, I’ll sleep until 9 or 10.”

I understand. It’s because you know what’s coming next right? It’s because everyone else is bogged down in what is happening right now. The way your mind works, and knowing who you are, you’ve dealt with that, and you’re 10 steps ahead of everyone else.

I nodded and felt the relief well up inside me, filling my eyes with tears. One slipped out and made its way down my cheek. “I understand all of it. I understand history, because I’m a genealogist. Other people are worried about toilet paper, flour or a month’s rent. I have worked through all sorts of scenarios about how this will play out. I’ve thought about long term financial implications not only for our family, but globally.The problem is, I don’t see a clear solution… at all.” I carefully traced the wet under my eye so I wouldn’t smear my make-up. “What am I supposed to do?”

A crisis gives us the opportunity to develop resiliency.

I don’t know. But the difference between this, and every other crisis that you’ve been through is that everyone else in the world is experiencing it also. It might not be to the degree that you’re dealing with it, because of the way that you process things. It’s different, because it’s not just isolated to our country or to you. It’s everyone, and somehow, we’re going to get through this together. The first thing we need to do, is to make sure that you are able to sleep to manage your stress. Sleep will help you to be able to cope with this better. I know I haven’t written anything for you for a long time, but do you need me to write you a script?

I nodded, and felt relief for the first time since January. Not because of a prescription, but because finally, someone listened. Someone not only understood the bigger issue I was grappling with, but understood me. Finally, I felt heard.

Last night, for the first time in months, I slept well. I didn’t need the medication. I felt relief. I know that I will be okay… even if I don’t have an immediate solution, or the answer to how our world will be okay.

When we face a crisis, whether it is financial, physical, mental or a combination, we feel can feel overwhelmed with shifting emotions. We don’t choose the trials that are part of our collective human existence. We can choose how we deal with them. Our challenges can lead to growth. A crisis gives us the opportunity to develop resiliency.

Like you, I’ve faced a lot of crises throughout my life. Divorce, sexual assault, addiction, abuse, poverty, infertility, and major transitions have shaped my journey. These trials have been difficult to wade through, and threatened at times to swallow me completely when I have tried to escape. Each crisis in my life has always leads to growth when I face it directly. It makes it easier to know I am not alone. I can have a professional beside me, trained to share tools to help me cope with life’s challenges.

We are not alone. This collective crisis is an opportunity for us to become resilient.

Tell me, how have you been handling this?

Read more about giftedness in times of crisis. Click the link or graphic below.

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