We are experiencing difficult days. We are isolated in our own homes, the number of infected and deceased by Coronavirus-19 are getting higher every day, the pictures of military trucks taking the coffins out of Bergamo were really shocking, and so are the reports of doctors, nurses, policemen, supermarket employees that have to bear a very heavy workload with almost no means to prevent the spreading of the disease.
Our mood is constantly changing during the day, we switch from joy to sadness in a blink of an eye, we sing from our windows to warm our hearts and feel a little less lonely.
Some people followed the government ordinances very carefully, others needed more time to understand how serious the situation is, but little by little the dramatic news on tv sowed the seed of fear and won their need for freedom. Others, unfortunately, are just hopeless: they leave their houses for no reasons and, in some cases, have move to other areas to enjoy their second home. I’d like to think that they really don’t realise that their negligent behaviour jeopardises the health of so many people, but I sadly have to admit that my friend’s the theory is right. María José thinks that some people live and feel strange, where strange means “My needs are more important than everyone else’s”.
We have only been on lockdown for ten days now and our tempers are getting shorter. We get angry with people who stock up on food and supplies because they are not being supportive of other customers, but at the same time we lose it with people who buy only a few things every day because they often leave their houses. We get mad at people who take the dog out to pee twenty times a day and at those who go out to do sports. We are receiving tons of fake news on our social networks: steam can cure the virus…oh, wait! Steam is bad for your asthma!
We are at home and not working (most of us) and we end our days more tired than before! It is, however, mental and emotional exhaustion.
We are in the grip of our innermost fears: illness, death and loneliness. This cruel virus makes everything worse because people get sick and die alone. People pass away without the possibility of being taken care of by their relatives and having a decent funeral. Our subconscious mind is being controlled by these phobias and our attitude switches oddly from singing out of the windows and shouting “Good night!” to our neighbours to attacking anyone behaving inappropriately.
This is only the eleventh day of confinement and it looks like it’s going to be a long distance race that will not last just a few days. This virus has come into our lives to teach us to look in our hearts and be aware of our emotions. When we connect with our feelings, we will be free to accept them without being under their control. If you think that it is a difficult task, I recommend a yoga exercise that never fails and is as old as the hills: remain silent, close your eyes and breathe. Focus only on the breath, every time you inhale and exhale your emotions will emerge and you will be able to face them.
I can’t think of a better wish for the people that are fighting for their lives in the hospitals, for the mothers locked down at home with young children, for the elderly that are home alone and are frightened by the news, for the exhausted health operators, for those who have lost their jobs and are feeling hopeless: breathe, I beg you, breathe.