It’s a time of turmoil.
That’s an understatement.
I learned a term recently that helped me understand what I was feeling: “cascading collective trauma”.
It was in an article in the Huffington Post:
Enduring a pandemic, racism, violence, misogyny, the erosion of rights and mass death is taking a cascading toll on American workers.
Source: There’s A Name For The Heavy Feelings You’re Carrying At Work Right Now
The article is focused on the impact of those feelings at work, but I don’t think there’s a dividing line between work and the rest of life in terms of our overall outlook. If you’re worrying, carrying a burden or trying to process something difficult, it’s always there, whether you’re at work, at home or somewhere in between.
I’m not “at the breaking point,” to quote a line in the article, but I did find it really helpful to know that there’s a term for what we’re feeling as we’re dealing with the weight of the mass tragedies, a pandemic and the changing fabric of our society.
“Trauma shows up in our bodies, and it can affect us in unseen ways,” which is so true.
My reaction when these external unbelievable events become too heavy (other than insomnia) is to withdraw into a bubble for a while. That’s what’s behind the turtle haiku post I made just a few days before reading this article and learning about cascading collective trauma.
I don’t have any answers, but it feels good to share the feelings of uncertainty and stress.
And, sunsets help. Hugs, too.
Don’t be surprised when you see happy posts from me in the coming days, as well. This life is a rich and complex quilt of joy, sorrow, peace, laughter, mundane things (mundanity?), stress, curiosity, happiness and love – and food, let’s not forget the food. These pages are here to share all of that, and more. When I’m not in my bubble, that’s part of my self care.
What’s yours?
© Glover Gardens, 2022
