As individuals, a community and society we are not coping
When I left the house to go climbing on Saturday morning, 4 local government areas (LGA) in Sydney were in lock-down. By the time I came back to the car at around 3:30pm, the NSW government had announced a lock-down for Greater Sydney starting at 6 pm and for at least the next two weeks. I cancelled the dinner with friends that I hadn’t seen for 2 years.
The concept of lock down is not new. The last 18 months have given us enough opportunity to either experience it first hand or read and talk about it. Most of us have family and friends that have been affected by some kind of lock-down somewhere, sometime. We know - logically and rationally - that the shops are open and food will be on the shelves. We know this from previous experience locally, we know it from Melbourne and we know it from other countries. And yet, when I walked into my local grocery shop - and I live in the most western Sydney LGA, far away from the hot spots as they were on the day - the lines at the registers were 20 metres long and the shopping trolleys around me were filled to capacity. The couple behind me had 4 kg of washing powder and the trolley in front had 3 sets of 24 rolls of toilet paper. I am not judging, I am noticing. I felt forlorn and self conscious, with a bag of chips, some chocolate and an onion. I was the one getting funny looks.
My background is in compliance and reporting, so yes, I do or rather did numbers. Australia has a fairly enviable record in terms of cases and deaths, both per 100,000 and in absolute numbers. That’s what the numbers say and it is IN COMPARISON to global and country specific data. So as a country, we could say we are doing ok.
As individuals, not so much. I spoke to friends, none of them live in the hot spot areas of Sydney. They range from well-to-do to not-so-well-to-do, from their mid thirties to their mid seventies, from Australians to those who call Australia home. They feel flat, frustrated, angry, sad, helpless, cynical. Some of the non Australians are looking to leave the country they call home because of the travel restrictions.
As a community, and I am looking at my local community, the sight at the grocery store tells its own story. And that in spite of constant PA announcements that the grocery stores will continue to remain open and shelves stocked. I live in a good community, the people are normally friendly and helpful. Many people live in houses with gardens so we are not cooped up in apartments. We have a beautiful world heritage environment around us in which we can safely exercise – in line with the lock-down guidelines. And yet, the lock down which still allows shopping and exercise sends us into a downward spiral.
As a society, our consumption of alcohol has increased for both males and females. Stress, anxiety and burnout levels have increased, with Australia having one of the highest burnout rates globally. One in five Australians (19%) reported their mental health as worse or much worse than before COVID-19 and 72% of Australians used one or more strategies to manage their mental health.
The comparison to other countries means nothing to us as individuals in this scenario. And the numbers show that as individuals, a community and society we are not coping very well.
And before you fire against me, I chose Australia as my home and I am not sitting on a high horse. I have not seen my family in Europe for over 3 years. I was not able to attend my niece’s first communion, nor my mother’s 80th birthday. My mother is critically ill and there is a very high and real chance I won’t see her again either. I couldn’t celebrate a milestone birthday nor my 20th wedding anniversary. And my work too has been impacted.
All I am doing is calling it out that some or many of us are not coping on various levels. And I am also saying that you don’t have to face this alone. We are in this together. One of the strengths of humans is that we are social. In some context, that can work against us, as in being too competitive and not wanting to be seen as not being able to overcome a challenge. In another context, it works in our favour. Rallying together and building support systems. Acknowledging, sharing and talking about how you are feeling can help and bring perspective. Support services like beyondblue are in unprecedented demand because of that need. But they can’t support everyone and their services are not for everyone.
Horses for courses, as they say. Am I offering my service here? Yes. And I do so unashamedly, not because I want to or believe I can help everyone. Because for the right person, people or organisation, I can and will make a difference. Because I want to see you flourish in these times, not just cope.