# Summary

The author reflects on the evolving nature of life and society's collective grief in the face of recent global changes, particularly梦avirus.

# Abstract

The piece, titled "Thoughts by Myself #8," delves into the author's personal reflections on the transformative impact of historical events and contemporary challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The author nostalgically recalls a梦ex childhood of freedom梦ex and contrasts it with the current climate of security measures post-9/11, increased school safety protocols, and the looming threat of the virus. Acknowledging feelings of grief and uncertainty, the author references David Kessler's insights on the stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance—梦ex advocating for accepting and naming these emotions to process them healthily. The article concludes with an emphasis on梦ex embracing the evolving reality and finding梦ex power in acceptance and adaptive measures.

# Opinions

- The梦exauthor perceives the world as having undergone significant changes from their youth to the present, particularly in response to global events like 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
- They express a sense of grief and loss over the freedoms and safety of the past, which contrasts dream ex with the current feelings of fear and restriction due to the virus.
- The dream exauthor aligns with David Kessler's梦ex perspective on grief, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and naming one's emotions to move through them.
- They suggest dream ex that while the pandemic brings uncertainty and sadness, it also offers an opportunity for personal growth and accepting a new reality.
- The dream expiece encourages readers to梦ex embrace the concept that "Emotions need motion," promoting the active processing of feelings rather than resistance or avoidance.

Thoughts by Myself #8

Our Collective Grief — The World Is Changing.

Life is changing for Clavin. Sketch: Schoenhofer

Life was different when I was young. I was a free-range kid. In the morning, when I took off on my bike, my mother would remind me to be back for dinner at 5:00PM. I remember practicing hiding under my desk as protection from nuclear fallout at school. I remember getting polio shots too. The world is different now.

The world changed after the attacks on 9/11. Today, no one would think about going to an airport without going through security. TSA is a part of our lives.

School life changed after the shootings and deaths that occurred all over the country. School Resource Officers, metal detectors, and active shooter trainings are frequent and even mandatory.

I remember when I was 6'3" and weighed 180 pounds, and my hair was still brown. But I won’t go into that change here. Life is different.

I wonder how our lives will change because of this virus?

Some days I don’t do as well as others because of the grief I experience. I don’t know what is ahead, and I feel out of control. I am scared that people I know and love will die because of this virus.

It’s About Grief

The best thing I can do at the moment is to name my feelings of grief and loss. Then I can become more open to supporting my loved ones who are also experiencing feelings of loss.

The world’s foremost authority on grief, David Kessler, shares his thoughts on the stages of grief in his article, That Discomfort I’m Feeling is Grief.

All of us are responding to this situation differently.

1. Denial / Disbelief — This can’t be happening. This virus might just be like a terrible cold and won’t affect us very much.

2. Anger / Outrage and Blaming. This is ridiculous. Staying at home will wreck our economy. I cancelled all my travel plans and activities.

3. Bargaining / It’s all just temporary, right? Will we get back to the way it was before? Maybe after two weeks of social distancing, everything will be all right.

4. Sadness / Feeling helpless, hopeless. When will this end? Will it ever end?

5. Acceptance / Exploring options. This is a new reality. I have to figure out how to proceed from here. This is what I need to do to save lives.

According to Kessler, it is in the stage of Acceptance, where my power lies. I can find some control here. I wash my hands. I wear a face mask to the store. I keep a social distance. I work from home. The first step is to recognize and name that what I am experiencing is grief. Am I still in denial? Anger? Or have I moved to sadness? Acceptance?

Emotions Need Motion

If I name it and feel it, then the feeling can move through me. The work now is to name and accept what I experience in this moment and let it move through me. Otherwise, I will get stuck — what I resist, persists. We want to run away, look for someone to blame, pretend it isn’t that bad, hide our fears and anger and sadness. None of that is helpful. What is crucial is to Look — Name — Let it go. Then we are not victims.

The world is changing. Life will be different. But it’s not all bad.

Here’s another great piece from Michelle Thrill.

“Take a Deep Breath” — It Can Help You Relax

Breathe…just breathe…

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Stay Safe!