Welcome to 2021. Well. This is the first post I have done in the New Year, mainly because I have been very busy. But also because – well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel that this New Year has been rocky thus far. And not very good for my mental health.
Backing up, the good news is that my current state of residence, Georgia, elected a Black senator and a Jewish senator!!! Yes!!! Both Democrats, which means that nasty Senior Majority Mitch McConnell is now Senior Minority! LOL I definitely love the irony there. The Democrats are now in control of both the House AND the Senate AND the Presidency!! And I am sure the Republicans don’t like that.
Speaking of, as many of you know by now on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, the day that Joe Biden was to be officially certified as the winner of the 2020 Presidential election, our U.S. Capitol was stormed by domestic terrorists claiming that Biden stole this Presidential election. Their aim was to “stop the steal,” which of course there was no steal. I don’t want to get into too much details, because I don’t wish to get into the habit of discussing political things on here unless it relates to mental health. So, I will end by saying that I personally was left with a feeling much like I had after 9/11.
First, of all I need to start by saying that my father worked for Pentagon for MANY years. He retired back in 2007. So, as you can guess he was there on that fateful day, on September 11, 2001. My family and I agonized over whether or not he was alive or dead. Numerous phone calls went back and forth. Well, trying to reach my mother in Washington, D.C. that day was impossible as we couldn’t get through. Anyway, fortunately of course, my father survived. But that feeling the day after — haha no pun intended – reference to the movie – that feeling I had was of loss. Despair. Uncertainty. Fear. Anger. Sadness. Again, loss. That is exactly how I felt on Thursday, January 7, 2021. I didn’t even want to get out of bed. And I realized in part, I didn’t want to blog or write or do anything. Oh and I was anxious. Cannot forget to throw that in there. After all, I do suffer from not only recurring and intrusive thoughts, but from GAD – Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I am better today than I was yesterday. But it was really tough.
As you all know, good mental health is vitally important for us to survive, to carry on with our lives, to work, play, interact with others, etc. To simply live and thrive. Without it, we are lost. And on Thursday, January 7, 2021, I just didn’t feel like doing anything at all. I am sure many of you can relate. I simply had to take some deep breaths and find a way to carry on. Do I still feel some of that anxiety, fear, loss, despair, sadness, uncertainty? Yes, absolutely. BUT the thing about me is I have always had HOPE. Things WILL get better!!!
That is all for now. And to quote one of my favorite actors and motivators, Sylvester Stallone – “KEEP PUNCHING!”
Later!
