Monday, May 11, 2020

Normal, the New Normal, and “Alright”

There will be seasons of our lives where being just barely okay is as good as we can reasonably expect. This is one of them

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By Robert Brink, Representative

I’ve always had a visceral negative reaction to positive-thinking memes and “inspiring” quotes. I think it’s just my personality.

I used to swim at a pool with a big poster of whales, under which was written in block letters: “If you have goals, failure is impossible.” “No,” I’d say to anyone within earshot. “That is the opposite of how failure works.”

Positivity quotes are especially hard to take during tough times. They often subtly blame people—often victims of systems and circumstances completely out of their control—for their own rough spot.

Many people’s current rough spot is due directly or indirectly to the ongoing pandemic. You can’t “positive thought” your way to your job back, an end to isolation from loved ones, or wish away a family member’s—or your own—serious illness.

There will be seasons of our lives where being just barely ok is as good as we can reasonably expect.

Hope is important, and gratitude is important. Looking for positives is positive. But nobody should be feeling bad about feeling bad, or for setting the bar a bit lower when it comes to getting though the day healthy.

We’ve all been told to expect a new normal as we crawl out of this crisis these next weeks, months, and years. Things will not immediately return to the way they were pre-COVID-19. Millions of Canadians are off work, and many will continue to be for a long while.

If we’re fortunate enough to be able to return to work, even with the best safety measures possible, we may be more anxious than ever. And some of those precautions themselves may get in the way of the social joy of workplaces and colleagues. Clients, customers, and coworkers may be tougher to handle than usual. Things might be kinda okay-ish at best for a while.

If you need help getting to okay, reach out for help from mental health experts. CLAC has made its employee and family assistance program available to all members.

In a documentary about his life, recently departed “Lean on Me” singer Bill Withers shared a bit of wisdom I can get behind. It won’t make it to any posters or Internet memes, but I think it should be said at every high school graduation:

It’s ok to head out for wonderful. But on your way to wonderful, you’re going to have to pass through alright. And when you get to alright, take a good look around and get used to it, because that may be as far as you’re going to go.

I hope we can all get to wonderful. But getting to alright and being alright with it might be a better goal for now.

Normal, the New Normal, and “Alright”

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