Few could have predicted the way that Covid-19 would wreak havoc on our lives. Covid-19 has become now a marker of time, distinguishing what life was like prior and what life is like now. As the world begins to slowly “open back up” and as we enter into summer, many are beginning to test the waters of this new unknown. As we embark into the official start of summer, surmounting questions arise such as how to keep children entertained during the summer months without day camps, parks and outings? Some may be contemplating how to possibly continue working from home or what a return to work or school will look like? Nearly everyone has financial concerns and fears about the economy and on a personal level people are resourcing new ways of coping in these unprecedented times. As we sit in contemplation, it takes few by surprise to be met with compounded emotions of nostalgia, longing and sadness, highlighting further a discrepancy between what is no longer and the normalcy that we crave. As we transition into this “new normal” many can agree that we do so, but not without difficulty.
In Dialectical Behavioral Therapy there is a concept called Radical Acceptance. For those familiar with DBT, it can be said that we are always striving to balance acceptance with change. One of the ways that we reduce suffering and distress as odd as it may seem, is simply by leaning into it. To illustrate how this is done and the benefits of doing so, first it is important to examine: