The Week of Banana Bread

This has been a tough week. I can feel it. Both as a therapist and as a human being. In speaking with my friends, family, and patients, there have been mixed feelings across the board. I’m even struggling as a mental health provider to find a way to package advice to the general public, because people are being impacted so severely in different ways. I know people who have lost family members to COVID-19; I know people who have been sick; I know people who have lost their jobs; and I know people who are feeling really helpless and isolated. I also know people who report feeling “okay today but yesterday was hard.”

Social media has become, as always, both a comfort and a stressor. The spectrum of emotions is apparent on Instagram in the form of this week’s newest phase of baking banana bread. People either seem to be proudly showcasing baked goods or mocking the concept with eye rolls and jokes. It sounds a bit trivial and silly, but I do think it represents the wide range of how people are both feeling and coping.

Below are thoughts/feelings that others have shared with me over the past week:

Overwhelmed

Anxious

Bored

Frustrated

Grateful

“Being a mom is brutal right now”

“I had a great day with my kids today”

Irritated

Isolated

Helpless

Scared

Angry

Sad

Safe

Heartbroken

“I’m not doing enough”

“Others have it worse and I shouldn’t complain”

Supported

Loved

Numb

“I see everyone making banana bread and I don’t get it”

“I made banana bread today and it was the best day”

It almost seems that each week offers a new challenge or an additional wave of emotions. And you may be riding a different wave of emotions than other people in your closest circles. And that’s okay. Maybe we should take things week by week. Maybe mental health advice will shift as we all shift through this stressful time, together. I do know that through all the emotions, hopefulness is something that we can collectively grab onto. And right now, that may be something really small and simple. So, my advice for getting through this next week:

Find your Banana Bread.

For some, literally. For others, something that offers you a pause, a positive feeling, or something to look forward to.  Write it down as your tool for the next day.