Dealing with pandemic fear, stress and future-trauma - a conversation with Amanda Rykaart.

"You are watching people go through withdrawal from the emotional addiction to the myth of certainty." - Ashley C. Ford / @iSmashFizzle

In this episode we talk to Amanda Rykaart, a registered trauma counsellor with 20 years of experience. 
In this conversation we talk about:

• How the pandemic is different from normal trauma, in that we can see that the worst is yet to come, and we have to watch it happen in slow motion. 
• How president Ramaphosa became a father figure to us, only to be undermined by the rest of his government, dealing a major blow to our sense of safety and hope for the future. 
• How that level 4 lockdown has led to anger, bitterness and outrage on social media - a coping mechanism for many.
• How creative freelancers and others should manage their expectations for both the quantity and quality of their output, and give themselves a break when necessary. 
• How by facing COVID-19, we are facing our own mortality, and that's no small thing. 

Finally, we talk through some effective self-care strategies for managing your anxiety and stress during this time.
I think what I learned from this talk from Amanda is that although there is no silver bullet to escape the trauma we're in right now, and no one has the answers, we are all in this together, and one thing we CAN do is try to be empathetic with those around us.
Everyone is scared, and everyone deals with fear differently. Sometimes with aggression, sometimes with outrage, sometime by shutting down and turning inward. Let's try to be even more understanding during this time.

Resources:
Amanda's article on Therapy Route
If you'd like to connect with Amanda, you can find her on LinkedIn or Facebook, or you can email her at arcounselling@iafrica.com