My Reflection Over The Last Two Weeks

As I took time to reflect on what happened over the last two weeks, life has changed in ways that people could not have imagined due to COVID-19 around the globe. I still remember two weeks ago, Saturday 21st March afternoon when our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said these changing words:

“I have a very keen sense of the magnitude of this moment in New Zealand’s history and we did not take this decision lightly. But we all absolutely believe this is the right thing to do. If community transmission takes off in New Zealand the number of cases will double every five days.”

In all the conversations around the impact this has been happening on people around the world one group that has not been talked about yet is how this affects adoptees.

This is very important as people and experts are reporting already that people’s levels of anxiety are heightened due to the uncertainty and the economic impact this is happening on people. Adoptees on a population level, as a large group are on average twice as vulnerable to have higher levels of anxiety and mental health due to the uncertainty caused.

This is why all of us at I’m Adopted team we will be hosting next week Friday 10th the first I’m Adopted – Talk live Q & A where people can ask any questions related to this and other questions.  In the weeks following we are also scheduling a live Q & A on I’m Adopted – Talk where professional psychological experts will be sharing their advice and tips.

Two practices that I have engaged in that were really helpful were having a regular routine and adjusting to the uncertainty that this brings.

The most common advice people have been sharing is to have a regular routine and I have experienced that this works for me to. I structure my day by going for a run in the morning before work and appreciating the stunning sunrise that I get to see, and all the other things that are constant in my life that I’m grateful for.

Lastly, I have come to accept that when we are faced with uncertainty that the only way to deal with this is how one response to this. A quote by Viktor Frankel that was shared with me by a recent friend summarized this perfectly.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”