This Mental Wealth Trialogue event was the third virtual one to take place during Covid 19, on 28 March, as part of the Mental Wealth Academy programme funded by Awards for All, National Lottery. Ten people attended. Artwork is by Claire Holloway, inspired by themes brought up in the discussion.
Question – ‘How can we trust ourselves and others when our power is compromised?’
What does this mean to us today?
Things have moved so fast
Some don’t consider they have any power at all, the future is uncertain. In the area I live there has been more consideration eg when walking around.
It’s as if I have the plague changed to no they are doing it to be kind!
This is a bit of personal power.
We tend to do the things the gov suggest.
Soon we can meet in groups outside again, this will be a bit of power back
We can be considerate. The power of consideration for others.
Question is hard
Power being compromise, the uncertainty that there is about the rules.
I feel I have become more and more obsessed with what the rules are as a guide for what to do.
Not clear where the rules come from and still when have C19 symptoms can find that we can;t go along with meeting new people.
This affects MH as there is a certain increased acceptance and agreement for the rules that I have sunk into as a relief from trying to decide myself what should happen. At the beginning got all worked up about what should or should not happen but feel more and more that I don’t know anything.
Feels like we have little power
It is compromised, most struggle with the uncertainty thing. Members expect certainty and none of us know. When can we…. we have to constantly adapt.
As we can’t have that certainty we can’t have the power.
Uncertainty has always been there and the draw to fall back into the rules being presented could make us vulnerable to erosion of our rights as citizens.
We have got so used to not having to go anywhere, we try and make a timetable once we can go out have to think in a more complicated way about how to manage my time.
Excited but also nerve wracking to be mixing with people again.
Apprehensive about going back out there, is this about trust? Nervous and worried and not sure how to do it
Life has changed so dramatically that the thought of another change feels really difficult.
Swimming is a life line and not being able to has been difficult. Wild swimming not always an option if not so young. Some choices are not quite choices.
Sinking into the rules – this is worrying. Like a retreat from the world. Worried about the rights of people and the
power shift that is going on away from ordinary people. It is so hard to get a handle on that somehow.
Our worlds have shrunk
We can discuss things with others in person and only option really now is to discuss things in zoom or something but even then the discussions do not feel so multidimensional.
The what if of life feels very dominant
Positive risk taking is harder right now
Balancing up the risk of surviving vs living and when we reach that point.
Is everyone abiding by the rules now? Possibly not
Pressure around uncertainty and
Those who are compromising our personal power are the politicians
Linking the virus to the ways in which we have abused the plant etc. So I joined the green party.
What can we do to try and make the planet and our lives better?
It is about our response to the world. Can feel a bit rebellious against the politicians but not the health service people.
We can relate more to nature and improve our wellbeing. The only party doing this is the green party.
How do we trust ourselves?
Personal responsibility, that has been compromised and this erodes your personal choices. Others attitudes also influences, curtain twitchers. Being seen to be too cautious or to risk taking.
We can be bound up by what others think of us and so find it hard to stick up for what we think is right for us.
We all have different ideas of what is right and what is balanced so we all have different ideas of what is right for ourselves and others.
Linking this back to community mh and what are we going to do
With the pandemic there is a much higher demand on MH services and this is likely to grow as the fallout of the pandemic grows over the last decade.
Loss, bereavement, not being able have the cultural send off, funerals and other rituals that we use to mark occasions. Lost jobs, financial worries, health issues as a result of the virus etc.. it is overwhelming.
The issues around trust are really critical.
Literature re post pandemic and
Community approaches to well-being and community rebuilding which will rebuild the trust. This judgementalism that goes on really damages that.
Sense of power is threatened, autonomy is compromised and need to trust each other and community in this and this is in some ways eroded although there has been some connections too.
Polar shift, so feels like we are in limbo.
Previous communities are eroded but new area of autonomy and have met new people and connected in new ways so now we long for the old but are scared of it and feel quite comfortable with the current but starting to feel tired of it.
Mixed feelings
Question for next time
Getting more exercise
Risk taking, how to manage risk
Power and trust what to do in the situation when you canot trust. Suspension of disbelief where you are quite happy that the author has a 3 headed dragon in his bag.
Can we say that we give people opportunities so we don’t trust and see what the outcome is?
Allow people to prove themselves