Sue started out quietly telling me that she was out of work and didn’t know what she wanted to do. Besides the pandemic and losing her job it had been a very difficult year personally. Her mother is losing her memory and she has had to move her into nursing care. Her husband has cancer. Insurance is costing them $3,000.00 per month and they could lose their home. Her children and grandchildren live far away.
Then the tears came. She apologized. It’s OK, I said. You’ve had a very tough year. It’s OK to need to cry. Then I lead her through a short breathing exercise. Afterward she was calmer.
With a clearer head Sue said that she recognized that most important was to find some kind of job with insurance and that she had a sudden realization that she could find a job through her past employer.
It’s been a tough year, and it’s not the final solution, but what if we start by taking some deep breaths?
Last modified: January 10, 2021
