Mapping COVID-19 Grief: A personal example

There are many different ways of ‘mapping’. The goal of the exercise is to visually organize your thoughts and feelings!

What are some of the moments you’ve experienced throughout the pandemic that are most memorable for you? Do you see experiences of grief in those moments? What are they?

Here is an example of a COVID-19 Grief Map that identifies particular moments/memories from throughout the pandemic that exemplify the experience of the grief at the time… We’ve written them out below to make it easier to see!

Picture of a person in bed, (bottom left corner):
Paralyzing anxiety & fear. “I can’t believe this is happening!”. Unable to get anything done.
[Intuitive/Feeling Grieving] [Loss-Oriented Grieving] [Depression]

Picture of a clock pointing at 3:30, with a screen in the background showing a person, a chart, and AHS:
Rollercoaster of emotions during the daily AHS COVID briefings, a key feature of those early months.
[Intuitive/Feeling Grieving] [Restoration-Oriented Grieving] [Anger; Bargaining]

Picture of a computer monitor showing 9 squares with people in them:
Discovering online tools that allowed for connection.
[Restoration-Oriented Grieving] [Acceptance; Finding Meaning]

Picture of a river with coniferous trees in the background:
Discovering the natural beauty of my neighbourhood on daily walks.
[Instrumental/Thinking/Doing Grieving] [Restoration-Oriented Grieving] [Finding Meaning]

Picture of a sun and a moon with arrows connecting them:
LOSING SENSE OF TIME. Struggling with the monotony of every day being the same, always home in our little space, never seeing new people in our home. Working constantly as a distraction.
[Instrumental/Thinking/Doing Grieving] [Bargaining; Depression]

Picture of an office set up in the foreground with a fridge and stove in the background:
Realizing that I would be working from home for many months so finally getting a desk or chair for my kitchen office.
[Restoration-Oriented Grieving] [Acceptance]

Picture of a chart showing a sharp rise in active cases:
Anger, frustration, despair at rising cases and hospitalizations during what became the second wave.
[Loss-Oriented Grieving] [Anger]

Picture of three large question marks:
Navigating the uncertainty of when this will get better… with lots of naps and the occasionally doomscrolling… and getting further behind on email replies!
[Loss-Oriented Grieving] [Depression]

Picture of hot cocoa in a takeway cup:
Socially distanced walks with friends…. a compromise.
[Restoration-Oriented Grieving] [Acceptance]

Picture of a large leafed plant in a blue planter:
Using the time at home to grow and tend to plants, and using this as a way to help process my feelings and actively care for another living being.
[Instrumental/Thinking/Doing Grieving] [Restoration-Oriented Grieving] [Finding Meaning]

Picture of A Toolkit for Grief:
Finding meaning and joy through collaborative projects like developing the toolkit to help others and their communities.
[Instrumental/Thinking/Doing Grieving] [Restoration-Oriented Grieving] [Finding Meaning]