In the short, the protagonist, an anthropomorphic, cartoon number 1 voiced by Rose eventually comes to terms with the fact that the flurry of emotions is going to cycle in and out of him for a long time. The more he works on accepting these volatile feelings, the less earth-shattering they become, and the more resilient he will be.
“It’s not just about the loneliness of wanting a romantic partner. A lot of it is the literally being alone,” reflects Rose, who is sheltering in place in the Central Valley town of Paso Robles. “When you have to be your own rock and you’re also feeling unmoored, it’s exhausting. And you have to come up with better coping strategies.”
Indeed, some psychologists have described life in the pandemic as a collective state of grief. Whether we’re mourning a personal loss or taking in the scope of the global tragedy, the stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance—are typically not linear, and come and go in waves. Making matters more challenging, the grief only becomes more compounded with each new report on the pandemic’s death toll and economic devastation. For many people, it’s an emotionally exhausting cycle that’s left them feeling stressed, depressed or depleted.
“Basically we’re all processing trauma, and the trauma hose has not been turned off,” says Rose. “We’re still in this precarious situation. We’re still scared. We’re still learning about this virus, and we’re trying to figure out what our new reality looks like and it’s shifting under our feet everyday.”
The creators of Going It Alone wanted to provide comfort, and to let viewers know that sheltering in place while single has its challenges, just like being cooped up with a spouse or entire family. Whether alone or with others, we all now have to find ways to cope.
“The notion that I can be OK currently as a single person living on my own and being content with that is a pretty new concept for me in my own life,” says Silvers, adding that she’s sometimes felt judged for not actively seeking a partnership. “It’s not an easy thing to accept because it goes against these kind of ingrained societal norms.”
To deal with life in the pandemic, Silvers says she’s been meditating every day and listening to talks and guided meditations by the psychologist Tara Brach. She and Rose decided to add mental health resources to the Going It Alone website, including links to Brach’s online offerings, the Open Path collective of sliding-scale therapists and the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-TALK.
The film ends on a hopeful note: the pandemic is temporary and the emotions this time brings, overwhelming as they may be, are temporary too.
“I just have to buckle in for the ride and stay present,” says Rose. “That helped me so I hoped it would help other people.”
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May 28, 2020 at 05:01AM
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Alone and Overwhelmed? This Short Film Has Some Tips for Sheltering Solo - KQED
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