What is it like to live on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium during the lockdown when you need someone on the other side?

At the very beginning of the corona crisis, the ski season was cut short. Too bad for me, because I wanted to surprise a friend, who worked as a ski instructor, in Austria. After his unexpectedly early return to the Netherlands, he called me if he could drop by and talk about what happened. The reunion was very emotional after 4 months. Our conversation was about his feelings for his roommate, while my friend always thought he was straight.

A bottle of wine later the emotions ran high and we have been intimate with each other. We don’t regret what happened, but I was upset afterwards. I could not figure out my feelings. I remained restless. I didn’t know what to do. Was I fallen in love with a friend I have known for 6 years? We wanted to talk but meanwhile the borders were closed and we cannot see each other.

Contact with my NiceDay coach 

I had to get rid of my emotions and reached out to my coach. With a good chat conversation I slowly started to feel calm again and I was able to slowly place my emotions.

No matter how strong you are, sometimes you just need someone. Everyone ends up in situations where you just can’t make it alone. It is then important to share your feelings. I used to hold in my feelings too much. 

A few weeks later 

My grandfather’s health declined quickly. He was in poor health and died of double pneumonia. Since my grandfather had been in very poor health for over 2 years, I could have prepared myself for bad news. Fortunately, I had kept my good friends regularly informed over the past 2 years. In this way my friends could be ready to take care of me. The way I feel now, a few weeks later, I have acted well for myself. I was able to give grandfather’s death a good place.

The only thing that frustrates me is that the borders remain closed, I cannot talk to my family in a decent way and we cannot arrange practical matters due to the corona crisis. 

Tips to clear your head

Although I experienced a few downs in the corona crisis, I can still say that I am doing well. I am happy that I have already learned a lot from my past and that I have found ways for myself to process my emotions and clear my head. 

How you do that exactly is different for everyone. I like to share my ways:

•  Talk, talk, talk: it can sometimes be difficult because you don’t want to be a burden to people. But you can always go to good friends. A conversation often helps me the best.
• Headphones in, dog on the leash and running shoes on: to clear my head completely I love to go for a run.
• Put on relaxing music and read something light. When I feel bad, I will not read books about emotionally subjects.
• Crying: it washes away my emotions and it’s really no shame at all to cry.

Stay healthy!

Hug,

Bert