“I definitely had one or two meltdowns,” says
Lopez, 32, who is still experiencing symptoms
but feels she’s on the mend. “Which I look
back and realize is so silly, considering what
people are going through.” But now, she
says, wedding planning has become therapy:
“It went from making me insane, to keeping
me sane.”
Making plans. In normal times, it’s a process
we don’t really think about. But during this
pandemic, the process of planning — be it a
short-term grocery list or organizing an entire
summer wedding — has taken on an entirely
different meaning, serving for some as a life
preserver amid all the fear and uncertainty.
It depends on the personality. Some people
thrive by living in the moment. But others really
need their plans.
“For many, having schedules and structure
and timelines and things they can count on
is important. Knowing they can count on
something happening gives them security,
some stability, some purpose,” says Helen
Park, a family therapist, social worker and
specialist in mindfulness.
In current conditions, Park notes, even non-
planner types are seeking ways to organize
their lives. If you’re hunkered down at home,
suddenly Friday doesn’t seem like Friday
because the weekend hardly feels different.
Monday morning carries little of that back-
to-the trenches feeling, even if a Zoom call is
waiting at the kitchen table.
On social media, jokes abound about this
unsettling sense of timelessness.