zozobra?

Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup

That didn't happen to me, of course.  

I did almost fall out of bed.  I was way too distracted and preoccupied.  Add to that a nagging background anxiety.

It is comforting to know that there is a word that describes this package of emotions.  Zozobra.  Who knew!

Ever had the feeling that you can’t make sense of what’s happening? One moment everything seems normal, then suddenly the frame shifts to reveal a world on fire, struggling with pandemic, recession, climate change and political upheaval.

That’s “zozobra,” the peculiar form of anxiety that comes from being unable to settle into a single point of view.

It has been a long time since November 2016 to be in such a state of mind that has worsened over the four years.

The word “zozobra” is an ordinary Spanish term for “anxiety” but with connotations that call to mind the wobbling of a ship about to capsize. The term emerged as a key concept among Mexican intellectuals in the early 20th century to describe the sense of having no stable ground and feeling out of place in the world. 

Feeling out place in this world.  Phew!

Why only now?  How come I didn't feel this in, say, 2007?

[It] comes from cracks in the frameworks of meaning that we rely on to make sense of our world – the shared understanding of what is real and who is trustworthy, what risks we face and how to meet them, what basic decency requires of us and what ideals our nation aspires to.

In the past, many people in the U.S. took these frameworks for granted – but no longer.

The gnawing sense of distress and disorientation many Americans are feeling is a sign that at some level, they now recognize just how necessary and fragile these structures are.

So, ok, I have a name for this crisis.  But, ... what can I do about it?

Talking about zozobra provides something to commune over, something on which to base a love for one another, or at least sympathy.

I hope that we can collectively talk about love and sympathy from January 2021 onward.