We’re still grieving the economy we’ve lost, whether we realize it or not: Interview with Marketplace Business News

As the country nears a third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss, stress and uncertainty caused by the virus have taken its toll on many Americans. And while some people are getting the aid they need, not everybody is able to articulate that they’re not OK.

“I think we’ve made some progress,” psychotherapist Megan Devine said. “But I certainly don’t think we’ve turned the ship around quite yet.”

Last December, Devine spoke with “Marketplace” host Kimberly Adams about the way grief was manifesting in the economy. “Marketplace” checked in with Devine again to see how that manifestation has changed after another year.

“If we look at what very often happens for people grieving a death, the second year is when it starts to sort of settle in that this isn’t changing. And it’s about that time that the people around that grieving person start to sort of move on with their own lives. They get back to things and they think that their grieving friend or family member should be all better by now.

I think we’re living in that as a culture. We can’t tell ourselves in six months it’s going to be better. We don’t know that. And so it becomes more about how do we live with uncertainty in a way that feels connecting, and what do we want to do to help ourselves live what we are being asked to live?”

Marketplace Business News might seem like an odd place for a discussion on grief, but as you’ll hear – grief is part of the cultural conversation right now.

Click here to listen to my entire interview with Marketplace Business News.

There’s a transcript available at the link too.