The pandemic has taken a huge emotional toll on everyone from lockdowns to quarantine and all the travel restrictions imposed upon us. Our emotions have gone up and down like a rollercoaster. One minute we’re loving lockdown and the ability to work remotely, the next we’re crying with anxiety wondering if the world will ever go back to normal. We get excited about breathing fresh air without having to wear a mask, then some new variant comes along and mask mandates get reintroduced. Hence the term “coronacoaster” – because that’s what it feels like to ride the pandemic rollercoaster.
Coronacoaster is found in the Collins Dictionary, albeit it as a new word suggestion, and is defined as “the severe mood swings experienced during the coronavirus
– every day is a ride on the emotional Coronacoaster” (AustinAllegro).
The Urban Dictionary entry for coronacoaster is “when your emotions are on a rollercoaster due to all of the news each day about the Corona virus.
– I wake up and I’m in a good mood, then I watch the news and I start crying – Wow, you’re on a Coronacoaster!” (Plan-z).
The term coronacoaster has appeared in several online articles. During Christmas 2021, an article was published for the UK edition of Glamour Magazine entitled “The Coronacoaster is back.” It discussed the feelings of being on the crazy coronacoaster:
The emotional ups and downs of lockdown. One minute you’re baking banana bread, and loving the simple life, the next you’re weeping and missing people you used to actively avoid down the pub. Cast your mind back to two years ago, when lockdown was brand spanking new and we all said things like “it’ll be over by summer”. The first month was a whirlwind of Houseparty, banana bread, and drinking gin at 3PM just because we could. That was the first coronacoaster high…But the coronacoaster was a trickster, it fooled us all into thinking the high was actually the low, and that it was much shorter – instead, we’ve had endless loops, highs, and crashing lows…With the new Omicron variant cancelling Christmas parties and triggering yet another work from home order from the government, it feels like there’s a dark tunnel ahead that no one’s sure holds light at the end (hello, booster shots), or another twist and turn.
Several YouTube channels provided content about the Coronacoaster. The video below was produced by South Tees Medical Psychology and gives advice on how to survive your journey on the coronacoaster and recover from the physical and emotional stresses caused by the pandemic.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by being on the coronacoaster you’re not alone. We’re all on this ride together and trying to do our best to “stay safe, sane and sanitized” (Songbird).
Social Media Trends as of June 8, 2022
Facebook #coronacoaster: 5,300 people are posting about this
Instagram #coronacoaster: 12,591 posts
TikTok #coronacoaster: 249,900 views
YouTube #coronacoaster: less than 100 videos and channels
Google Trends: coronacoaster appeared as a blip in early March 2020 just as lockdowns were underway. The term peaked during the week of July 5, 2020, no doubt because most people were stuck indoors during the summer and unable to travel because of the different restrictions imposed by states and countries.
Sources:
AustinAllegro. “Coronacoaster.” Collins Dictionary. October 1, 2020. URL: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/submission/22899/coronacoaster.
Laws, Chloe. “The Coronacoaster is back. Thanks to Omicron and yet another WFH order, we’re back on the emotional Covid rollercoaster.” Glamor Magazine. 13 December 2021. URL: https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/coronacoaster-experience.
Plan-z. “Coronacoaster.” Urban Dictionary. April 8, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Coronacoaster.
South Tees Medical Psychology. “Introducing The Coronacoaster.” YouTube. November 18, 2021. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcyZ-qerZPs.