Causes of the Void: The Hidden Impact of Pandemic Life

If you’ve been feeling stuck, flat, or unlike yourself since the pandemic, you're not imagining it.

The conditions we lived through created more than just a physical pandemic. They created an energetic pandemic — a mass shift into what I call the Void State.

Photo by Mitchell Hartley

The Void is a natural survival response when the system is overwhelmed. It’s meant to be temporary — a pause, a conservation of resources before life resumes.

But during the pandemic, so many of the foundational supports needed to move through the Void were disrupted all at once:

• Normal movement rhythms were broken.

• Emotional processing was delayed or suppressed.

• Isolation cut off human connection, resonance, and co-regulation.

• Chemical, viral, and environmental stressors taxed bodies in unprecedented ways.

The Void became not just a momentary survival state — it became a prolonged condition that was largely invisible.

While the world focused on the visible virus and vaccine, a deeper pandemic was unfolding quietly underneath: A pandemic of disconnection, depletion, and life force erosion.

How the Pandemic Created the Void

Here are some of the hidden stressors that many people experienced — often all at once.

|"It wasn’t just one thing. It was everything, all at once."

1. Trauma and Shock

Sudden losses. Constant uncertainty. Fear for personal safety and the safety of loved ones.The body’s natural response to trauma is to prioritize survival over growth — but staying in survival mode too long can deplete life force and disconnect us from ourselves.

2. Overwhelm and Fear

Ongoing fear, conflicting information, and unpredictable changes kept many people’s nervous systems in a heightened alert state for months (or even years).Chronic overwhelm erodes the system’s ability to rest, regulate, and integrate experiences normally.

3. Chemical and Nutritional Stress

For many, exposure to viruses, medications, vaccines, environmental toxins, and dietary disruptions created an unseen chemical load on the body. Every body responds differently, but for some, these stresses became tipping points — contributing to deeper energetic depletion and nervous system dysregulation.

|"The body can carry burdens long after the mind has moved on."

4. Isolation

Humans are wired for connection. Without regular, heart-centered interactions, our nervous systems lose important feedback loops that regulate emotion, energy, and resilience. Isolation disrupts emotional resonance and energetic exchange — vital sources of life force.

5. Lack of Movement

With routines disrupted, many people moved less — or moved differently — during lockdowns.  Movement isn't just about exercise; it's essential for circulation, lymph flow, nervous system regulation, and emotional processing. Stillness without intentional movement practices quietly compounded stress.

6. Interruption in Natural Walking Gait

It might sound small, but changes in the way we move — from sitting more, walking with a bag so our arms can’t move freely, altered exercise routines, or even wearing less supportive shoes — can impact the nervous system's feedback loops. Normal cross-crawl movement (alternating left-right coordination) supports integration and regulation. When disrupted, dysregulation occurs.

7. Sudden Decrease in Natural Chi

Natural sources of "chi" — sunlight, fresh air, water, nourishing food, creative expression, in-person connection, kindness exchanged and received — all diminished for many during the pandemic. Without these vital energies replenishing us, life force naturally wanes.

It Wasn’t Just One Thing — It Was Everything

For many people, it wasn’t just one of these stressors — it was several happening all at once.  Layer upon layer, they quietly eroded the natural rhythms that sustain life force and vitality.

Recognizing these causes isn't about blaming the past. It’s about understanding why you feel the way you do — and why it makes perfect sense.

Sara McRae | Creator of HigherCx™

Wellness practitioner, teacher of Touch for Health, and guide for recovery from Long COVID, trauma, and the Void State. Exploring resilience, energy, and conscious integration.