It’s happened to ALL of us.
Since March of 2020, life has not been the same.
Like the air we breathe, it cannot be seen.
Like an annoying neighbor, it can’t be avoided.
Like an election, it has an impact regardless of who you voted for.
At first, we denied the enormity of the pandemic. Then we started fighting with each other about whose facts were right. Now we are weighed down by the daily barrage of news reports and the annoyances in our lives in an ever-changing environment.
There is an overarching strain on the world. It affects each person, regardless of whether COVID has touched them directly or not. We feel exhausted, frustrated, worn out, uncertain, confused, scared, angry, and fearful.
Although COVID has not directly touched me because I have not contracted the virus, it has touched me indirectly. From exposure which requires testing, to mask mandates, a dramatic change in the business world, and conversations routinely revolving around struggles of those I meet. From special grocery store hours for those over 65 to store shelves showing up a bit bare. Events cancelled, rescheduled, and then cancelled again. Zoom holidays and other technology shifts. Missing friends and family.
The reason we feel the enormity of the pandemic, is because we are social beings. We need to be with each other. We need to connect with each other. We need to see each other. This is how we are created.
Our thoughts, emotions, and life situations affect one another. When we do see one another now, often our faces are masked, and our smiles are hidden. This doesn’t look or feel normal. Our conversations revolve around the inconveniences we can’t avoid. People are dying and it makes us sad.
That is why the pandemic is so devasting. Even if you don’t have a lot to complain about, you feel it. When those you care about are struggling, you feel it too. When your community is struggling, you feel it. When the country is struggling, you feel it. And when the world is struggling, you feel it too.
We’re all ON the same boat. We are bound by our humanity. We feel for those around us. It’s in our DNA. There is a collective weight on the hearts of everyone on this planet. Regardless of what we think about it, the strain on our collective soul cannot be missed.
What will make the pandemic easier to cope with?
Here are some options:
· Adopt the adage “misery loves company” and commiserate? No
· Fight with each other? No
· Suffer alone? No
· Keep trying the same thing and expect different results? No
What will make it easier is first to simply understand the shock this is to us. Even if you have no severe and direct impact, accept that the weight and duration of the pandemic is affecting you. Give yourself a little grace if you feel less than enthusiastic, a bit more tired and less hopeful. Even when we don’t acknowledge each other’s suffering, it takes a toll on our spirit.
It will also be easier if we accept the imperfection of what is. It does not mean we give up and do nothing, but it does show us to focus on what we CAN control instead of what we can’t. Use your energy towards something that will be useful instead of wasting it. This gives you a place to rest and stop fighting against things that can never be beat.
The most important way to make the pandemic easier is to support one another. That can mean many things. It can be simply listening to one another. It can mean being creative in how to navigate the restrictions. Or it may mean physically helping out a neighbor.
The pandemic is a reality. Our connection to one another is too. Let’s make it easier by giving ourselves and others grace, accepting what is, and supporting one another by . . .