Pandemics are different from a crisis.
Pandemics divide while crises unite. People come together in a crisis to find solutions. Pandemics have so many new elements, they create disagreements at every turn.
A global pandemic definitely is war, but not against other nations. Its enemy is invisible. No previous battle plans are available to reference. Wars fought with hand-to-hand combat, guns, or air strikes, have all brought people together for one cause, even if having opposing views on other issues. Same with natural disasters or tragedies.
Let’s see what pressures our Covid pandemic has dropped on us.
Covid’s surprise attack launched panic with its unknowns and uncertainties. Hypothesis could only be formed quickly, based upon similar past knowledge and new developments. Long-term plans were impossible at the onset.
Remember our personal initial reactions?
*Constantly changing information confused us
*Fear strangled us
*Loneliness wrapped itself around us
The blissful “vacation” among families when quarantining quickly came to a halt. Marriages couldn’t sustain togetherness, home educating the children while working at home, or the pressures of no income. Negative emotions multiplied like yeast.
I’m not surprised. We were cooped up, stripped of the outdoors, entertainment as we knew it, and our ability to worship and grieve as before. When we were set free, it wasn’t freedom as we knew it, nor was it the same time or manner as our friends near and far. No unity.
Bickering intensified with it being an election year. There were more things to get offended by than fireworks on the Fourth of July. Is it any wonder riots and injustices surfaced from tension, difference of beliefs, and more?
Before long . . .
*Anger boiled over and competed with depression
*Sickness, loss and grief overtook us
*Change began occuring every time we blink
*Stress became everyone’s middle name
Is it any wonder we’re tired? See what all we have endured:
*No visitation to loved ones in nursing homes
*Little to no visitation in hospitals
*Medical care has been unavailable, had delays, or been done over video.
*Funerals and weddings were cancelled or postponed.
*Mask mandates were made, fought, followed, or ignored as information changed
*Churches, schools, courts, and some businesses closed, reopening with new rules and adaptations
*Sanitation became a normal way of life
*Business hours changed constantly with new rules and employee shortages
*Shopping has mutated from hour changes to additional services, and constant supply shortages
*More variances of Covid with more hospitalizations and death have resurfaced
*Vaccinations were developed, distributed, given, along with a wide variety of tests
As pastors, we had to quickly learn and stay on top of information to calm congregants and give reassurance. We had to figure out how to sanitize and arrange chairs to reopen. Before that, we had to teach ourselves tech stuff for recording sermons and keeping in contact while grieving ourselves. Extra prayer for finances was a must also.
Think of all the information that has passed and is passing through our brains. Just writing this made me exhausted.
So, what tips can ease our stress and tiredness during a pandemic where opinions will never be the same?
1. Rest physically, mentally, and emotionally, By getting plenty of sleep and extra relaxation
2. Hold on to hope and faith. Increase Bible study, scripture memory, prayer, and listen to worship music
3. Consider counseling or attending loss and grief classes.
4. Keep busy with things you want to do, minimizing the “have-to” events
5. Expect less of yourself. Only take one bite of life at a time.
6. Make sure you are grieving every loss you feel.
7. Don’t start something new that will add pressure, like dieting, unless absolutely necessary.
8. Listen to little news, but enough. Always remember you will never know the whole story so glean and pray without getting drawn into extra battles
Let’s be the light by avoiding getting caught up on earthly things and stay focused on our Heavenly reward. You are the only Jesus others may see and your actions and reactions will move them closer to or farther away from Him.
© 2022, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.
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