It’s Traumatic
When we encountered the shut down from the COVID pandemic in March 2020, I scrambled to find resources that would help me help my students address the spiritual and emotional fallout. Everyone was talking about “the disaster cycle”. I had a lot to learn. We were all feeling the Sudden Impact of the pandemic, the anxiety a disaster brings and as we were running on adrenaline to get things done using whatever was available in the moment. We ramped up pretty quickly, calling on essential workers in our communities to be Heoric (the 2nd Phase). Many didn’t feel particularly heroic, and found the label “hero” less than comforting, but people stepped up and performed admirably. All too soon it became clear that this was not going away quickly and any new normal was a long way off, Disillusionment set in (the 3rd Phase). The numbers of dead and dying rose, grief in isolation floored us, social isolation resulted in a decline in mental health overall, and many felt the stress of economic scarcity in ways they had never encountered before. Slowly, as vaccines have become available and our healthcare system has adjusted to the new context of living with COVID-19, we are Rebuilding and working toward Restoration (the 4th Phase). It’s during this long slog with its dips and turns that mental health needs typically are the highest. This is when we have the time … to think … and feel. Now it’s our mental health services that are stretched beyond their capacity, particularly those folks working with children and youth. That’s one reason Crossroads of Caring is piloting a Spiritual Peer Program to train reflective listeners who can be present to the anxiety, pain, grief, doubts, tentative hopes and uncertainty many of us are experiencing now as we walk cautiously into the possibility of a “new normal”. The pilot unit is scheduled to begin in September and the application will soon be on our website (www.crossroadsofcaring.org). Consider joining us on this adventure of caring. Do it for your faith community, do it for your family, do it for yourself. We’re here for the long haul. If you want to know more about Collective Trauma click here.
