A couple of days ago, I was about to eat supper when I had one of those daydream moments and thought, “I wonder when I will wake up from this dream?” It was only a split second before I realized that this is no bad dream, but a new (if temporary) normal. That day we had cancelled all church services and activities “until further notice.”
“Until further notice” – I don’t like that phrase. It’s too open-ended…as is the covid-19 pandemic. Are we talking weeks or months? A British doctor thinks that it will last until we get a vaccine which is estimated to be a year at best. Yikes! I’m hoping and praying that China’s turnaround (~3 months) is indicative of ours. Of course, no human knows for sure.
How do we survive this crisis with our psyches in tact? My title is a bit ambitious because I certainly don’t have all the answers and we’re still early in this pandemic. But I do have a few suggestions that have begun to help me. Maybe they can help you as well. Here goes:
- Take frequent breaks from the “news.” I’m a bit of a news junkie, both on the internet and TV. Over the past week or so, I discovered that I couldn’t stay away from my news feed for more than an hour. The world was not going to change radically over that hour, but I couldn’t stay away. (I remember doing the same thing on 9/11). The more I read, the more depressed I got. Not good for the mental health. I have forced myself to stay away from the news during the day except for lunch and not drowning in it at night. I’ve felt happier and more productive. It’s been a good day.
- Take time to worship and laugh. Because we live so far out, I do a lot of driving. I often listen to books on CD in the car. On Monday I checked out a book titled “Crisis Economics” (kind of apropos). It’s a fascinating book, but it keeps me from taking my focus off the effects of the pandemic. I drove to church this morning listening to a Christian station. I worshipped God and listened to the words a bit more carefully. On the way home, I listened to the book. Periodically, I listen to “Laugh USA,” a family-friendly comedy station. “Laughter does good like a medicine” says a biblical proverb. Sometimes I need that medicine. So do you.
- Stay connected to the people in your life and reconnect with some from your past. Yes, we must practice social distancing, but thanks to modern and not-so-modern technology, we can still connect. One of the odd blessings of this mess is to see how people are creatively connecting, loving and encouraging. And calling someone from past might just make your (and their) day.
- Attack a project you’ve been putting off. Fifty percent of people said they were using some of their pseudo-quarentine time to do spring cleaning. Good start. But there may be something even deeper like…writing a blog post or finishing a book or doing that thing you’ve always thought of doing (unless it involves travel). You probably won’t get another opportunity like this so take advantage of this new normal while it lasts.
- Focus on the only One who was not surprised by the coronavirus. No human falls into this category, so obviously I’m talking about God. Like all human events, God is not surprised by this one. As a follower of Jesus I believe “He’s got you and me, brother, in His hands.” And that’s enough for me, no matter what happens.
Now that I’ve told you what I’ve been doing I am accountable. With the exception of #5 (which I seek to constantly live by), I’ve been doing them for a whole day. I fear there will be many more to come. And I know that some days I will totally blow it. But I believe that if I seek to practice 1-4 and continue to live by 5, I will come out of this only slightly crazier than I already am. I believe that you will too.