At the Intersection of Faith and Mental Health

Pastor Chad Wright - August 9, 2020

By: Pastor Chad Wright, Pastor of Christian Care and Counseling

As we kick off this year’s campaign: “Re-focus: Moving Forward Together in Faith, Hope, and Love,” I have considered why Christ has me here in this moment. Certainly, my call by Trinity guides that focus. My position includes preaching and teaching the good news about Jesus our Savior, but the additional emphasis on education and experience in counseling added this priority in my work: “To serve the church by directing counseling services provided by the church and ensure Trinity is providing Christian Care and Support to its members and the community in the form of counseling, seminars, and workshops and facilitating support groups.” I have and will continue to offer those services to our members and members of our community. I have gathered and equipped some of our members to carry on a ministry to help the grieving, based on the GriefShare model. I have been working with the Health Matters Committee and trying to figure ways to help address and meet the mental health needs of our congregation and community.

This year, I intend to see how we can reactive the Stephen Ministry model at Trinity. I had signed up for the Leader Training, but due to COVID-19 the trainings were all cancelled until 2021. Another way to help care for the mental health members of Trinity, I intend to share relevant mental health information and show where that intersects with our faith life through the weekly blog on Mondays. I pray that this is helpful not only as we get through this pandemic, but even afterward.

Today, I want to add some information about what many of you are probably experiencing: Pandemic Fatigue. Some experts warn the next pandemic challenge will be to “flatten the mental health curve.” When widespread lockdowns began across the United States in response to COVID-19, many hoped life would get back to normal in a couple of weeks. Now, months later, there is still no end in sight for the pandemic, and the resurgence of the virus in many parts of the country has forced businesses that had reopened to close again. The coronavirus has brought with it a number of stressors—including job losses, social isolation, child care challenges, and general uncertainty—that tax the mental health of millions of people worldwide.

David Sbarra, a clinical psychologist and professor in the psychology department at the University of Arizona, directs the department’s Laboratory for Social Connectedness and Health and studies how human health—both psychological and physical—is tied to our close relationships. Here, he discusses how the prolonged nature of this unprecedented health crisis might contribute to chronic stress and pandemic fatigue:

“The idea that there’s a specific syndrome we might call “pandemic fatigue” is probably just a shorthand way of saying that we’ve reached a bit of a mental health breaking point. We’re stressed, isolated, lonely, burned out, and more depressed and anxious than we’ve been in a long time. Many people spent the spring indoors with the hope of returning to normal in the summer, but those hopes were dashed. According to recent data from the Census Bureau, nearly a third of Americans are reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety—or both. The urgency of these problems should not be overlooked, and new data suggest that the fallout of these problems will be significant, with upward of 75,000 more people dying from drug or alcohol misuse and suicide than we would have expected absent the coronavirus.”

To help mitigate the damage of pandemic fatigue, the University of California Los Angeles suggested the following 7 tips on healthy ways to cope:

#1: Take care of your body

When you’re wrapped up in what’s going on in the world and at home, it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep (at least seven hours a night) and maintaining a nutritious diet. Though it may be difficult to drum up the motivation, exercising every day is important too. Doing these things will boost your energy, lift your mood and strengthen your immune system.

#2: Limit your news intake

It’s good to stay up to date on the latest coronavirus information. But too much news can overload you with negative emotions and zap your energy. Take a break from the news for a day or two and see if you feel better. You can also limit your news consumption to once a day for an hour or less. And be sure to choose an accurate source of information, such as UCLA Health or your local news.

#3: Lower your stress

Focusing on activities that are calming or bring you joy can lower your stress level — whether that’s cooking a fancy meal or bird watching or practicing meditation for 15 minutes a day. Anything that offers you stress relief can be helpful. Activities to consider include: Breathing exercises, yoga, nature walks, reading, watching a comedy, etc.

#4: Connect with others

Humans are social creatures by nature. Being alone and feeling isolated can be stressful. So it’s crucial to connect with others during the pandemic. Although you should limit your physical contact with people outside your household, there are other ways to connect socially. You can: make phone calls; arrange video meetings; chat on social media; write letters; take a live class online; attend online religious services, etc.

#5: Accept your feelings

Challenging situations stir up a mix of emotions. Stuffing feelings down and ignoring them doesn’t make them go away. Instead, acknowledge and name your feelings. Allow yourself to have them. Then refocus your mind and energy on things you can do to feel better. If your feelings are overwhelming or all-consuming — and getting in the way of your daily activities — reach out to a health care provider. Protecting your emotional health is just as important as caring for yourself physically.

#6: Try positive self-talk

Sometimes fear and anxiety can make our minds leap to the worst scenario, even if it’s most unlikely. You might become plagued with “what if” thoughts. Try catching those negative thoughts and replacing them with more realistic statements. For example, replace thoughts about acquiring COVID-19 with what you’re doing to stay safe.

#7: Create new traditions

Usher more joy into your days by creating new traditions. You’ll have something fun to look forward to and you might even decide to keep it up once the pandemic has passed. For instance, you might set aside Sunday nights for self-care. Do anything that makes you feel good physically, mentally, or emotionally. You might focus on a hobby such as playing guitar or scrapbooking or do something for your body such as giving yourself a facial or going for a long run. To socialize, you might make Friday your family movie night or picnic in the backyard every Saturday. You can also organize a video call with friends as a mid-week check-in. Be creative and come up with ideas that work best for you.

I hope that this has been helpful for you. If you know someone who is struggling with pandemic fatigue, share the link and pass it along. See you next week (W)right here at the intersection of faith and mental health.