Moving Forward in 2021
Are you ready to put 2020 in your rear view? From a global pandemic where a virus has killed over 1.8 million people to an economic recession in the US which has caused the rise in homelessness to balloon to half a million people in 2020, this has been a year of catastrophe cascading with traumas. It has increased the levels of anxiety and depression among the average working adult in America. Luckily, psychologists tell us that we don’t have to be passive victims in the face of such profound uncertainty.
- Acknowledge Your Feelings
While things in the world may seem ambiguous and unpredictable, the one thing you can always have some control over is yourself. Dr. Helen Weng, a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, shared a strategy that is especially useful in the midst of social and emotional turbulence. “We must simply feel our feelings,” Weng noted. “Coping with fears involves acknowledging the fear, and calling on the courage to address the fear. There is no courage without feeling fear in the first place. Courage involves willful action that is in response to the fear.”
- Turn Feelings into Actions
Once we identify what is at the root of the emotions, takes steps to address that emotion. For example, if the issues of systemic racism in our country are causing you fear, become politically involved to change the system. That can begin simply by talking with your friends or your coworkers about how to address systemic racism. It also means taking time to learn more about the issue. Take a class at the local community college related to the issue. Research the issue at your public library. Find reliable information in peer-reviewed journals.
- Be Circumspect
One misconception about control is that being exceptionally informed will ease anxiety. While seeking information is a common strategy, be careful which wells you are drawing from. If information you discover or receive is ambiguous, it doesn’t much help. It is unlikely that you will find unbiased information while you research. Do what you can to understand the writer’s biases. Also, read information from contradictory or differing points of view. Share that information with people in your support system and get their feedback.
- Do What is Best
Finally, when taking on an issue, think about it as one would with a nice Detroit-style pizza: you are not going to finish it in one bite – let alone one meal. Work at the issue a little at a time. Do what you can, when you can. The issue with Pandemic Fatigue primarily starts with the mindset that one is going to endure the restrictions for a short time and then things will get better. Reframe it: I am going to what I can each day until the restrictions end. Take it one day at a time. If you find better information on how to address the issue, do not be hard on yourself. Acknowledge that you are growing and learning… no matter your age. Then, do better. Maya Angelou put it this way: “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
- Pray and Work
Finally, as God’s people, I would encourage you to pray and work. Ora et Labora. Two commands that you find in Scripture for believers. “Pray and work!” Saint Augustine once wrote, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” God is at work in both. He who redeemed us from sin, from death, and from the power of the devil through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, invites us to always bring to Him our prayers, petitions, requests, etc. Pray. The same Lord has also given us our body, mind, and all our abilities. He desires us to use them for good. He wants us to work. He wants us to work out our love for Him by how we serve our neighbor, especially our fellow believer. (Gal. 6:10) He also wants us to work at everything as if we working for Him. (Col. 3:17)
See you next time, here at the corner of faith and mental health.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Chad Wright