Coping with long term challenges that were supposed to be short term is not always easy…. Not for parents, grandparents, teens and children who miss “normal”.
People are full of advice like, exercise more, cook together, make and send cards to those who are in nursing homes or house bound, make snow sculptures, go sledding, meditate, learn a new language, learn a new craft, read a book out-loud together, make popcorn and watch a movie or sports event, go for long walks or hike as a family, ice skating anyone? Getting outside as much as possible is highly recommended.
True, there is no end to the list and they are all positive fun healthy ways to ensure we are still participating in life and actually having fun and connecting with others.
But it is getting tougher for many of us. It has been almost a year since we went into lockdown, more or less… It has been almost a year since the Governor declared Vermont a State of Emergency. A year is a long time to be wary, wear masks, worry about getting sick, worry about others getting sick, not get too close unless you live together.
Our mental health is becoming a bit more fragile; ours and our grandparents and our teens and children. When will it really be over? Will our lives ever move forward and resemble how we lived pre-pandemic? We think so and believe so but no one can tell us for sure.
If you find yourself or a loved one struggling to do the things we know will help, and are showing signs of deepening depression, anxiety or difficulty sleeping at night, it may be time to reach out to a clinician, a therapist or your doctor. Thanks to technology we can have the benefit of therapy and tele-health on our phones or laptops, iPads, etc.
Talking to someone outside of our immediate family can truly make a difference. Whatever issues or struggles we had prior to the pandemic may feel even harder now. Therapy, even brief counseling with a trained professional, who is also impacted by COVID 19, can truly help. We will get through this last part of this strange and unprecedented journey we are on with a little help from our friends, family and some helping professionals. The vaccines are nearly in our arms, and some are benefitting from them already. Medicine and common sense will ensure this pandemic gets under control and we will find our lives back in our own hands again.
Be sure to get ready because that time is getting closer every day.
Vermont Parent’s Helpline: 1-800-CHILDREN. We can get through this together.