As July begins, we are in the fullness of summer. The heat is obviously not minimizing the effect of the virus. States are either reversing previous decisions to allow more interaction, or extending safer at home requirements. It is becoming clear that we are in this for longer than many of us expected. I’m sure the scientist and medical research people are not surprised. They were trying to warn us. If you are like me, you are having an amazingly hard time understanding how anyone can look at what is happening, listen to what the medical people are saying, and believe they would be lying to us.  As we cling to our Unitarian Universalist values and principles, we are called to support each other more than ever in holding fast to what is required of us to be good neighbors, and to affirm our commitment to honor the interdependent web of existence, of which we are a part. Right now, that means that out of love, we are having to tolerate a lot of physical distance from people we would like to be with. It also means not engaging in activities that we previously considered essential to our mental and physical health. All of this creates additional stress, which may affect us, even in ways we are unaware. For example, weakening our immune systems. A minister colleague of mine who pastors a large congregation thought he was doing fine, when all of a sudden he had a first ever outbreak of shingles. He’s younger than the typical victim, and was convinced at first it was poison ivy, from working in his garden.

Here are some statistics from a recent survey of the American Psychiatric Association.

• Nearly half of Americans (48%) are anxious about the possibility of getting coronavirus.
• Nearly four in ten Americans (40%) are anxious about becoming seriously ill or dying from coronavirus.
• Far more Americans (62%) are anxious about the possibility of family and loved ones getting coronavirus.

I share these numbers so that you will know you are not alone, if you are noticing heightened anxiety these days. Anxiety may cause strong emotions in adults and children and can also exacerbate or trigger other stress reactions like panic or depression.  People also have a number of coping strategies, some of which work so well they even mask our anxiety from ourselves. Over-functioning, under-functioning, and conflict are three of several that may present themselves in a situation like Covid-19.

Because we operate in relational systems, it helps to be aware of our own coping mechanisms. They will be different depending on the situation and the people with whom we interact. And the people with whom we interact may react differently to our coping behavior.

This is a good time to pay attention to how you are feeling, and perhaps to indulge in activities that are engaging and interesting to you, or that bring you peace, joy, or calm. It’s also a good time to call or email a friend or a trusted confidant, if you are feeling especially vulnerable to the situation.

When we first jumped into this new way of doing and being church, I imagined it being for a discrete amount of time. I see now that we are moving into a new way of being that may last longer than we at first imagined.

I don’t mean that we won’t be gathering again. I just mean that when we do, we will have been forever changed and things will be different. So much has happened in the last four months. While a lot of it is frightening and disturbing, there are also hopeful signs of raised awareness that much of what we have tolerated or lived with for decades has been exposed and may no longer be accepted, or ignored.

I am always available to talk, if you want to call or email me. Together we can help each other through.

In Love and Hope,

Rev. Alice