Help the Rest of Your

COVID. Rampant fear. Homeschooling. Hurricanes. Job loss. Riots. Fires. If only there’s a fast-forward button to catapult us past the non-stop tumult!

But since nobody has invented such an app, how can we breathe easier for the rest of the year?

These steps might help. 

1.     Everyone’s Overextended.

You’re not the only one gasping under these burdens. So, pack an extra dose of patience beyond what you’d usually accommodate. There’s no better time to flex your kindness muscles. The guy ringing up your transaction is snappish? Smile anyway. Chalk up his sour attitude to the hardships of 2020. 

2.     Be Bold. 

Vocalize your needs clearly and firmly. If you feel lonely, don’t wait for the ding of an incoming text. Initiate contact instead. If you did days ago and your friend hasn’t responded, clutch bullet point #1—who knows the challenges she’s facing—and reach out again. Be calm, but clear, in communicating the need that prompted you to seek her out.

3.     Prioritize Pressures.

Maybe your immunocompromised body prompts you to launch a worry marathon on contracting COVID. But why by brood over your weight gain? Do what you can to maintain a healthy life, but don’t overload your already taxed bandwidth by marinating in guilt over your expanding girth. 

 4.     Inspect Internal Inquiries.

Anxiety crouches behind certain questions. Asking “how long must we live like this?” unleashes fear-laced thoughts like “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on” and “how much worse will things get?” Entertaining these questions will usher in more panic. Besides, pressing to know the end date is to put faith in time—as if survival hinges on how long we’re expected to endure. Our help comes from the Lord; He, not time, deserves our faith.

 5.     Counterbalance Criticisms.

Have you heard inner scolding, labeling you lazy or ungodly unless you cram every hour with activities that edify? There might be a part of your mind that relies on criticism to whip you into productivity.

Pave the way for relief by addressing this inner critic directly. (Talking to yourself doesn’t denote craziness, despite jokes to the contrary. Ask anyone who’s calmed themselves down through positive self-talk.) Enumerate for the critic the list of trials you have to contend with and explain how feeling motivated to be productive can be elusive given these challenges. Dialogue with the critic: what does it fear might happen if you don’t work as hard? If you’re stumped, the Coronavirus Concerns video demonstrates a live example on how to communicate with parts of yourself.

The days we live in may fit the “terrible times” of 2 Timothy 3:1. If so, nurturing our faith is non-negotiable. By praying, you’re unleashing tremendous power. Feeding on God’s Word fortifies you against troubling times. But if you’re struggling despite these spiritual disciplines, how about meeting with a therapist?

After a year like 2020, neither stigma nor shame has any right to muzzle you from seeking help.