Hope can see that there is light in spite of all darkness. – Desmond tutu
[ NOTE: This is the first track in a COVID-19 recovery series]
Without a doubt, 2020 was a challenging year. Many of us greeted the New Year with open arms in anticipation of better days. Out with the old and in with the new. The months of isolation, social and physical distancing, masking, and many losses have taken a toll on our mental health. Public surveys and reports from mental health authorities show that the rate of depression and anxiety has increased exponentially as people try to find their way around remote work, virtual classrooms, or worse, unemployment. Society is still plagued by electoral fatigue, distress and racial injustice. Coping skills are limited due to COVID-19 due to the closure of gyms, places of worship, and many other meeting rooms. Reports of zoom fatigue have media covered. People who have access to resources turn to mental health providers who are exhausted even from a year of unprecedented circumstances. My own practice was booked months in advance, and I turn down new customer inquiries and refer to colleagues whose appointments are also full.
Yes, 2020 was a year like no other for many of us. Only time will tell if 2021 will be this chaotic, but we are already facing challenges such as ongoing political unrest, the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the presence of new, transmissible variants of COVID-19, and the snail vaccine distribution process. As we move forward, recovery from the trauma will take time, patience, and work. However, there are signs of change. Glimmer of hope. Flickering light from the shards of a very broken year.
The New Year promised a fresh start, and the appearance of the "poinsettia" at the winter solstice was a nice way to usher in 2021. The "star" is actually an astronomical event where Jupiter and Saturn fit so closely together that they look like a shining light.
Although Saturn and Jupiter are in harmony with each other every 20 years, 400 years have passed since they were so close to each other, and almost 800 years since the "Great conjunction" took place at night. Some have speculated that the star described in the Bible that led the three wise men to the place of Christ's birth in Bethlehem was in truth a great connection. Whatever the explanation, it was a sign of hope and peace for those who followed – and the key element is that they followed.
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Saturn above and Jupiter below can be seen in Luray after sunset from Shenandoah National Park on Sunday, December 13th, 2020, Virginia. Photo credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls
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Saturn, above and Jupiter, below, can be seen from Shenandoah National Park after sunset Sunday, December 13, 2020 in Luray, Virginia. Photo credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls
Hope and Mental Health
As psychiatrists, we know how important hope is for well-being. However, we often forget that hope is also a verb. We create a space for hope in our meetings with our clients. We hope when our customers are unable to.
There are three elements that accompany the experience of hope.
Targets have
Having something to work towards can give us structure and predictability. However, we want to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely (SMART). That should sound familiar to the consultants. Often the goals are too broad. In my other life, for example, I owned an aerobics company and often gave personal training to people who took aerobics classes. The goal setting was an essential part of the training. Sometimes my clients gave me goals like, "I want to be healthy." "I want to be thin." "I want to be happy." or "I want to be active." I would follow every request with “What exactly does this mean? Can you paint me a picture of what it means to you to be “healthy, thin, happy or active”? Then we would break it down into specific, manageable goals where "being healthy" can mean riding a first 5k race or being thin can mean losing 10 pounds.
One of my big goals this year is to celebrate my parents' 60th wedding anniversary this summer, face to face with the family, even if we have to meet outdoors. I missed my family a lot this year. However, we have family members who are at risk and we refused to congregate this year because of the risks of COVID-19. What happier way to get out of the darkness of the pandemic than to celebrate together the dedication and legacy of my parents' association.
Feeling empowered to shape your daily life .
Coming up with the outcome of your goal is so much a part of the process. Performance psychologists have used images with athletes for decades. Imagine that you have already reached the goal. Feel that it is already done.
It is also important to have our agency recognized and there are times when we really have no control over things. I like to ask myself, “What am I in control of? What am I out of control? "I then concentrate on areas under my control.
For example, I was working towards a family goal that I could control by planning renovations to my home during the pandemic lockdown. I now have the space to celebrate when I can meet up with my family again.
I was also lucky enough to be included in the first rounds of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. So I will be fully vaccinated, as will most (if not all) of my family members by summer. Although I still expect to take precautions, the confidence in collecting will be greater.
Identifying ways to achieve goals.
Really lean into the role you play in achieving your goals. What steps do you need to take to achieve them? What is the next step if you want an advanced degree? Information gathering? Take the GRE? Apply for funding? Create a diagram of the actual actions that will need to be taken to achieve your goal.
As I prepare my home for celebrations and follow CDC guidelines for my vaccination schedule and follow-up protocol, I promote the vaccination effort by volunteering with my local medical corps. I am helping to provide human resources to advance vaccine distribution so that my family and community have a better chance of getting a full vaccination sooner. Check with your local agencies on how to promote the change you want. For example, senior and community centers need help with helplines reaching out to vulnerable populations to help them navigate the online vaccine registration process.
Hope in action requires movement. It requires feeding the flame with movement towards goals, desires, dreams. Hope chooses to look beyond the darkness to see even the tiniest glimmers of light and then enlarge it with our words, actions, and deeds. The wise men saw the brightness of the star and chose to follow the light instead of staying in the dark. That is hope. Hope in action.
Let your COVID-19 recovery begin with Hope in Action.
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Cheryl Fisher
Cheryl Fisher is a licensed private practice clinical professional advisor based in Annapolis, Maryland. She is the director and assistant professor for the Online MA in Clinical Counseling at Alliant International University California School of Professional Psychology. Her research interests include the study of sexuality and spirituality in young women with advanced breast cancer; nature-informed therapy; and geek therapy. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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