Since the COVID-19 pandemic began professionals have noted an increased number of those suffering and/or seeking help for their mental health. Many professionals could have anticipated this based upon past research and what we know happens to people who experience a crisis or trauma. As a parish rector I have walked, and continue to walk, with quite a few parishioners and non parishioners alike who have suffered mental health distress to varying degrees. As I talked to a number of these individuals what struck me was that in some cases the thing which was once a source of joy and excitement was now being expressed as a source of anxiety. Perhaps the most familiar example that I can use for illustration is the act of going (in person) to a public worship service.
Our worship services bring us together as a community of faith, strengthening and encouraging us for a week of service and ministry. Often there is fellowship, coffee hour or some other social gathering that takes place around our worship services. There is also the celebration of Holy Eucharist, a sacrament that is central to our tradition in the Anglican Church. These things may have at one time been listed as a “favorite thing about going to church.” During the pandemic and even now these things have been named as a source of fear and anxiety.
There are many reasons why we have been experiencing increased fear and anxiety. The constant media cycle which reports deaths, hospitalizations and virus activity on a regular basis. The lived reality of knowing that people in our communities are dying with no known treatment options available. Daily warnings of hospitals being over capacity and short staffed. We should be concerned about what will happen to ourselves and others should we get sick.
I once heard someone say that if you can change the language you use you can affect your perspective of a certain task. This is an approach that I have taken at times with my own teenagers when they are worried or anxious. Some may have heard of this approach from author and speaker Brené Brown who both writes and speaks about it in her various publications and other media. Rather than saying we are nervous about a school function or big event we try to say that we are excited about that event. Nervous and excited are linked emotions which can illicit similar physical responses in the body. However, mentally our perspective shifts a bit when we change our language from nervous to excited or anxiousness to anticipation.
At the time of writing, we are in the season of Advent. A time when we talk ad nauseum about anticipation. They same could be said as we approach a new calendar year. We look forward to a new year and the promises it holds. For many they would describe their feelings at this time as joyful anticipation. For some though, these same events may be filled with anxiousness. I am not saying that we can cure ourselves of anxiety by changing our language. I am suggesting thought that it may be a helpful and healthy coping mechanism to try and find the excitement in the midst of anxiety. Can you once again get excited about going to weekly worship services? Can we rediscover the joy in gathering together in fellowship and prayer? We have learned a lot throughout the pandemic and continue to learn during this active influenza season. My call to joyful anticipation does not disregard public health directives and good hygiene practices. Rather, it utilizes them as a means by which we can reclaim those moments of joy and anticipation in a safe and healthy way.
If you require more supports to manage your own mental health struggles, please do reach out to a professional or call 1-888-429-8167 in NS or 1-833-553-6983 in PEI.
