I am here to write you and tell you that you are a strong, courageous, and resilient individual. You may not feel like one right now, but I am here to remind you that you are (even if in the teeniest, tiniest, way). We all carry with us a story of our own. One that is unique to only us. One that no other will ever fully understand. Yet, if we stop and listen and take the time to honor our stories and those of others, we give ourselves the gift of compassion. My goal is to share with you some compassion through the act of pausing and sharing these reflections of mine.
Here we are, having lived one full year of life with the presence COVID-19. In our society, a pandemic is not something many have experienced. We have all faced various hardships, traumas, challenges, and losses in our lives, but this past year piled on some difficulties for many that were quite unexpected.
This past year we have been asked to make many sacrifices, changes, and adjustments. We have been forced to adapt, whether we wanted to or not.
We were encouraged to learn new ways of working, living, and connecting. Many, maybe even most, lives were disrupted in more ways than one. I have heard endless stories of job loss, school changes and disruptions, major life adjustments, relationship struggles and increased conflict, health concerns, feelings of deep loneliness and isolation, increased fear and worry, heartbreak, financial instability, high levels of anxiety and depression, and so tragically, I have heard of loss through the death of loved ones. Sadly, this does not even cover it all.
This past year has been one filled with much grief and loss for many of us due to the challenges mentioned here and others. It can be important within a grief process to acknowledge our losses and find ways to honor them in order to cope.
Working in the mental health field throughout this pandemic (and generally speaking) has lent me insight into the struggles many humans face day in and day out. Much of these struggles are attached to this sense of loss. I see individuals doing their best to stay afloat, to make ends meet, to simply survive despite the difficulties of life and being human. These individuals are surviving despite hardship.
YOU are surviving, too.
It is not easy some of the time. Life will continue to have hardships throughout, pandemic or not. You are making it through. You are strong, courageous, and resilient.
If you are taking things one day at a time, putting one foot in front of the other, doing the very best you can do in this time, I see you and encourage you to believe that that is worthwhile. If you still find yourself in need of increased support, helpful guidance, and ongoing encouragement to assist you, then please reach out to us today to find out about our services or access resources that may best fit your needs at this time.
You do not need to walk this journey alone.
We believe in you. We have hope that you can believe in yourself as well.
Sincerely,
From the Heart of a Therapist
Mental Health Services for Individuals, Youth, and Families 