Covid, Quarantine, & Mental Health

Friends, I must tell you, I’m scared.

The physical effects of Covid-19 are not all known yet.  Millions of people have been diagnosed with this and hundreds of thousands have died.  To those that are “recovered” we are seeing lung issues and blood clot issues and likely many other yet unknown issues. 

The physical toll is very real but to be honest, I’m not currently that afraid of it (man I hope that I don’t end up in a hospital bed referring back to this).  I believe that I’m taking the correct precautions with frequent hand-washing, masks, and limiting my travel; I basically don’t leave the house unless I have to.

What about those of us who never get the virus and maintain their health throughout?  I guess we just go back to normal and nothing in the past 6 months will have any long term effect, right?

That brings me to what I am truly scared of.  I’m very fearful of the mental health impact that this is going to have.  In my own home I can see children going stir crazy with cabin fever and a spouse who would do so much better with more human interaction beyond those under our roof.  While I have been ok thus far with quarantine, I tend to be a “bottle it up till I explode guy” so I’m trying to be cognisant of that.

On a broader scope we’ve seen babies born that can’t meet their grandparents for months.  We’ve seen seniors who are still very mobile and active, but are forced into a solitary life and without human contact.  We’ve seen kids who need more attention than their parents can give while they work and parents who have lost their jobs and are struggling to figure out what to do next.  Finally, we’ve seen seniors in long term care facilities have to see friends die all around them and those seniors who were already having issues with their mental health are sliding even more.

Mental Illness knows no age.  Whether it be a child who’s acting out, a mopey teenager, a stressed out young professional or even a lonely retiree, mental illness will not discriminate.  Those who are far more educated than I have begun to understand this and are trying to address it but I wonder how we can help on a micro level.

Do you know someone who hasn’t left their apartment in 3 months?  Reach out to them…maybe bring them a meal or arrange a phone or video chat.  Is it the same as being able to go for a walk with that person, not at all, but let’s reach out and show someone we care.

What about the kids though?  Do you know some kids that are starting to act up and parents that are at the end of their rope?  Maybe organize a craft or a scavenger hunt type of game.  Even reach out to that parent to find out the kid’s favourite meal and bring it over.

Finally, look to our frontline workers especially those in the LTC facilities.  They’re the ones taking care of our parents and grandparents when we can’t even come in to hug.  They’re the ones who are putting themselves at risk to help.  Maybe call up the nursing station and find out what you could do to brighten some days.  Do they have a need for a new stereo or TV maybe?  Would a box of donuts brighten their day?  Reach out and ask how you can help the people who are doing everything they can to help our loved ones.

But why is The Constructing Christian writing this?  Well first, I’m pretty sure that helping those in need is pretty high on the list of things that Jesus was all for. 

The main reason I’m being drawn to this though is because I believe that the church community should take a leading role in this.  We are meant to be a beacon of hope, a lighthouse on the hill, for our communities and I want to challenge you.  Organize a group at your church to identify who needs help and who can help.

We are all going to come out of this (hopefully soon) with some sort of PTSD and for the next 100 years we’ll be talking about the pandemic of 2020.  Our job as Christians is to be that light in the distance to reach those on the margins in any form.

Love Your Neighbour has taken on a more all-encompassing meaning this year while we struggle as a society and species.  Let’s make sure that 10 years from now, when people think of Christians during the pandemic, they think of the people that were there to help wherever they could and to the maximum of their abilities.  Let’s truly love each other.