COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, AND SPIRITUALLY

June 4, 2023June 29, 2023 R.L. Witter

BY R.L. WITTER

I recently found myself feeling like Rev. Al Green. Thankfully there were no hot grits involved, but I did find myself singing his hit, “I’m So Tired of Being Alone.” The COVID-19 pandemic turned our world upside down in ways most of us could never have imagined prior to the event. Overnight we went from being social creatures to isolating in our homes and avoiding contact as much as possible with people who lived outside of our households.

To be fair, I haven’t actually been alone throughout the duration of the pandemic. However, isolating with your spouse while both of you are working from home is no easy feat. Being together practically 24/7 for three years can and will test your patience, fortitude, and marriage.

Over the past three years, I’ve read stories and watched videos of many people who took charge of their diets and exercise habits during the pandemic to achieve truly amazing results. Photo after photo showed proud, smiling faces revealing weight loss of 50, 75, and even hundreds of pounds. But what about the mental and emotional weight so many have been carrying because of COVID-19?

We’ve all experienced a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime world pandemic and its effects are still lingering. Many of us lost friends, loved ones, jobs, homes, human interaction, and even hope. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently published findings titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” While research shows that even before the pandemic, more and more Americans were experiencing loneliness and social disconnection, we now know loneliness is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity.

Psalms 9:9 tells us, “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Despite being unable to attend services in person, we were able to lean on the Lord to get through the pandemic and all of the challenges and grief it brought us. As grateful as I was to have the ability to worship online, I am thrilled to return to in-person services and interacting with my church and community.

As things return to pre-pandemic business as usual and we make appointments to get our hair done, our teeth cleaned, and our annual physicals, let’s also make it a point to address our mental and emotional stresses and traumas. After living for so long with such sadness, despair, and gloom, we’ve likely become accustomed to the weight of them. But we neither can nor have to carry that weight indefinitely. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”