Guest Column: We are going to get through this

Published 12:30 am Thursday, April 30, 2020

As a community, we’ve gone through a lot together to do our part in flattening the coronavirus infection curve.

From individuals practicing physical distancing and businesses adapting to state guidelines, to our amazing front-line workers ensuring that essential operations continue, the pandemic has touched every person in our community.

Through our collective action, we have limited the spread of the coronavirus in the area, but there is a second curve we need to plan for. Now we need to prepare for the next curve of mental health disruption which comes with weeks of quarantine and the economic fallout of this pandemic.

I hear the sadness, the anger and the stress in people’s voices when they talk about what’s been lost. I also hear fear for what comes next.

Living in and through a pandemic is taking a toll on us individually and collectively. Our country is grieving the loss of our former lives and we are all in different stages of grief. So much of our focus has been directed towards how to protect ourselves physically from the coronavirus, we need to ensure we are also taking steps to protect our mental well-being.

You may be experiencing an increase in general anxiety or worry. Or perhaps you are experiencing more extreme feelings of panic and despair. To each of you, regardless if your response is mild or more intense, let me say that your feelings are valid and you are not alone. Try to find patience with yourself and others.

Regardless if you have never sought help for your mental wellness in the past, or if you engage in daily practices to improve and maintain your mental health, now is the time to become an even more diligent advocate for yourself, your loved ones and your community.

While we’ve never done this before, navigating these murky waters is something we will do as a community. Just like in the aftermath of the storm of 2007, it means as a community we come together, neighbors helping neighbors, to care for and support one another.

The spirit and resilience of this community is fierce. To address the mental wellness need, the impacts of physical distancing and loss that we are experiencing, we need that same can-do spirit.

The shame associated with intense emotions is a real and terrible barrier for some to seek help. Your encouragement and acknowledgement that these feelings are normal in this time can mean all the difference in the world. We are all in this together, and support is available.

We at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare are here for you if you just need to talk, if you need to vent, cry, problem solve, or if you simply need to connect with another human being. Call us today at 503-325-5722. If you are worried about someone else, you can call us about that, too.

We may not know exactly when this pandemic will end, but it will. Remember to take each day one step at a time, and to support one another as we all make our way through this. We really are all in this together, and together we are going to get through this.