Day 7 - 78 -- Thread of Hope

Has it only been a week? It feels so much longer. Today I realized the comfort that comes from the Prime Minister doing a daily update -- from his front porch due to being on 14 day isolation since his wife tested positive a week ago. This less formal setting helped me with the ever-changing and unprecedented measures taken. The PM has clearly stated that 'these measures will help save lives."

In an address early this week, the PM noted the mental health component of this global pandemic. The fluidity of the situation often means that before we have time to fully comprehend implications of a new restriction, it has been replaced by an newer one. These are not mere guidelines but are strongly encouraged and in more and more cases have become mandated. There is fear. Uncertainty will do that -- particularly with the generations who have grown up with all the post-apocalyptic movies <smile>. Some mental health supports in our town have moved to telephone counseling. Others use online contacts. These formats of care delivery support the recommendation for social distancing. In fact, many MDs are providing telephone appointments for some issues, a step that requires policy changes to billing codes. So while society has a distinct heightened anxiety feel here, systems are finding ways to continue serving the public. Learning to do routine work in a different format may be a legacy of the journey. Being forced into teaching courses only by distance, might increase such remote linkages for educators in the future, just as it will for health professionals. The bottom line here, as a dear friend noted in a recent online conversation, there is hope.

While uncertainty can make it easier for anxiety to creep in, we must hold fast to that thread of hope. The PM has provided messages of empowerment, stating that our strength lies in our capacity to pull together and take care of each other albeit from a distance. Many virtual local groups have sprung up over the past few days to help us check in with others and provide the social support needed for improved mental health. A song that I've used in past blog entries came to mind today for a different reason. The lyrics speak to the hope of getting through a crisis. This arrangement is gorgeous -- soft and relaxing -- and the vocalist stunning. In the words of Maya Angelou -- Be the rainbow in someone else's cloud. Keep your distance. Stay healthy. Enjoy!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow -- Eva Cassidy