pandemic – Delight in Disorder

When the Planet Got Hit by a Bus: A Pastor’s Perspective on the Pandemic.

This week's guest post was written by Rev. George Love. George is a long-time friend of mine going back to seminary days. He is a husband, father and the pastor of Hebron Presbyterian Church in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. George appreciates the invitation to reflect on mental health in the context of our shared journey through the pandemic. A year or so ago the planet got hit by a bus. Everyone on the planet pretty much. Usually when someone gets hit by a bus, it’s just one person. Everyone else sees how monstrously awful it is that this happened and people who weren’t hit by the bus do all they can to come to the aid of the person who was hit. That’s not universally true, but in large part there is truth to it. So, the problem when everybody on the planet got hit by a bus was two-fold. [...]

When the Planet Got Hit by a Bus: A Pastor’s Perspective on the Pandemic.tonyroberts2021-04-27T20:06:20-04:00

The Pandemic and Bipolar Me by Janet Coburn

Our guest post today is written by Janet Coburn. Janet is a freelance writer/editor with bipolar disorder, type 2. She is the author of Bipolar Me and Bipolar Us, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and through other outlets. She writes about mental health issues such as talk therapy, medication, books, bullying, social aspects, and public policy, but mostly her own experiences with bipolar 2. As she always says, "I’m not an expert and YMMV – Your Mileage May Vary." I can’t say that the pandemic has had all that much effect on my life. After all, I have bipolar disorder and anxiety. It’s not like I ever left the house much anyway. This has given me the perfect opportunity to “cocoon” without stigma. Perhaps the major change is that I no longer feel comfortable going out to eat, which was one of my husband’s major method of [...]

The Pandemic and Bipolar Me by Janet Coburntonyroberts2021-04-18T22:50:27-04:00

The Pandemic and Mental Health by Jason Tapscott

Our guest blogger is Jason Tapscott. Jason's work can be found on his website is jasontapscott.com You can find his two published books at Amazon, on Kindle, for 99 cents each. Right now, there are two installments in the series with a third forthcoming that he hopes to release in paperback. Writing is Jason's way of healing and processing some tough personal times. The story is all fabrication but actually based on some real events that happened in his own life. Personally, I have very mixed feelings about the pandemic since it hit in March(ish). In that month, I started working from home. Eventually, I switched jobs in August because I wanted to be a little more on the front line, as crazy as that sounds. I work as a CPS in mental health services. That means I have my own issues. In August, I started working at Einstein [...]

The Pandemic and Mental Health by Jason Tapscotttonyroberts2021-01-16T05:00:51-05:00

Helping Each Other During the Chaos of COVID by Emma B.

This was written by Emma is a psychologist in New Zealand who works using the Solution Focused approach. She has worked in mental health, education, and suicide postvention and is currently employed by New Zealand Police within the family harm team. In her spare time, Emma delivers free suicide prevention workshops to the general public, as well as online learning via Zoom. Let me begin by acknowledging that 2020 has been a tough year for everyone. That said, let’s talk about how to help each other get through the changes brought by this virus….. Convey empathy People need to feel heard and understood. It is important that we acknowledge what the situation is like for them, without judgment, and communicate that we understand how things are for them. Examples of statements or questions that convey empathy include: It sounds like things have been really stressful for you? It must [...]

Helping Each Other During the Chaos of COVID by Emma B.tonyroberts2021-01-16T08:00:33-05:00

My Pandemic Prayer Journal

I have been keeping an pandemic prayer journal. Like everything in my life, it is irregular. Intermittent. It comes in fits and starts. But as I look back over my Facebook posts the past several weeks since COVID-19 hit home, I have a good record of my life in quarantine. I want to share some of this with you: April 3, 2020 When Hope is Hard to Come By I was sitting on my back deck, listening to “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry. It is one of the best country songs ever written. Certainly one of the saddest. My wife came out and asked why I was listening to such miserable music. I said something happens when you set suffering to song that gives purpose to pain, adds rhyme and reason to what seem like pointless periods in our lives. These are hard times and it is essential [...]

My Pandemic Prayer Journaltonyroberts2020-04-13T19:48:38-04:00

A Pandemic Prayer Journal

March 20, 9 a.m. Me: Hey V., how are you weathering this virus crisis?" V: We are doing ok. A little more depressed. That is normal. It is affecting almost everyone. Worried about seeing our retirement being wiped out. I have a back up plan. If things get to the point I cannot handle it , I will end my life. That is my back up plan for anything that is totally overwhelmingly. I cannot control it. I know I am not the only senior this is happening to. I know what it is like to barely have what I need. I am grateful for what have had and what I have, but I am at the point in my life there is no way of replenishing my savings and no one to be there for us. We do not have family. I do have a brother , but even [...]

A Pandemic Prayer Journaltonyroberts2020-03-23T16:56:59-04:00