We are living in a time where it feels like it is the norm to experience one bad thing after another. The world is falling apart around us and there looks to be no end to our worry and despair. It is so difficult to remain positive and to muster up that feeling to look forward to the good things when life seems to be so out of control.
The constant worry, fear, distress, heartache, and despair is all just so overwhelming! Everyday life has become the plot of one of those “end of the world” disaster movies. It feels like we have no choice but to succumb to the sadness and the confusion, to stay down and let pessimism take over our lives.
I have always believed that even the deepest pit has a bottom, and when that bottom is reached, the only way from there on is up. It is a comforting thought at the worst of times, but right now, it feels like our losses are too great and that things have changed immeasurably. Even when we reach that bottom and look to rise up, the scars will be too great for us to be fully restored to what we were before.
Every major life experience changes us somehow. Even without this pandemic, life is challenging and so dynamic. If it were a time pre-pandemic, the prominent advice would be to embrace your sad feelings and to follow through on your healing process. At the end of the grieving and healing, to allow your grief or challenge be your story of resilience, growth, and courage. Honestly, right now, it doesn’t seem likely that this advice will help us to cope with the cumulative grief and worry that comes with living in this trying time.
We may feel changed but certainly not strong or resilient. There is this daily fear and constant worry for our family and friends, the apprehension for the future of our children and the sadness for the younger generation, who still have their lives to live and their dreams to fulfill.
It is unbearably tough to pull ourselves out of this pain, frustration, and fear. But right now, as difficult as it may seem, our only hope for moving on from here is to not lose hope. Hope will make the hardships of today less difficult to bear because we won’t give up on seeing a better tomorrow. It is a tall ask to keep hope and faith alive in the most devastating of times.
Hope is the most important thing that will see us through until we reach a light at the end of the tunnel. You are not alone in your dread and uncertainty. We all feel it. My sincerest of wishes is that we will be able to join each other in keeping hope alive for a brighter and promising future, no matter how deep our despair may be right now.