Staying Co-nnected during Co-vid

There are many times since March 2020, when the reality of what COVID would come to mean to us all, gradually dawned on me. The initial impact was that a long-planned trip to honor a 40th wedding anniversary began to look iffy, before it was formally cancelled. Then, the rapidity of the virus’s spread, accompanied by accelerating rates of hospitalization and death made it very clear that this was not going to be your “typical” seasonal bug. With alarming speed, COVID bit into job security, economic stability, social and political unity, and ultimately family and friend connectivity. COVID has left so many people upended, insecure, uncertain, and alone.

From my perspective, as a therapist, friend, and family member, the single biggest impact I have experienced is in the dis-integration of the many connections upon which my former life depended. I couldn’t see who I usually saw. I couldn’t conduct my professional practice in a face-to-face, in-person way. I couldn’t socialize the way I was used to socializing. An elderly mother was suddenly infinitely far away, whereas previously, a flight would reunite us for a few precious days that will someday be beyond reach.

When a sense of dis-integration overtakes me, one solution I pursue is to turn to the natural ecosystems that surround me and that ultimately shape us all. There are moments of peace, of connection, and of rejuvenation that are to be found when I step out and into the natural wonders that are all around us. The research is clear, time in nature is healing on many levels. During these horrible and uncertain COVID-laced times, finding an antidote to the dis-integration of our daily routines and connections by turning to the timeless inter-connections of nature is a simple and accessible medicine that is free to indulge in at your convenience.