And so the rollercoaster called Covid continues! Case numbers go up, then down, then back up. We close our doors, then open them, then close them, now opening them again. As much as I love rollercoasters, this one is wearing on me. And I’m not alone. We may never totally get off this ride.
There has been a recent thread on one of the Facebook pages for religious educators on the lack of motivation everywhere. Families are facing it, parents are facing it, congregations are facing it, and religious educators are facing it in all these places as well as in their own homes and families. I am seeing more posts about leaving the profession, which saddens me. I can’t blame them for tapping out. And yet it brings me to ask, “How does one stay engage and connected during hard times – especially when related to the trauma of a pandemic?”
I can’t begin to count the number of people I have seen leave their congregation over the years. Sometimes, it was simply because they moved away. But too often, it was due to not wanting to stay engaged – whether over a disagreement, being offended by another’s words or actions, or from microaggressions. As Rev. Eileen said more eloquently than this in her sermon last week, all who enter have the choice to stay or go. What helps to keep us here is our Covenant of Engagement, which in part says, “We covenant to speak and listen with open hearts and minds, be kind and gracious, and practice resilience and perseverance.”
Doing this as we continue to navigate through this pandemic has its challenges, of course. How do we stay in covenant and be engaged considering all we are dealing with in our daily lives? In my experience, keeping in touch with one or two people helps immensely. Sharing our experiences, thoughts, and feelings validates us and ensures a feeling of connection that we need. Self-care goes a long way too, which may seem obvious. The connection between self-care and self-compassion though is not as obvious. Research from the University of Washington showed that there are three symptoms of burnout, one of which is exhaustion (physical or mental), and the most effective way to recover from burnout was by re-energizing acts of self-care and self-compassion. They also found that compassion is like a muscle and can be trained through practices such as meditation, yoga, appreciation exercises, and movement practices. These things can re-wire the neural systems in the brain.
Isn’t it wonderful that we have opportunities at UCE to learn about and practice some of these things that can help us? We are so blessed to have people in our congregation who are willing to share their talents and knowledge! My wish and endeavor is for all of us to stay connected and engaged in some way – with a friend or a group, by doing a spiritual practice or social justice work – and hang on to one another until the rollercoaster ride comes to an exhilarating stop.
In Faith,
Kathy Underwood