Navigating the New Norm – Social Isolation and Mental Health

In December, I remember hearing about the coronavirus in the distant Far East and seeing some of the footage of how it was impacting the health and lives of the population of Wuhan in China. It seemed strange but not unfamiliar, as China had also experienced SARS in 2003, so I didn’t think too much of it as I thought they’d bring it under control as they did with SARS back then. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine, that it would, not only come so close to home, but take hold of our buzzing nation in a dark and vice grip, bringing it to a screeching halt and taking so many lives, as it swept over the nation and the world at large.

We’ve gone from overcrowded streets in the West End, large protests over climate change, demonstrations over a Trump visit last summer in Westminster, large protests over Brexit in Parliament Square and all the drama in the House of Parliament over the Brexit agreement, to deserted streets, social distancing; learning to stay at home, empty parks and closed businesses. The life as we knew it has come to a standstill as we navigate the new norm of working from home and for some, whose work depend on serving people face to face, learning new ways to feed their families and pay the bills.

Personally, I found the first week of working from home very difficult, as I kept listening to the news and hearing the daily rise in the amount of people contracting the virus and dying from it, the NHS medical team working very hard without proper equipments and it all felt like we were at war against an unseen army laying siege and silently taking lives. Even though I’m quite solid in my faith, this really shook me and I felt like I was in a daze. I couldn’t do much but watch more of the news and the more I watched the more hopeless I felt.

Then I had to wake up and shake myself out of the state of mind I was in and remind myself that I had access to God through prayers.  So here are a few things I did to reorient my focus to a more positive state:

Prayers

I began to pray in the spirit, as Romans 8:26-26 (NKJ) says: 

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Also, Jude 1:20, admonishes us that praying in the spirit also strengthens our faith, but even if you are unable to pray in the spirit you can engage your heart with God and He will hear you.

Organising a Group to pray with

When I engaged my mind in prayers I felt impressed to organise a few ladies I know that would be interested in praying together and so I called them and arranged an online prayer group and we pray regularly for God’s intervention. I strongly believe in the power of prayers. James 5:16 (NKJ)

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

I also believe the when two or more people join faith together and pray for a common goal, it is much more effective than praying solo, as you can also encourage each other and change a negative atmosphere. 

I felt that our battle was not just with COVID-19, but with the spirit of fear that it was generating, which was reinforcing the negative, making fear bigger than faith and there is a need for a lot more positive energy to bring down God’s heavenly agenda to earth to combat this virus and we need sound minds to do this.

Limiting my focus on negative news

I limited my intake of the news and the negative narrative proliferating on social media outlets, such as WhatsApp groups, that was feeding the panic already in place and I started focusing my mind on worship, creativity, checking on those I know who live a lone and encouraging them. I believe that people will naturally gravitate towards their most dominant thought, therefore our thoughts need to be creating positive energy. We can do this by reading more of God’s word and promises and refocusing our energy towards what we can control. 

Getting Creative

Whilst in quarantine, during the Great Plague in the 16th Century, Issac Newton worked on his theories and calculus, optics and laws of motion. I hope this will inspire you also to be creative with the opportunity you have in this isolation period, and it doesn’t have to be as technical as calculus.  I have been getting creative by mastering by guitar skills with some of my favourite worship songs and also carving out time to work on my next book and getting to grips with marketing.

Don’t Do Life Alone

So, please don’t do life alone, but reach out to friends and families, as it is important for your mental health. We are social beings, created to relate with one another and we have suddenly found ourselves apart, due to COVID-19, which is a strain on mental health, particularly if you have young children and you’re having to juggle work with caring for them as well as home schooling them. Here’s a useful podcast you might find helpful: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/episodes/broadcast/unexpected-homeschooling-tips-for-teaching-kids-at-home/

Social media provides an outlet where you can join a group, form a group and use this time and opportunity to do something new, which in turn, will divert your mind from dwelling on the negative. If you are part of a church that has small groups, that’s a good place to go and find community where you can encourage one another in your faith and or even join together and do something altruistic for your community, which also has a way of lifting your spirit!

Joanne Sojinu, Author:

A Mother’s Prayers, Week by Week Devotional for Your Unborn Child