“I’m going stir crazy,” read my friend’s text, which could be emblazoned on T-shirts worldwide, as people huddle inside their homes, obeying “shelter in place” regulations.
Many people who longed for a break from work are itching to get back. Kids once begged to skip school, but now miss their friends. As we struggle to cope with isolation, here are tips to avoid going bonkers.
First, let’s discover joy in the small moments of each day. In my neighborhood, parents are biking with their children, taking them on walks and playing basketball. Folks also are planting flowers and vegetable gardens, and learning new skills by watching how-to videos.
Yours truly learned how to root sprigs of rosemary for a potential herb garden, pan-sear chicken and make a delectable, no-eggs chocolate cake.
Take a walk and collect photos of flowers and butterflies, and maybe the occasional squirrel, and share them with friends. There is something healing about nature, which might explain why our first parents were created in a garden.
Scott Kelly is a retired NASA astronaut, who spent nearly a year on the International Space Station, and wrote about surviving isolation for The New York Times.
“After being confined to a small space for months, I actually started to crave nature, the color green, the smell of fresh dirt, and the feel of warm sun on my face.” One piece of advice he emphasized for folks sheltering in place: “Go outside.”
Second, let’s use our talents and resources to help others. Folks worldwide are dusting off their sewing machines to craft face masks. In New York City, people gather on their balconies each evening, expressing gratitude for medical workers by applauding and clanging pots and pans.
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli prayed for the world in his online Easter concert, “Music for Hope.” His mellifluous voice singing “Ave Maria” and “Panis Angelicus” was incredibly moving, and when he sang “Amazing Grace,” I envisioned many tears of joy falling around the world.
On Good Friday, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond got into a plane and flew over the city, praying for protection and healing for the people below, and blessing them with holy water from the Jordan River.
That same day, Rabbi Lexi Erdheim took to the skies to offer Passover prayers for the whole city.
Maybe we can’t do something that dramatic, but we can bless others by responding to food drives and donating to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. And those fortunate enough to have healthy savings accounts might share their stimulus-check money with folks in desperate straits.
Finally, we can have a good, long talk with God, and tell him exactly how we feel. Are you suffering from loneliness? Christ did too, when all his friends left him. Are you fearful about the future? So was he, when he prayed in the garden before his death.
True, we’re in the midst of a bleak time in human history, but God can transform darkness into light. Let’s cling to St. Paul’s promise: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Sometimes, when we’re going through painful times, we can’t see God’s hand in our lives, but later, when we look back, we say, “Now I see why that happened.”
Meanwhile, there’s something every person on earth can do, despite their age or physical condition. Let’s pray for an end to the pandemic, pray for a vaccine, pray for the victims, and pray for the jobless and hungry.
After all, prayer is a tried and true, guaranteed cure for going stir crazy.
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