Are We Prepared for the Mental Fallout

 We are doing everything we can to follow guidelines and protocols.

Class sizes are minuscule, masks hide faces so you are not sure if they are smiling anymore or not, the smell of cleaning chemicals weighs heavy in the air.

We have limited breaks, roaming the halls with your friends, & sitting where you want at lunch. We have put massive restrictions on sporting events, not held pep rallys, and cancelled dances.

Our schools are probably one of the safest places to be right now because we are all trying so hard to keep everything clean and continue to keep our kids safe.

But school is supposed to be safe, right?

We are being told to avoid family, church, the grocery store, and pretty much anywhere else and everything in between.

But church is supposed to be safe, right?

With family is supposed to be one of the places we feel safest, right?

While everyone is so concerned about our physical health, what are we sacrificing for it?

Have all of these experts thought about how much we need to be around other people? How much we need to feel accepted? How much we need to be involved in social activities?

Of course I am concerned about the physical health and well being of those around me, I'm not heartless. But from where I stand & from the view that I have daily, I am far more concerned with our mental health right now.

Depression has increased, loss of sleep has increased, anxiety has increased.

Adults are struggling, young people are struggling, kids are struggling.

My precious teenage daughter is just one example of how this virus is messing with our children in more than just the ways we believe it is.

She has always been a social butterfly. She loves to be out doing things and around people. She has never let harmful words or actions from other people stick with her for long.

Since the end of March, I have noticed a difference in her.

Her smile isn't quite as bright as it used to be. Her laugh doesn't ring out quite as easily as it used to.

Her resilience and confidence is no where near what it used to be.

She's been having dizzy spells and anxiety. We honestly thought her iron levels were just low until we really started paying attention.

She was having panic attacks. They are not full blown like what you would classify as a normal attack, but if you know her, you can definitely tell that something is off.

I didn't comprehend just how bad it had gotten until she broke down in tears a few weeks ago when we shared what we were thankful for in our Thanksgiving church service. 

Here is the girl who has cheered in front of hundreds of people since she was 5 years old, the girl who has always sang solos at church and at school, the girl who ran around countless people in DC cutting up pretending to be a spy. All of a sudden, the thought of speaking out loud with less than 20 people listening has spiraled her into a sobbing mess.

What happened?!?!

This virus happened!

Just recently, she came to me & asked if she could stay with me a little while. It's nothing unusual for her to come see me at school, she does it all the time. But this time was different. I could tell by the look in her eyes & the hitch in her voice. 

Something set her off and she didn't recover the rest of the day from it. She actually spent 20 minutes in the bathroom floor and no one knew about it!

It breaks my heart to see her this way. She's always been so sure of herself. Now it feels like she's fighting to be normal.

My heart aches for normal! 

The experts & medical professionals are spitting out numbers and statistics about the virus daily almost, but have they looked deeper than the numbers? Have they looked at anything other than our physical health?

This virus is causing so many more problems than what we see on the surface!