Category: COVID-19

​Becoming a 'Human Being' vs. a 'Human Doing'

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Becoming a 'Human Being' vs. a 'Human Doing'


When I was in college, I had a thoughtful professor who hated the 'b' word; as in 'busy.' He would say that too often people use the word 'busy' to describe how they have been and he didn’t understand why people felt the need to let others know that they had a ton going on. He also noted that the phrase 'being busy,' doesn’t actually describe how a person is feeling. I found this profound to think about. Why is it that some people feel the need to always be so busy and to let others know that they’re busy?


The way we choose to live our lives will shape who we become. Often that requires deep reflection of our habits and the kinds of relationships we are choosing to allow in our life. However, one of the greatest barriers to this deeper reflection is 'busyness.'


A lot of people recognized their addiction to busyness d ...

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Posted in:

  • Breathe
  • Burnout
  • COVID-19
  • Change
  • Decisions
  • Exhaustion
  • Mindfullness
  • Mindset
  • Practice
  • Self-Care

Tags:

  • Expectations
  • balance
  • boundaries
  • change
  • focus
  • growth
  • mindfullness
  • practice
  • present
  • reflection
  • reframe
  • rest
  • self-care
  • think

Reintegration After Isolation

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With the onset of the COVID pandemic, there was a multitude of social outlets many of us like to engage in that were put on hold. Concerts, going to restaurants, and even more mundane social contexts such as working in a setting with co-workers that we sometimes take for granted were all interrupted last March. A common sentiment heard during this period of time was “I can’t wait to socialize again” regardless of what one’s preferred means of socialization was. Fast forward to the summer of 2021, and social events are starting to happen again. Concerts are suddenly able to be planned, restaurants are starting to bustle with patrons more than in the past year, and some workplaces are transitioning back to work in-person. Yet despite these exciting realities of socialization becoming available again, there’s one sentence that I’ve heard frequently over the past few weeks from clients and friends alike: “I think I’m excited to socialize, but for some rea ...

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Posted in:

  • Anxiety
  • COVID-19

Tags:

  • Social Atrophy
  • relationships
  • social distancing

One Year of COVID-19: Finding Balance Amidst Chronic Stress

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For one full calendar year today, life as we knew it, has been on hold.

 

On March 11, 2020 local news stations began announcing the first big changes due to COVID-19. Colleges would begin the transition of classes from in-person to online learning or suspension of classes entirely. News of colleges plans spread among the state, and shortly thereafter K-12 schools followed suit. By March 13, it was no longer safe to visit residential, health care or juvenile centers. Shortly thereafter, restaurants, gyms, coffee shops, hair salons, and many more small businesses were closed. And on March 23, 2020 the first statewide stay-at-home order for all non-essential workers was implemented.

 

As I write this blog on March 11, 2021, exactly one year since this pandemic struck our mitten state, Nation, and globe, I noticed the presence of one of my first deep exhales since this halt on “real life” h ...

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Posted in:

  • COVID-19
  • Self-Care

Tags:

  • anxiety
  • coping
  • self-care
  • stress
  • uncertainty

A Personal Response to COVID-19

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It's been an... interesting week.  If you had told me last week Tuesday or Wednesday that, here in Michigan, all schools would be shut down, businesses closed, events canceled, and people confined to their houses until further notice, I would not have believed you.  This type of rapidly spreading, deadly virus is something I'd expect to read about in apocalyptic literature, not the news. And yet, this is the situation in which we find ourselves.  As a counselor and, more importantly, a human being, I am asking myself the best way to process through these events and my own thoughts and feelings. 


I've seen several ideas and recommendations for "how to socially distance" and the best way to structure your day if you're stuck at home.  Many in the medical profession have offered advice as to what supplies we should be stocking up on and how to care for those who are sick.  These types of information are va ...

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Posted in:

  • COVID-19

Tags:

  • Emotions
  • anxiety
  • anxious
  • compassion
  • faith
  • feelings
  • social distancing

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