Coping. That’s something we’ve gotten used to over the last year. With the pandemic, economic uncertainty and social unrest gripping our homes and our communities, we’ve had to find ways to turn our minds off, to find moments of brightness when things can seem pretty bleak.
But it’s not easy, and the mental struggles of fear and anxiety can deeply affect all of us - children and adults alike. At the Municipal Alliance, we recognize that turning to alcohol and other substances can provide that release from the challenges we’re facing. (We’ve all seen the jokes about how the events in Washington on January 6 caused people to quickly give up their hopes of not drinking during “Dry January.”)
That’s why we’re focused on helping our community discover healthier ways to handle stress and difficult events - now and always. As part of our effort to support activities that reduce substance use and abuse within our local community, we recently asked our members to share the coping strategies that have helped them during the Covid crisis. Their stories are below.
From Pat Breslin -
We’ve been doing plenty to stay sane this month. No matter how cold it is, I always get out for a brisk walk at least once a day, and on the weekends we’re frequently taking the boys to the high school football field, because it’s never crowded and it sure beats playing football in our yard. Inside the house, the boys have been learning how to play the keyboard (with much help from the Simply Piano app, highly recommended), and when all else fails we’ve found that an old-fashioned family pillow fight is a lot of fun, and pretty therapeutic for all of us.
From Eve Leonard -
Our family finally got a dog! His name - Sir Bowie of Cranford. Fostering a pet was a goal that was so far out of reach before the pandemic. No one was home enough to care for an animal that required so much attention. The pandemic has turned our “commuting” routine into remote work. And while the stress of commuting is gone, the monotony of being home-bound can be overwhelming. We needed a reason to get up, move about, get excited about something. This rescue pup has been a remarkable addition to our household. Of course, this was not a “cure-all” solution. Pets require equal amounts of care and responsibility. Luckily, our kids rose to the challenge! They have been active in walking, feeding, and nurturing the newest addition to our home. This activity is teaching them responsibility and the complexities of care giving.
From Linda Leifer -
I asked our 13 year old grandson and 15 year old granddaughter who live in LA and have not been to “on site” school since 3/2020 - What have they been doing to cope with the pandemic? They shared the following: They had never read a Harry Potter book and decided they would take turns reading a couple of pages aloud to each other. They said they really were enjoying this “new” activity. Just wanted to share with you this old fashioned idea with a new pandemic twist.
From Brad Young -
"We should do this more often," my wife said to me today, as she and I took our puppy for a little bit of a longer walk than usual. Then she added, with a light chuckle, "It's nice to be away from the kids for a little bit. And I imagine they're glad to be away from us."
I agreed. As fortunate as we feel to have a tight-knit family unit, even just a little bit of time apart, after almost a year of “this,” always feels pretty good.
But even with that said, we've been able to cope with all the challenges of recent months - Covid, and the fundamental unrest and challenges facing American society and communities - by facing them together. And our favorite ways of dealing with it all have been things we've done together. Movies old and new, binge-watching shows, takeout nights and family games. We've even become addicted to watching Jeopardy! together every night. (Rest in peace, Alex.)
But our most recent form of coping, of forgetting for a little while all that's going on around us, has been one of my favorites. My aunt and her wife got us a huge paint by numbers canvas for Christmas. When we're leaned over it, brush in hand, trying to follow those thin little lines, it's not possible to have your mind be somewhere else. My 11-year-old and I have done the lion's share, and we tease each other about going over the lines, brag about the progress we're making, lament if we're going to have enough of blue light paint number 23 to finish the job... And at the end of it, we'll soon have a genuinely charming painting for the house. When the mindlessness, and the memories, were already enough.
From Bill Illaria -
I’ve been trying to reach out and call folks that I would have normally seen throughout the year, just to check-in. Cousins, work friends, extended family anyone that I would have normally seen through random events or larger family gatherings. For example, I usually coordinate a big in-person reunion every couple of years with a group of friends from my former company. We were a tight group and usually get a good crowd. This year, I’m calling more folks and started an email chain for folks to update everyone on how they are doing.
And, relatedly, my wife and I actually gave up alcohol totally at the start of the pandemic. It was coincidental, we both started exercising more at the beginning of last year and with that started cutting back the more regular wine or beer with dinner to 1 – 2 per week which then turned into 0 per week as we realized we really didn’t want it anymore. We both feel great and don’t think we’ll ever go back.
