Today we say goodbye to 2020. While we may not have the same stance on what 2020 should have been, I think we can all agree that it was a year that stretched us individually and collectively.
For some, the tension led to growth and an openness to doing things in new ways. There was freedom in having routines and lives shaken up. For others, it created more pressure than was bearable. When that unbearable point is reached and there are no tools to address it, mental health can be the victim.
Our human tendency is to judge the struggling. We expect those around us to have the same experience we do. If our experience was growth in 2020, then we think everyone else should have had that. The unspoken and sometimes even unconscious messages can be…
Well, it was positive for me, what is wrong with you?
Maybe your faith is not strong enough.
If you handled it the way I have, then it would all work out for you too.
We have an opportunity as we close out 2020 today to walk with people who have struggled this year. We can reframe the questions and statements for the people around us or even for how we talk to ourselves.
I see you are struggling, how can I be there for you in the struggle?
