A Non-religious Life In COVID-19
Item
PGV_ID
300262
Title
A Non-religious Life In COVID-19
Media file format such as pdf, mp3, mp4, docx
jpg
Author (individual or group)
Emma Sullivan
Location
Loveland, OH
45140
Religious movement
None
Description or narrative
As a general course, I am not a religious person. I do not follow a specific religion or practice many rituals. However, prior to the pandemic, I was attempting to build a community of my own. A circle of friends who could support me and I could spend time with--a bond. For context, I was in the same place I always had been--same school, same people. Unfortunately, personal circumstances left me lacking in the social department. I had built a reputation of being the intelligent introvert at the school, if people even knew who I was. So I was just beginning to reach out to other people and try to make new connections; I added a Monday club to my week and met someone new.
But this story wouldn’t be recent if COVID-19 hadn’t somehow gotten in the way. About a week or two after I began reaching out to potential new friends, my school had to close due to lockdown restrictions. I think that happened in early March. I made a prediction the first official day of lockdown (a Monday) that I would experience emotional issues due to a lack of social contact. Lo and behold, week 3 rolls around and I was right. That day, I began looking for ways to help my emotional state and relieve some of the distress. One of the things that was recommended to me was starting a gratitude journal. The idea was to make me appreciative of all of the positive things happening around me, like having pizza for dinner or watching a movie with my family, instead of focusing on the negative, like why does the lockdown have to take away face-to-face discussions and why does high school feel like such a chore. I have included the first paragraph of my first journal entry, but for privacy reasons, I will not include more than that.
Since then, I have journaled every day, whether I have much to say or not. At the end, I always have a list of positive events that happened (I try to think of at least four) and a reminder that I can get through whatever I need to because I am strong enough. Repeating those positive words has helped me get through the tougher moments in the pandemic. They could be similar to passages in religious works or sermons; it is designed (from my understanding) to help the listener feel at ease and more comfortable with their circumstances. I can appreciate religion--though I have mainly been exposed to Christianity in my neighborhoods--in this regard. The feeling of being accepted unconditionally by someone and by a community of kind-hearted people is priceless. That being said, I will not follow a specific religion due to the pandemic; the idea of giving myself over to someone I have never met--and therefore do not trust--does not sit well with me. However, I can see value in religious rituals and may come up with some of my own; they will certainly be applicable even in a non-pandemic case.
But this story wouldn’t be recent if COVID-19 hadn’t somehow gotten in the way. About a week or two after I began reaching out to potential new friends, my school had to close due to lockdown restrictions. I think that happened in early March. I made a prediction the first official day of lockdown (a Monday) that I would experience emotional issues due to a lack of social contact. Lo and behold, week 3 rolls around and I was right. That day, I began looking for ways to help my emotional state and relieve some of the distress. One of the things that was recommended to me was starting a gratitude journal. The idea was to make me appreciative of all of the positive things happening around me, like having pizza for dinner or watching a movie with my family, instead of focusing on the negative, like why does the lockdown have to take away face-to-face discussions and why does high school feel like such a chore. I have included the first paragraph of my first journal entry, but for privacy reasons, I will not include more than that.
Since then, I have journaled every day, whether I have much to say or not. At the end, I always have a list of positive events that happened (I try to think of at least four) and a reminder that I can get through whatever I need to because I am strong enough. Repeating those positive words has helped me get through the tougher moments in the pandemic. They could be similar to passages in religious works or sermons; it is designed (from my understanding) to help the listener feel at ease and more comfortable with their circumstances. I can appreciate religion--though I have mainly been exposed to Christianity in my neighborhoods--in this regard. The feeling of being accepted unconditionally by someone and by a community of kind-hearted people is priceless. That being said, I will not follow a specific religion due to the pandemic; the idea of giving myself over to someone I have never met--and therefore do not trust--does not sit well with me. However, I can see value in religious rituals and may come up with some of my own; they will certainly be applicable even in a non-pandemic case.
Contributor
sulli281
Genre
Personal story, social media or blog post, unpublished material, etc.
Date
9/16/2020
This item was submitted on September 16, 2020 by Emma Sullivan using the form “Help gather religious responses to the pandemic” on the site “Preaching Goes Viral”: https://pandemicreligion.org/s/preaching-goes-viral
Click here to view the collected data.