As of March 2021, we are now at the year mark of the disruption from the pandemic. Life has not been the same as before; this has been a complex and compounding problem that has hit all areas of life, including financial, social, spiritual, as well as emotional. Sales of alcohol have increased by 80% since a year ago—though some increase may be due to bars closing or limiting patrons—but the number of calls to withdrawal management and inpatient treatment has significantly increased. The worry is that we will find the number of deaths due to overdose continuing to rise, as the numbers of first-time substance misusers grows due to the stress and depression from the pandemic.

Another worry is the increase of suicides due to the pandemic. With now 12 months of this new mental health stressor, people have limited getting treatment due to fear of catching COVID-19; social distancing has created a lack of people 'checking up on each other.' (One quick pitch: if your church does not have a suicide prevention policy, go grab this free one. We need to be prepared).

My state alone (Ohio) saw a record number of overdoses in spring of 2020, with the summer and fall not much better. Suicide is harder to determine, so even now reliable numbers are not available, but we know that for the first six months of the pandemic, ER visits for children with suicidal ideation went up and many places saw upwards of 250% increase in psychiatric hospitalization.

Think about it: we have all of the old stuff affecting adults and youth:

Ending relationships, starting new friendships, divorce, moving in after marriage
Death, birth of a child, raising a child as first time parents; adoption, or losing your child to foster care
Moving, starting a new job, changing schools, passing classes, losing your job
Poor time management, finances, failures, health problems, and addictions.

And then you throw in the stress of the pandemic:

Extreme social isolation as well as not being "checked-in on"
Fear of contracting COVID-19, giving it to someone you love that is high risk, and
Lack of empathy and miscommunication of COVID-19 and other intense topics
Unhealthy consumption of mass media or online information.

Photo credit: Anthony Tran on Unsplash.com

As a Church, community, and individuals, we have a lot we can do to support each other. We've already talked about the hope of the Church with regards to suicide, including self-care for pastors. For those who are worried about substance misuse, we have some faith-based recovery options, too. But what else could you do with COVID-19 still here?

Practice A New Coping Skill
If I'm being honest, my favorite coping skill that I taught many of my clients in 2020 was reframing. But prayer, breathing exercises, exercise, and counseling are all good things to get into for emotional regulation.

This Is An Opportunity
Take a risk on trying something you have always wanted to do, but were too nervous to try. Give a second effort at that thing you know you need to do again. Keep bettering yourself.

Find Support or Create a Support Group
My favorite Christian support group right now that churches use is Grace Alliance's Thrive curriculum. If you need a list of groups to join or start at your church, I encourage you to check out my list.

Check-In With Friends
And I don't mean just one person. Parents, hopefully you are being a parent at least 30 minutes a day and watching how your child is doing. But ask the youth pastor, the children's teachers and coaches. Adults, you need to build up relationships with others, including coworkers, neighbors, pastor, and mentors/small group members. Do not coast.

I could spend another five blog articles on what you could do, including continuing to read about mental health, understand how to communicate with the right words, journal more, how to seek prevention or professional help, and engage in local and larger conversations on these topics. For now, take steps forward to continue to support each other, our Church witness and equipping our communities.

Jeremy Smith is a clinical mental health counselor in Ohio and founder of www.churchandmentalhealth.com.