GRCS Weekly Social Work Support

April 14, 2020

Welcome back from Spring Break, we hope you had a meaningful Easter celebration over the weekend! 

As we enter the last stretch of the school year, you might find your mind wandering to what life would have been like without COVID-19 and the executive order suspending face-to-face learning for the remainder of the school year. This time of year is usually packed with excited anticipation: spring temperatures rising, concerts and performances, spring sports seasons, final projects and exams, class trips, summer plans nearing, and end of the year ceremonies or graduations. Many of us are sad about the loss of these activities and more.

The Harvard Business Review published an article that interviews David Kessler, one of the leading experts on grief. Kessler validates the grief that has accompanied the spread of COVID-19, explaining "there’s something powerful about naming this as grief. It helps us feel what’s inside of us." Kessler says, "When you name it, you feel it and it moves through you. Emotions need motion."

Quick Tip of the Week: Allow yourself to grieve the loss of the remainder of our school year

• Identify losses (big or small). These could be in-person hangouts or playdates, your classrooms, school gatherings or special events, routines or schedules.
• Acknowledge feelings connected with these losses
  • Grief is a normal response; sadness, disappointment, fear are natural!
• Communicate — create, express! 
  • Talk with your family members and friends about how you feel
  • Journal about your feelings; or use another creative outlet like drawing or dancing or songwriting 
  • If your feelings are becoming unmanageable or too overwhelming, tell a trusted adult or contact a counselor to get support 
• Be open to acceptance
  • Make a gratitude list 
  • Delight in the creative ways you are connecting with others and learning
  • Join your class/friends for virtual learning and social hangouts
  • Do one thing each day that brings you joy
     

"Grief is not foreign to God. Burdens are not unfamiliar to God...In Christ, God carried the weight and sin of the entire world. Not us - God (Delonte Gholston)." 

We can move forward with Hope in our hearts as we move through any losses or grief that we may experience.  "See" you next week! 

In Christ,
Grace Boyle (gboyle@grcs.org) & Casey McMahon (cmcmahon@grcs.org)
GRCS Social Workers