Writers/Contributors: Theresa Bell, Joe Weiss, Matt Berry, Marian Klemm, Nikita Sharma, Windy Knight
Editors/Designers: Jennifer Ward, Laura Byrne, Matt Berry, Ben Arrowood
The coronavirus infection rate has been increasing rapidly. The number of cases being reported per day in the USA is getting higher. It is important to be careful about opening the economy, schools, and other public places. Unless things are safer for our lives to resume to a “normal pace”, we need to follow the safety guidelines and take care of our mental and physical well being.
The holiday season is also upon us, which is usually a time for people to get together and share the joy. Things probably need to be done differently this year whether you are with your family or out and about. The government of Maryland has put in restrictions to not have gatherings of more than 10 people at a time. It is also recommended that you do not gather with anyone else outside of your nuclear family, whatever that looks like. In addition to that, it is also important to follow safety guidelines such as proper mask wearing, keeping your distance, and washing hands regularly.
Communication between people you love is very important at the moment. We are all going through the same thing, so it’s important that we support each other, friends, relatives, and/or clubhouse colleagues. Members and staff all shared different ways to do that. Joe shared that it is important to keep the spirit of friendship alive, by making an effort to reach out and stay connected the best we can. He shared, “During the pandemic, it has been harder to stay connected with my therapist. Friends and family have sometimes played that role.” Windy and Theresa shared different ways to stay connected virtually. There are a lot of online platforms we can use such as Facebook, Facetime, Google Duo to share pictures or voice chat. If you want to go the classic way, you can also make and send postcards, or cards that are handmade to your loved ones. “Having access to phone numbers of professional mental health crisis mental health organizations is also much needed”, added Theresa.
The best advice that we can give ourselves at the moment to stay in, as much as we can. However, we all have practical, social and health needs, and it is not possible to do that all the time. “Coming to B’More Clubhouse with an intention to do something productive to help the community is a good way to interact with colleagues in a safe environment,” shares Joe. We have been doing our best to enforce a strict mask policy, practice social distancing, and keep our work area clean and sanitized. We welcome you to sign up, make your reservation and help us have a meaningful work ordered day.
With that, we wish you a safe and joyful holiday season.
