How to walk our youth through grief caused by COVID-19
When we were informed about COVID-19, it was with this statement, “By the time this is over, every single one of us will know someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. We will also know someone who has died from COVID-19.” At the time, COVID-19 had barely scratched the surface of Indiana soil, so the warning, while nerve-rattling, seemed stranger than fiction.
Many of us dismissed warnings, we didn’t believe something so radical could happen. Not here anyway, not to us. Now, weeks later, Indiana has diagnosed over 9,500 cases and has lost 477 Hoosiers. As of April 16, Allen County alone has 224 confirmed cases and 16 deaths. And, the cases continue to mount each minute. Literally, each minute (Indiana Department of Health).
We don’t know when this pandemic will be over. Many of us likely don’t know exactly how or when COVID-19 will pick its battle with us. Some of us have already been hit. Some of us have been gut-punched so hard that we can’t breathe.
Grieving, whether you are struggling with a COVID-19 diagnosis of a loved one or have lost someone close to you, will be difficult because, under normal circumstances, we turn to others in our lives for support. We might gather with friends and family to cry, share happy memories, and offer care and support to one another. The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on many of these rituals (verywell mind). This inability to engage in traditions that support the grieving process can make it that much more difficult to cope. Walking through grief, often for the first time is especially hard on our youth, and now they are navigating loss in an extremely strange climate — without the opportunity to say goodbye, and without the comfort of traditions.
If you or your teenager are struggling with grief because you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or because you have lost someone to COVID-19, hear this: you are not alone.
Click Here to Learn how to Deal With Loss
While hunker-down initiatives and quarantine force us to adjust the ways in which we grieve, this does not mean that we have to stifle our grief. There are things that we can and must do to support ourselves, and we must come alongside our youth and walk them through this as well:
● Encourage your teen to reach out to family and friends.
● Meet outside for a socially-distant walk or talk.
● Take time to grieve. Don’t rush through it and don’t ignore it.
● Practice self-care including exercise, healthy meals, and rest.
● Cry. Validate your emotions; they are real.
Most importantly, don’t wait for the pandemic bans to be lifted to find support. There are options to support your teenager now:
- Connect with your local church, many are doing online youth groups and services.
- Connect With a YFC Leader, Find Your Leader Here
- Talk With a Counselor, Many are Doing Telemental Health
Remember, we aren’t alone, we’re in this together and we must help each other.
Written by Youth For Christ
