We realize that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in worry, fear, stress, and anxiety, much of which continues today—particularly for clinicians and chaplains/spiritual care providers who work with vulnerable populations on a daily basis. Thank you for your commitment to supporting patients, colleagues, and the broader global community in the face of this significant public health challenge. GWish is committed to supporting you during this difficult time. Below are resources that may be helpful.
'This is the time to be slow,
Lie low to the wall
Until the bitter weather passes.
Try, as best you can, not to let
The wire brush of doubt
Scrape from your heart
All sense of yourself
And your hesitant light.
If you remain generous,
Time will come good;
And you will find your feet
Again on fresh pastures of promise,
Where the air will be kind
And blushed with beginning.'
from To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O'Donohue
(Hear this piece read by BBC's Fergal Keane)
Recommended Guidelines for Palliative Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 has generated a crisis of spiritual distress in healthcare settings that must prioritize urgent clinical symptom and infection control. That said, many patients are suffering greatly from spiritual distress as well: existential distress, struggles with uncertainty, despair, hopelessness, isolation, feelings of abandonment by God or others, grief, and the need for reconciliation.
For a list of recommendations on how to deal with the current environment, download “Palliative Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
Poetry of Hope & Comfort
- 'Pandemic' by Lynn Ungar
- 'Looking for Something Lost' by Mark Van Doren
- 'For the New Year, 1981' by Denise Levertov
- 'Carrion Comfort' by Gerard Manley Hopkins
- Reflection by Pope Francis
- 'The Trees' by Philip Larkin
- 'The Peace of Wild Things' by Wendell Barry
- 'It Is Well With My Soul' (arr. by: David Wise) - The Nashville Studio Singer Community, Virtual Cell Phone Choir (pres. by: TenTwoSix Music)
Resources for Managing Stress & Anxiety
- 'Managing Stress & Anxiety During COVID-19' - National Center for Disease Control
- 'Taking Time for Self Care' - American College of Lifestyle Medicine
- '7 Meditation Tips to Help Combat COVID-19 Anxiety' - Washingtonian
- 'Resiliency and Practice' Free Weekly Webinars - Charter for Compassion
- 'Living with Ease: A 30-Day Practice for Cultivating Mindfulness' - Wholebeing Institute
- Free Virtual Yoga and Energy Balancing Sessions - Smith Center for Healing and the Arts
Resources for Leadership in Times of Crisis
- 'Leaders Who Shine in a Crisis' - Sharon Hull
- 'Why, amid a pandemic, I am more hopeful than ever' - Sharon Hull
- The Last Anointing - Elizabeth Dias, The New York Times
Resources for Caring for Others
- 'Caring for our Caregivers During COVID-19' - American Medical Association
- 'COVID-19 Prayers' - Cincinnati Children's Hospital
- Webinar: 'Faith Community Responses to COVID-19 and People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities' - Collaborative on Faith & Disabilities
- 'Guide to Giving: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19' - Charity Navigator
- 'GW COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund' - The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences [Gifts to this fund support emergency clinical needs - masks, ventilators, other equipment, and telemedicine capabilities - and academic needs - distance learning and other resources for medical students.]