Wellness
Mom confesses “I was scared to post this photo,” but “this is what’s right for me”
Mom knew her photo would attract negative comments, but she had to post it anyway.
Irene Markianou
05.08.20

One of the things that took a toll on everyone during this pandemic and lockdown was the fact that we haven’t been able to meet with friends and family.

We have been restricted to our homes, with our immediate family and haven’t been able to meet up with others for a casual chat, a coffee or just a walk in the park for several weeks now, and this is potentially harming our mental health.

Unsplash/ Sasha Freemind
Source:
Unsplash/ Sasha Freemind

According to a recent survey among young bloggers, people have been trying to keep in touch with their loved ones even from a safe distance. In order to achieve this, they often do video calls with them, online activities, chat on social media or seek happy occasions to celebrate, no matter how minor or insignificant they seem.

Governments all around the world have realized what an impact this social distancing has had on our lives and they are considering easing the measures or adapting them in order to include some interaction with people that before the lockdown we used to be close with.

Unsplash/ Alejandro Escamilla
Source:
Unsplash/ Alejandro Escamilla

Scotland, for instance, is considering allowing small groups of friends to meet up outside, as they understand that these severe restrictions cannot go on forever.

But there are people out there who have been going through a really hard time during this period and wouldn’t have made it, mentally at least, without making the necessary adaptations for this quarantine thing to fit their emotional needs.

Unsplash/ Nik Shuliahin
Source:
Unsplash/ Nik Shuliahin

One of those people is a Florida mom named Stephanie. Stephanie had been facing difficulties even before the pandemic- with a sick husband and special needs children, one can only guess what this woman must be going through. However, she is a positive thinker and a fighter, as are the rest of the family members, and she has been trying to see the silver lining in every cloud.

Stephanie knew the lockdown would be catastrophic for her mental health, so she decided to meet up with her girlfriends, still keeping a safe distance.

The thing is that she was hesitant to post the picture on social media, as she knew that it would attract a lot of negative comments.

Facebook
Source:
Facebook

“A lot of condemnation is happening online and it’s strange. We’re all fighting the same fight, but we all feel vastly different about how to handle it. And instead of letting people (safely) choose their own way—or post their own thoughts—we’re going on the attack,” she wrote in her post.

Stephanie and her friends took their chairs, placed them six-feet far from each other and sat down to have a nice chat. This was so relieving for these moms and made them feel so good that they couldn’t care less about other people’s judgment.

Facebook Screenshot
Source:
Facebook Screenshot

“I’m posting this because that driveway meetup saved my depression that day. And I am proud to have friends who show up with kindness—even during a pandemic,” Stephanie wrote, opening up about her feelings.

Below this post, people’s comments were supportive of this mom’s practices and, even if they weren’t, they expressed their disagreement respectfully.

No matter where one stands regarding these kinds of meet-ups, it is really important that opinions are expressed politely and considering each person’s situation.

In any case, one thing is for sure: that we all hope to be able to meet our loved ones again with no fear soon.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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