Maryland Nurse - April 2021

April, May, June 2021 The Maryland Nurse Journal • Page 25
healthy nurse healthy nation
“Workout and Devotion”: Physically Distant but Spiritually Connected
Verna N. Thomas, MS, RN, CRNA and
Rodnita K. Davis, PhD (c), MS, RN, CNE
Recently, I read an article about friendships and the ebbs and flows that are
contained within them. The article made me reflect on how COVID-19 has altered this
valued relationship and impacted its meaning over the last year. Before the extremes
of restrictions and mandates on social distancing, a small group of us gathered (in
person) for a birthday celebration in January 2020. Without worry, fear, or any inkling
of what was to come, we enjoyed food, laughter, drink, and fellowship. Little did we
know that our celebration would mark the beginning of a year of overwhelming losses
and highlight the promise of discovery. The COVID-19 pandemic essentially made
the world come to a stop. There is no denying the lives lost, the separation of families,
the collapse of businesses, the many jobs that vanished, and the emotional toll felt
worldwide. For us in healthcare, we’ve had to adjust to functioning through long
shifts in layers of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and overcoming unthinkable
conditions at the hands of an unforgiving virus. The once dreaded requirement to wear
the N95 mask or Power Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) for the occasional airborne
precaution patient is now a hallmark of our protective gear. Business, medical, spiritual,
and educational platforms have had to expand their virtual capabilities to continue
delivering goods and services. We have had to re-envision how life is transacted; Zoom
and screen sharing, for many, now represents the archetype of working, learning, and
worshiping. This new perspective undoubtedly includes how we now nurture and
cultivate our highly valued friendships.
We must acknowledge that even before COVID-19, some of our friendships
hung in the shadows while waiting for schedules and lives to align so that we could
gather together. While social media has helped bridge the friendship drought that
can occur, what happens when our friendships resolve to only exist within those
platforms? There is only a limited amount of connectedness that one can experience
when “friendshipping” through interactive digitally-mediated technologies. With
so much isolation this past year, where did our friendships go? Did they succumb
to COVID-19? Will we have friendships to return to when the pandemic is finally
over? With such uncertainty, even a year into life amid a pandemic, how do we meet
the gnawing feeling to again be in the company of friends? How do we gather and
socially distance with limited travel and restaurant seats, canceled sporting events,
and concert venues? Well, we adapt! The “new” COVID-19 customs have broadened
our exposure to virtual social offerings like online concerts, birthday parties, game
nights, movie watch parties, entertainers hired for cameo appearances or comedy
shows, and our personal favorite Zoom exercise and spiritual devotion.
We are longtime friends, having originally met in our undergraduate nursing
program. However, with more than 75 miles separating us physically, because we live in
different states, our in-person gatherings over the years have dwindled. The challenges
and restrictions presented by the pandemic only further complicated matters. As
spiritual women constantly striving towards the best version of ourselves, the resulting
isolation associated with the pandemic had numbed our desires to exercise and worship.
So, a few months back, we committed to nurturing our friendship, though it would
require a bit more creativity and innovation, given the current public health crisis. While
not formalized, our goals simply aspired to connect more deeply to satisfy our physical
and spiritual needs. Having a solid relationship, adding exercise and spiritual devotion
was an easy consideration because we have history. Initially, we explored a plan for
Zoom workouts twice weekly, followed by a short prayer. A disjointed series of starts
and stops and invitations to others to join us, in the beginning, has evolved. Presently,
the two of us engage in organized and regimented workouts four days a week via Zoom
with a combination of prayer, devotion, readings, career planning, recipe sharing,
and good old fashion girlfriend time with a twist. Sharing this mutually beneficial
connection has now become a vital component of our daily lives. We look forward to
our virtual time together, and apart from the obvious computer screen, the interactions
are authentic and valued. Notably, our early “workout and devotion” sessions, as we
have titled them, have added a new dimension to an existing relationship already built
on a firm foundation. However, but not for the pandemic, we may have never considered
connecting in this way. Though we recognize the devastation, this pandemic has had,
in many respects, through intentional acts that we have identified as our “workout and
devotion” sessions which are one of many blessings revealed to us during this time of
isolation and self-reflection.
We come together with no other plans besides workouts and spiritual devotion.
But what resulted from our time together is an encouragement to each other to break
through a mental slump, a swapping of ideas on how best to tackle a new project, and
let us not forget the bonus of a few lost pounds and a healthier lifestyle. For us, this is
what our friendship is; layers, upon layers of giving and taking that ebbs and flows
through the stages of life to make us better.
We encourage readers to use this time to take inventory of the impact of
COVID-19. Though we acknowledge all that COVID-19 has ripped away, we
cannot ignore the blessings generated during our confinement – the forced slow
down, a simplified lifestyle, and valuing what is important. So, while the pandemic
has removed so much from our lives, we seek to enrich our happiness through this
ensuing simplicity.
Are you feeling emotionally disconnected from friends and devoid of the support
that can only come from that type of relationship? We invite you to reconnect with
them through exercise, devotion, or both, not just by voice but by using a video calling
or conferencing application. Will you embrace this time to take care of yourself so
that you can be your best for others?
1. President/CEO, Evita Health LLC, Bowie, Maryland; and Associate, North American Partners in
Anesthesia – MidAtlantic Region, Melville, NY
2. Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Baltimore, MD