Recovery Stories: Coping with Covid-19 – May

How I survived in my recovery dealing with Covid-19 – the greatest pandemic in my lifetime:  I work at The P.E.E.R. Center where being available to our Associates is my life’s mission.  I appreciate my job so much, then the pandemic grew all over the world.  I remember Governor DeWine announcing that Covid-19 lived among us and what that was going to mean to all of us, including me.  This caused a lot of conversations amongst us and thoughts were on display, changes were going to be important for us as a company and individually.  I was scared like never before and trying to remain calm.  Discussion became more direct.  We closed our doors in March, but we were challenged by Administration to work together so most of us joined the Warmline, and we never missed a beat.
I was going crazy inward and outward, and I remember sneaking out all the time to go to the grocery store, staying in contact with my supervisor and team members with Zoom meetings, living one day at a time, and watching my friends die, feeling so helpless watching this country literally on it’s knees, reeling from the pandemic. Through praying, we were able to open back up at a modified schedule and I hurried to volunteer as one of the first to want to return to work in person.
I enjoy being a peer-learning, listening and ingesting.  Today, I’m at a peace by being challenged by everyone.  I am still affected by Covid-19, but have been vaccinated and I practice social distancing.  I hold myself accountable.