Today, February 28^th, 2021, is the one-year anniversary of the announcement that the first Oregonian, a Washington County resident, had the mysterious new Coronavirus.   In just weeks from that date, our lives would begin to drastically change, we would first experience things we are still navigating today.

This means as we navigate March 2021, we will be experiencing anniversaries that mark the beginning of major change.  Here are just a few personal I can think of from my role with HFAC, or in my personal life, that you may remember or relate to.

• The first request we received to freeze Membership as people began to choose to stay at home that first week of March. What started as a trickle, turned into a stream.
• The way our HFAC team navigated the fear and shock, channeling energy into purpose.  By the second week of March, we were implementing new virtual options. It’s incredible to read the March 15^th, 2020 Newsletter.
• The odd mix of pride, joy, fear and sadness that came from watching Charity Hunt and Nancy Causton host HFAC’s first Virtual Class Forever Fit to great success on March 16^th.
• The heavy and lonely decision to close HFAC’s doors to in-person visits on March 18^th, soon to be followed by a State-mandate that would first shutter many businesses, leaving many without paid work time and many others navigating a new world of virtual work.
• My kid’s Spring Breaks beginning early. Approaching the end of March in early discussion of how it could just be a few weeks at home until the kids return to the classroom. 

So much has happened since these firsts, some very personal and others shared with the entire world.   As a health and wellness community, at HFAC we are pausing to take note of these anniversaries.  Research tells us that anniversaries of significant life events, especially traumatic ones, can cause a host of reactions.  They can manifest as emotions, and for some of us can have significant impacts on our short or long-term wellbeing. Known as “Anniversary Reactions”, people may experience increased anxiety, anger, sleep disruption, and related symptoms.  If an Anniversary is not acknowledged, these reactions can be experienced as coming “out of nowhere”. 

Anniversary reactions are related to unresolved grief and significant loss. Adding to our current complexity is the chronic nature of the pandemic, and so much additional societal turmoil going on.  We are still masked, still virtual, still limited and many of us are dealing with huge impacts like loss of health or a loved one, loss of a job or previous financial security.   At the same time as these hardships, we are seeing signs of incredible, significant hope with the vaccine and with decreasing transmission risk levels around us.  Businesses and schools are reopening to in-person activity or moving towards doing so.  Longer days and better weather are lifting moods.  We are navigating a blend of intense challenge and joy, and, as we process our own reactions, we are also needing to navigate those of our children, our parents, our partners, our coworkers. It’s a lot.

At HFAC we have connected to the health benefits of purpose, to being able to serve.  Research on Anniversary Reaction also shows a positive effect.  It can be used as an opportunity for emotional healing.  Progress can be made by recognizing, acknowledging, and paying attention to feelings and issues that surface during this time and letting them release, using them for healing and for gaining perspective.  So today I write to mark this Anniversary and use the opportunity to encourage self-care.  Before directing too much energy into the future, pause and process the upcoming anniversaries that have meaning to you if that feels like an investment in your health.

Here is what that might look like:

• Challenge yourself not to avoid reminders of anniversaries or avoid feeling emotions that arise.  Instead, create space and notice what comes up for you.
• If you do notice increased negative emotions in yourself or in others, seek compassion and healthy ways to let them out and be expressed rather than holding them in.
• Moments of remembrance, whether personal like lighting a candle and listening to music while journaling, or in fellowship, such as sharing stories and memories with those closest to you, can provide structure to a healthy release.
• Sensory experiences can be especially comforting, such as swimming in water or listening to healing or spiritual music like this performance of Good Night Dear Heart by a University of Oregon Chamber Choir, recommended to me by a researcher on resilience.
• Connect to your body and emotions through physical activity.  When active, don’t be surprised if strong emotions arise.  Help us create an environment of space and grace at HFAC, if you need to shed a tear in vinyasa or on the treadmill, lift heavier or push harder to sweat it out, we support you in healthy release.

Recognizing anniversaries can often be used as a turning point for recovery by looking over the past year and recognizing how far we have come.  This is an opportunity to reflect on credit due for surviving extreme challenge and gaining new skills.  It is a good time to look inward and appreciate your own courage, resilience, and resourcefulness, and to look at the people around you who have been there through it with you.  Anniversaries can be a time for renewed hope and purpose finding.

While the strong feelings can be upsetting, I hope it is helpful to understand that these are normal reactions.  Giving space to feel can allow them to pass through. Seeking the professional help from a doctor, counselor or therapist can be especially productive and essential if a reaction feels harmful or risky.   There are many professional resources made available to the community to provide care and support in this very hard time.

By Heidi Sivers-Boyce, Ph.D., HFAC President