Edit: I’ve created a page for herbal calls to action and other community resources geared towards supporting our clients and communities during pandemic and beyond.

There is a lot of need in the world right now.

As an herbalist, serving our communities during times of pandemic can look a lot like what we already do - supporting folks in cultivating longevity and peace of spirit in a sustainable way. For many herbalists I know and certainly in the philosophy I was taught by my teachers, herbalism is slow and steady medicine. Of course, there are always moments of quick relief and insight, but plant medicine is strongest when it is integrated into our lives as an ongoing practice. While relationships with plants is one of the defining features of any herbalist, many of us bring a myriad of other techniques and tools and ways of seeing the world that inform and compliment our relationship with plants (who else is having regular dream visitations from their ancestors who lived through previous periods of pandemic?). All of these skills are needed now as we live through times of great sorrow and uncertainty, strangeness and joy, and begin to dream of how we might emerge in a way that continues to bring us together.

While this post will not be about herbal treatments or recommended protocols during times of pandemic, what I hope to do here is to highlight practices many herbalists and holistic healers will be familiar with, but can be especially useful during periods of heightened and widespread trauma. For some herbalists serving communities that are under constant threat these suggestions may be more familiar than to others - may they serve as an affirmation of the needful and powerful work you're already doing. The work of emergence continues and what follows are some of the ways you might find useful in serving your community.

Encourage your clients to feel their feelings as they arise (or as soon as they can after the fact).

There are numerous powerful and effective therapies to help folks manage trauma after the fact, but one of the tools we can use during or shortly after a traumatic incident (including the prolonged trauma and disruption of pandemic) is to encourage those we serve to feel their feelings as they arise. One of the things that makes traumatic incidents so traumatic is that all too often we don't feel like we have the space or are afraid to or are unable to connect with the depth of our feelings. It's ok to grieve right now - the world has turned upside down and will not be the same again for better or for worse. It's ok to get angry, to get sad, to get happy - just get to where your feelings are.

Now, it's also important to acknowledge that sometimes our feelings do feel too big - that's when it's especially important to reach out to friends and family for support or to a therapist. There are so many great therapeutic models out there and while it can be hard for folks of color and queer and trans folks to find adequate care you're still worth being cared for. Services like Crisis Text Line can be very helpful for in-the-moment situations of difficulty and it is easy to use. And if you're someone who is looking to support others during a pandemic and beyond in a very real and needed way, consider becoming a volunteer.

Anxiety is growing - share simple tools for managing it.

Here's a great guide talking about anxiety during times of pandemic (for those of you who serve earth-based spirituality and Pagan populations there's a great connection to made between the decision tree and holy trees in so many of our spiritual cosmology). I teach my clients and students breathwork techniques that I've found very useful over the years for all types of feelings and experiences as well as learning how to connect with plants. I have a sliding scale course on breathwork aimed at folks with a magickal practice but here's a free video resource on square breathing which I think is one of the most useful techniques out there for helping us to pause and expand our emotional possibilities beyond anxiety.

One of my favorite tools for managing anxiety is writing and journaling, so here's some of my tips for writing in your journal especially when you feel too anxious to do so.

You don't have to start by writing about yourself or your feelings. When I'm feeling especially overwhelmed I start by writing super mundane things - I describe something on my bedside table or what the weather is like outside. It can be helpful to ease into what you think you want to write about by not writing about it at all.
Establish a set length of time or paper that you're going to write. Depending on my journal size I usually write the front and back of a single page. If I want to write more I do, but my goal is to fill up the space of that single page. What this does is limit any feelings of how much one should write and sets a parameter for how long you should be writing. Sometimes I sit there for quite a while not knowing what to put on paper and that's alright. It makes me think and reflect, even get a bit bored. I've found this practice to be really helpful not only during times of heightened anxiety, but in maintaining a regular journal practice.
Prompts can be really useful. There are all sorts of journal prompts out there - I have one for each New Moon - and you can choose to use different prompts every time you journal or stick with the same one(s) for every journaling session. When things are feeling hard for me I tend to stick with similar prompts again and again such as What am I feeling right now? What am I needing right now? Additionally, I’ll set a five minute timer and let myself right down, free flow style, everything I am feeling anxious, confused, or just big about. At the end of those five minutes I move on to my next suggestion.
Practice gratitude. I feel fortunate that early on I was introduced to the importance of gratitude in one’s magickal practice. Whether it was gratitude to the Ancestors, Gods, Spirits of the Land and Waters, and my fellow magickal folk to gratitude for candles to light, for shelter, and food. Taking time to be in our gratitude helps to give us context, pause anxious cycles, and shift perspective. Gratitude doesn’t dismiss the seriousness or severity of a feeling or situation, but when we are faced with what can feel like oversimplified and intense emotions (i.e. everything is awful), gratitude can help us acknowledges complexity and expand what is possible (i.e. some things are awful right now, but there is still beauty and hope).

Connect your clients with resources on emotional and mental health.

It's important to remember, especially when the needs in our communities can feel so big and overwhelming, that you are not the sole source of care for those that you are serving. You should be referring folks to additional care practitioners, especially mental health providers, as necessary throughout your interactions with your clients. Crisis Text Line is an inclusive and immediate point of support that you can send folks to. Sometimes the need in our community is so big that we can be mistaken in our compassion to think that we are the one to answer it all. I think it is a beautiful and healing practice to share with our clients all of the options and opportunities they have for community support by making sure we have appropriate references available for them. Additional mental health resources can be found here.

Know when to step back and take a break.
The world is changing and even when the immediate crisis of pandemic is over there will be work to do. But that's always been true - we're just experiencing everything on more directly global terms than ever before. Be sure to pace yourself, take breaks, and engage in the relaxing activities that allow your mind and body to rest. Teach your clients how to do the same by modeling this behavior to your community. Reassure your community that it's ok to have fun, celebrate joyful moments, and zone out when they need to. Ask for help, participate in the multitude of mutual aid and kindness groups that are growing and have been here for generations, and when you're able, offer aid in return.

Humble yourselves in the arms of the wild.
Those are the first words of a beautiful Pagan chant by Beverly Frederick that I've found myself singing again and again these days. The wild can mean many things from our plant allies to humbling ourselves to the spectacular wild uncertainty of our times. Remember to connect with the plants who have taught you, the ancestors who dreamed you, the living beloveds surrounding you in your life right now. We do not know where we are going or how we're going to get there but we can choose to know ourselves and each other through the process.

I hope that these suggestions have offered inspiration, affirmation, and reassurance. All of you deserve support and care during and I hope that you're receiving both.

Serving as Herbalists During a Pandemic