There is one vitamin that one cannot take orally but is
particularly important for one’s health and coping with
COVID19. It is “Vitamin F.” Well, I choose to call it a
vitamin because like all nutritional vitamins, although
they are taken in small dosages, they benefit the entire
human body physically and emotionally. Also, the lack of
vitamins can cause serious illnesses or even lead to
death, similarly with this vitamin. This “vitamin” is
friendship—“Vitamin F”.
During this pandemic, there is an ongoing need for
everyone to have healthy meals and take vitamins,
especially Vitamin C and D. However, equally important
is “Vitamin F” during “COVID19. Why? Because friendship
assists in keeping one healthy and boosting the immune
system. A Mayo Clinic article entitled, “Friendships:
Enrich Your Life and Improve Your Health,” states: “Friendship also plays a significant
role in promoting your overall health. Adults with
strong social support have a reduced risk of many
significant health problems, including depression, high
blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index.”
This is why
National Friendship Day in The Bahamas is so
important. It is a day to remind us how vital to our
physical, emotional, and national well-being it is to
have friendship relationships. Friendship Day is on
Wednesday, November 25, 2020. The theme is: “Be a
Friend. Make a Friend.”
If there is a time that we need to maintain friendship
relationships it is during COVID19. With the national
protocols, lockdowns, curfews, and wearing of masks, there
is no emergency order preventing friendships. The only
thing these orders have done is to enforce physical
distance among us. Although we cannot be physically
close, we can still be emotionally close, and we must.
We must continue to take “Vitamin F.”
I
am sure some have concerns about how to maintain or
start fresh friendships when our physical contacts
are so limited. Here is an excellent point from an
article entitled, “The Pandemic Has Remade Friendship”
by Eva Hagberg: “Friendships involve emotional intimacy,
but people have assumed that this intimacy is best
mediated in space. How many times do we conclude that
serious conversations need to happen in person? And yet,
exercising a friendship at a distance has been possible
for decades—via letters, telephone, text, Facebook,
Instagram DMs, and so on. Despite the internet’s
ubiquity, those options can still seem like simulacra of
friendship, rather than the real thing.”
When I was a teenager our world-wide church had
something called “Pen Pals.” Names of individuals with
their postal addresses were published in an
international magazine. Teenagers were invited to select
as many individuals as possible they desired to write
and establish friendships. I had about 54 “Pen Pals”
from the United States, England, Australia, New Zealand,
Malaysia, African, Philippians, and other countries. My
sister, Ann Albury, had almost one hundred pen pals. We
were excited when we received the snail mail four to six
weeks later with pictures from our new acquaintances,
information about hobbies, schoolwork, family life, etc.
We developed a bond and closeness although we never
spoke on the phone because it was too costly, or
physically impossible to see each other. Having these
pen pals motivated us, lifted our spirit, warmed our
hearts, and broadened our horizons. We were close and
were proud of the distant friendships.
Why then cannot we maintain and establish wholesome
friendship relationships during this pandemic, in spite
of the restrictions. We have more modern tools that are
free to use—Messenger, FaceBook, WhatsApp, email, the
telephone, etc. We do not have to depend on snail mail
and wait six weeks for a response.
Two weeks ago, two of our dearest friends, a husband and
wife, decided to have a Saturday night hookup friendship time
via live video. It was so special and invigorating. We
connected. We laughed, shared stories and jokes, and
caught up with family information. We are still
close friends
Let us use this upcoming National Friendship day to
remind ourselves that we can still be great friends,
even though physically apart. Also, we need friendship
to keep us healthy. Here is the official purpose of
National Friendship Day coined by the Bahamas Friendship
Council: “National Friendship Day is designed to
cultivate and inspire long-term friendship relationships
among the citizens and residents of The Bahamas. It is
another avenue to rejuvenate a spirit of togetherness,
respect for one another, unity and a healthy national
pride. The goal is to develop in each individual the
responsibility to restore and keep The Bahamas a
friendly nation.”
Mark in your calendars Wednesday November 25, 2020 as
National Friendship Day. Make it a point to call
someone, deliver a hot meal, send emails, rekindle old
friendships, help someone in need, etc., while still
maintaining COVID19 emergency protocols.
Mayo Clinic’s article reminds us why friendship is so
important during COVID 19. “Friends can help you
celebrate good times and provide support during bad
times. Friends prevent loneliness and give you a chance
to offer needed companionship, too. Friends can also: 1)
Increase your sense of belonging and purpose. 2) Boost
your happiness and reduce your stress. 3) Improve your
self-confidence and self-worth. 4) Help you cope with
traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss, or
the death of a loved one. 5) Encourage you to change or
avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive
drinking or lack of exercise."
Have a wonderful National Friendship Day on Wednesday,
November 25, 2020. It will be a good time to promote the
importance of taking “Vitamin F.”
See the official webpage for
National Friendship Day
Barrington H. Brennen is a marriage and family
therapist. Send your questions or comments to
question@soencouragement.org , or call 242-327 1980 or WhatsApp 242-477 4002.
You can also visit the website
www.soencouragemen.org
