Jeremy Holmes - 

For many of us, our homes have become our offices, blurring the line between work and play. For others, our workplaces are half-empty and strangely quiet, and we miss conversations with our friends and colleagues. Masks keep us from seeing our neighbors smile, we can’t give an old friend a hug when we run into them in the grocery store, we’re worshiping via teleconference. We’ve had to become part-time tech support to walk our parents through video calls, and our kids are missing their friends terribly.

The world isn’t what it was just a few months ago. While we’re confident our community will recover, in the meantime you might feel anxious, disconnected, and probably a little scared.

Don’t worry. It’s not your imagination. Things are weird right now. But they’re weird for everyone, and you are not alone in wondering how to navigate this moment.

Healthy Roanoke Valley, a program of the United Way and partnership of dozens of organizations across the Roanoke Valley, wants you to know that feeling a little lost is normal, and we’ve collected resources to help you feel connected, well, and focused during this time of unprecedented change. At healthyrv.org/normal, you’ll find a list of organizations and practices that can help you deal with the stress, isolation, and concern that almost all of our neighbors are feeling right now.

You will also find images you can share with friends and family on social media to help them feel more comfortable with the struggles facing our community, and connect them to the same resources.

The Roanoke Valley is a caring community, and we take care of each other. When things get weird, though, we all need to spend some time taking care of ourselves. Healthy Roanoke Valley wants you to know that no matter how weird it gets, it’s always normal to ask for help.

Jeremy Holmes
Director, RIDE Solutions
Executive Director, Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission