Don’t Panic!
How are we doing? Overwhelmed? Frustrated? Spent? Annoyed?
Things sure seem to move pretty quickly these days, don’t they?
It seems like everything becomes the hydra from Hercules. What starts off as one ferocious head soon becomes an endless mesh of gnashing teeth and slithering necks. It starts with concern over a mysterious, fast moving virus. After what seems like only a few days, suddenly you’re looking at job cancellations, quarantines — Doomsday!
Like many of you, the past few weeks have spurred some thoughts that I’d like to share. Nothing revolutionary, but perhaps a soothing balm, a gentle foot-washing, to help ease some of the ever-abounding discomfort.
But before we dive into the meat of this post, there are a few things I’d like you to do Right Now.
1.) Open up THIS PLAYLIST — believe me, you will not regret it.
2.) Let’s do a brief deep breathing exercise. Take a gentle breath in through your nose, inhaling for four seconds. Then, hold that breath for one second. Finally, exhale slowly and gently, as if you are blowing out birthday candles, for five seconds. Repeat this exercise 3-5 times.
How do you feel? Better?
Okay, let’s dig in.
Before I got in to freelance writing I worked for about seven years as a behavioral interventionist for special education. I spent the majority of those years working in what’s known as a SEAS classroom which stands for social, emotional, and academic support. Essentially, my job was to help teach and enforce coping strategies to students who experienced severe emotional disabilities.
Though I have gleaned experience and knowledge from working side by side with mental health experts, I consider myself no expert. Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned during that season, however, is that the majority of crisis management strategies don’t require exert knowledge. In fact, many of us posses within ourselves the tools necessary to sooth our own racing minds and hearts and become bringers of peace to our various communities.
Here are a few simple strategies, backed by research, that I hope can assist you in finding peace of mind in this seemingly chaotic season as well as equip you to become an agent of peace in the middle of the storm.
1.) Be Prepared
The problem with crises is that they have no social IQ. They don’t wait for convenient times to arise. They don’t ask for permission. They don’t schedule rehearsals. They just show up. How inconsiderate!
Most of us go into a mild panic when a friend shows up unexpectedly to our cluttered mess of a home before we’ve had a chance to clean up. Even simple, unexpected changes can lead us to feeling uprooted.
Why does the unexpected always illicit anxiety?
When something major happens,, we feel vulnerable, exposed. We are creatures of comfort. We don’t generally like even small change, let alone change on a large scale that threatens our sense of well being, our sense of control.
One way to combat feeling out of control is to find the things we can manage. By taking time to calmly and rationally think through safe and pragmatic ways we can prepare ourselves, the more comfort we may begin to feel.
This study from the Department of International Development suggests that to some degree, disaster preparedness can benefit our mental health, especially if we have already experience larger, traumatic events. The report states that there exists “a positive connection between disaster preparedness and mental health, and probability of a mental disorder following disasters is due to an absence of preparedness.”
Of course, when taking steps to prepare, it is best to do a bit of research and keep things within the realm of reality. But, by focusing our attention on things we have some semblance of power over, we can keep our minds and emotions in check.
Here is a great source on practical ways to prepare for the Corona Virus.
2.) Rely on FACTS!!!
Along with feeling unprepared, feeling uninformed can greatly contribute to heightened anxiety and worry. Our natural instinct is to fear what we don’t know or understand.
The remedy? Information.
That being said, we need to find information from genuine, trusted sources. not blogs. Not random websites. Not memes. Not friends. but health officials, doctors, trusted and verified news organizations.
With that said — here are a few legitimate sources with information in the COVID-19 virus.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
There are other sources, but these are reliable and accurate.
3.) Maintain Boundaries!
And no, I don’t mean touching feet instead of shaking hands.
What I do mean is limiting your exposure to news and social media.
Set daily limits on social media apps using your phones built in screen time settings or look for third party apps that can do that.
It’s excellent to stay informed, but once you’ve read a few posts and articles — GET OFF YOUR PHONE or COMPUTER!
Real data doesn’t update at lightning speed. Checking in on news reports two to three times a day for about 15-20 minutes should help you stay informed without becoming inundated.
So, do yourself a favor. Once you’re done reading this post, maybe log of your device and go do something more interesting!
4.) Engage in a Meaningful Activity
Whether it’s work, a hobby, or a passion project, participate in something that demands focus that also fills your bucket. This is different than just doing some remedial task. This is about doing things that offer you more mental and emotional value than worry.
The thing about our brains and emotions is that we only have so much capital to invest. Find something that requires genuine investment mentally and emotionally.
Some suggestions might be;
Exercise
Learn a new instrument.
Play a challenging game.
Read a page turner.
Cook and eat something delicious.
Finally do all that deep house cleaning you’ve been putting off till the apocalypse.
Again — this isn’t about busy work. It’s about finding something that will require your focus, attention, and emotional investment that generates a bigger return than surfing online and worrying.
5.) Encourage One Another!
Perhaps the greatest thing a crisis can do is provide opportunity for humanity to step up.
It’s easy to participate in jokes and negativity surrounding straw people who we label as doomsday-preppers. However, as I already mentioned - preparedness is actually wise. But when we see people who appear to be in a panicked state — offering jokes, sarcasm, or diminutive comments don’t help.
Instead, offer kindness, gentleness. Let people know you see them and care about them. One major root cause of panic is the feeling of isolation and the inadequacy of our perceived self-reliance. Remind each other that we are here for one another, that we will carry each other through the hard times.
If you feel compelled to share information with someone, remember to let them know that it’s out of love not out of a sense of intellectual superiority. Don’t be that blowhard sliding your glasses up before eviscerating someone. If your post begins with “Well…” “Actually…” or “Yeah, but…” that’s a sign that you need to....
Stop.
Step away from the keyboard.
And go Listen to Enya!!
We don’t need attitude right now.
Yeah — right now its frustrating. Toilet paper is sold out. Our schools are closing. Our events are begin cancelled. But you know what — there are bigger things to worry about, and I don’t mean some stupid virus. I mean human beings.
If you are reading this feeling anxious, know that I do see you and I do care about you and if you need someone to help you process everything that’s going on, I’m willing to offer my time!
But let me ask you something. Who can YOU serve right now?
Crisis can serve as a divider but I believe it also presents an opportunity to display true human kindness. Fear can take over when we allow our focus to sink inward. By looking out for the needs of others, our own feelings can shift. Suddenly we are no longer stagnant, but mobilized and ready to work and fight.
In fact, two recent psychological studies suggest that one of the best remedies for anxiety in service. you can check those out HERE and HERE.
When we feel overwhelmed, our default is to let our focus sink inward. Fight back. Keep your gaze outward focused. Look to see who has needs, who is also alone, who is also worried. Go an be a support to them.
In fact — think about who you can support right now. Who can you call or text? Who can you go visit? Who needs you to check in on them?
This crisis is as big as we want to make it. Certainly there are elements beyond our control. But it turns out, we have a great deal of power to make a positive impact living within ourselves this very minute.
So, do make yourself a nice cup of tea. Maybe grab a nice towel. Check your intellectual blind spots. And as always…
DON’T PANIC!
So long, and thanks for all the fish!