Our Collective Journey With Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic
No doubt, we, as a global family, throughout the world, have more or less recently been exposed to a period of sudden, swift and accumulated changes, losses, grief, challenges, uncertainty, frustration, anger, anxiety, and fear. Novel Coronavirus has made its noxious – yet initially seeming undetectable – entry and its progressive widespread presence and intruding impact well known in our daily lives.
No doubt, committed public health professionals, authorities, investigators and scientists across our globe have joined arms in the collaborative investigation to identify the particular characteristics and nature of novel Coronavirus for the purposes of detecting, capturing and conquering it! It’s seeming relatively undetectable and unfamiliar nature and unwelcome intrusiveness thus far has robbed us to some degree of our very sense of knowing, trust, safety, and calm. People have been asking all sorts of questions, and validly so, as regarding this belligerent intruder. What is the novel Coronavirus? How would we recognize the presence (i.e., via symptoms, presentation) of this intruder? What is the risk associated with being exposed to novel Coronavirus? What kinds of things can I do to responsibly support my health and safety and the health and safety of others in the context of this intruder? How does novel Coronavirus travel (i.e., spread)? Credible health-related organizations may be sought for answers to such valid inquiries.
Nonetheless, it may additionally be useful – and expectantly less stressful – to try to keep a balanced and constructive perspective during challenging times such as this. The psychological and emotional experiences that novel Coronavirus may influence are not unprecedented experiences. We have gone through relatively similar psychological and emotional experiences in the past with its associates SARS and MERS and have found ways to effectively cope with and surpass those experiences. It may be helpful to think back as to the nature of thoughts, behaviors, and activities and personal qualities for example that boost or provided a sense of perspective, sense of personal agency and emotional and stress relief during that time and to consider re-applying them.
The Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl, in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, mentioned that “everything can be taken from a human but one thing: The last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances….” Accordingly, in choosing a balanced and constructive attitude toward novel Coronavirus – which expectantly will boost or benefit well being – I will suggest some ideas that you may consider in regards to inviting a sense of knowing, certainty, self-agency, and self-control, trust, adjustment, calm and sense of well-being in your homes.
- Focus on factual and credible health/medical information about novel Coronavirus. Alberta Health Services (AHS), National Health Information Center (NIH) and World Health Organization (WHO), for example, have continually updated postings relating to health-related news and advisories. News (i.e., CTV News, CBC News, Global News) have been disseminating updates regarding current international, national and regional events such as the novel Coronavirus.
- Identify unnecessary anxiety and worries – based on inaccurate information, assumptions or predictions about the future – entering and maintaining unwelcome and exhausting company in your household! If entertaining anxiety-inducing health-related thoughts, questions or worries about novel Coronavirus, seek information and helpful tips from credible health-related sources to arm your self with education and sense of self-agency and control (i.e., disinfecting areas, washing hands, social distancing) and empowerment. Limit the restless and exhausting company of unnecessary anxiety and worry in your home!
- Calmly encourage open and developmentally or age-appropriate constructive communication with your children as to their understanding of the novel Coronavirus to understand and validate their thoughts and feelings and to assure they have an honest or accurate developmentally or age-appropriate understanding of novel Coronavirus related matters. Facilitating open, non-judgmental communication with your children sends them the message that you care about their experiences and well-being, that it is important to communicate their thoughts and feelings for problem-solving and that they do not have to deal with their experiences on their own. Comfort and reassure your children and provide overall emotional support!
- Be mindful of or monitor your children’s access or exposure to information on the internet or conversations in social media as regarding novel Coronavirus. Fake news regarding novel Coronavirus, repeated exposure to novel Coronavirus information and/or associated pictures or confusing or limited/immature ideas of novel Coronavirus shared amongst peers may be misleading and may influence or exacerbate anxiety or other strong emotions and may negatively impact their overall mental health and health. We live in a historical period whereby technology and mass information on the internet – whether it be accurate or not – have become major sources influencing our perceptions, experiences, communication, decisions and overall health, mental health and well-being.
- Invite your children to share their thoughts and feelings about any matters as relating to novel Coronavirus impact and invite collaboration with them as regarding possible solutions. This may include their discussing of thoughts and feelings about sudden changes and losses (i.e., school and socializing changes) and previous hopes for upcoming plans (i.e., spring break vacations, upcoming birthday gatherings). For example, you may discuss possible options or solutions for assisting their online learning needs – as education will be moving to online – and options for academic assistance as needed and technological opportunities to socialize with friends (i.e., via skype, telephone, text, email, gaming), as social distancing has been advised. Assuring as much familiar consistency as possible of such important aspects of their daily lives, expectantly lessens the angst of grief that may be accompanying them during this time of multiple changes and losses.
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- Encourage your children to engage in enjoyable, purposeful and meaningful activities at home. This may include anything such as baking, bead working, coloring, drawing, dancing, exercising, playing board games, engaging in mindful activities (i.e., breathing, engaging in guided imagery, grounding techniques, listening to audio relaxation stories), listening to music, playing an instrument, reading and writing. Have them imagine, draw and/or talk about what beautiful compassion for others would look like in the time of social difficulty. Have them consider and engage in activities that would assist them to “kick” anxiety and fear “out.” Have them consider what constructive understanding and learning they have gained during this time of sudden and prompt changes and challenges. Have them reflect on and identify their personal qualities, strengths and resiliencies (i.e., self-awareness, flexible/mind growth thinking, assertive communication skills, creativity, constructive coping skills, humor, optimism, problem-solving skills, sense of personal or self-agency, social connection) that have been supporting them to cope during this challenging time. As the weather gets warmer, perhaps your family or children – while still in consideration of social isolation advisory at the time – may engage in activities in the outdoors!
- Consider a positive humanitarian perspective to the physical related social isolation advisory. This may be perceived not only as an opportunity to demonstrate our personal beliefs, values, and responsibility to support the health, wellness, and safety of ourselves and our loved ones but, additionally, as an opportunity to demonstrate our social and philanthropic beliefs, values and responsibility to one another as a global family, to collectively solve social challenges and human suffering and to improve our wellbeing and existence. Watching how our global family around the world has been working together – despite challenging interim sacrifices such as social distancing for example – to defeat novel Coronavirus and its threats as a team has been a powerful and empowering experience! I can only imagine how much more beauty can be created on our planet if all around the world were to inspire to take action together to make other positive changes as well. Obviously, we can do it! I wonder the positive world changes that your children may imagine?
- Maintain as much familiar structure, routine, and expectations at home – especially in the context of sleep/wake cycle – as you can. Your children will find it helpful in adjusting to returning to the school environment when the time comes. The continual familiar structure, routine, and expectations may also influence a sense of normalcy, familiarity/knowing, a sense of purpose and adjacent sense of continuity, control, comfort and security over their environment.
- Be mindful of and discuss with your children any seeming interruptive changes in regards to your children’s quality of sleep, appetite, energy, interests, overall behaviors, somatic experiences (i.e., headaches, stomach aches), mood, attention and social engagement for example during these challenging times. Disruptive changes may present quickly or may lay latent for some period only to surface at a later time and maybe signaling underlying anguish for your child. You may discuss your children’s experiences with your family physician/pediatrician or a psychologist for supportive measures, as early intervention may boost or improve outcomes.
- Consider searching the internet for resilient activities practiced by people around the world during this difficult time. For example, I have viewed videos of Italian neighbours singing out loud from their own homes and collectively creating the sound of a choir in the streets. Additionally, I viewed videos of Persian medical staff dancing in the hospital – during rare and brief breaks – seemingly as an expression of their human spirit and as support of human morale.
- Self-nurture. Busy schedules and/or parenting guilt have likely intermittently interfered with your self-nurturance for some time. Your spirit-body is your vessel! Take this time to engage in nurturing and enjoyable activities that support you to re-fuel and re-energize! Drink water, enjoy a cup of tea (i.e., peppermint, chamomile), eat healthy, limit caffeine, consider using scents that invite calm and positive mood (i.e., citrus, jasmine, lavender), exercise, engage in mindful and grounding activities and/or socialize via telephone or texts with others! You, as a parent, have also been experiencing sudden and fast changes and losses of all kinds! Stop, breathe and permit yourself to take a nurturing break to boost your vitality and overall well-being! Your modeling of humanness and self-care to your children influences the value of humanness and self-care for your children!
- Two of my favorite books for relaxation activities for the family include 1) The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook – 6th Edition by M. Davis, E. R. Eshelman & M. McKay; 2) A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by B. Stahl & E. Goldstein. Additionally, there are numerous apps that may be helpful for children such as “Stop, Breathe & Think” and “Calm.” You can also check out free visualization relaxation – or guided imagery – options on google. One of my favorite ones has been “Zen Garden.” You can check it out by writing “relaxation visualization Zen garden” on google.
- Take time to engage in enjoyable, meaningful and memorable family activities and rebuild family connections. Consider having time at dinner to discuss aspects of each of your lives that each of you is grateful for. Consider playing a board game or introducing family movie night. You may enjoy taking turns reading a book to your family. Use this opportunity of public social distancing to engage in activities and to socially connect that you would not otherwise have time for.
- Kids’ Help Phone offers crisis support for children under the age of 18 years, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and 365 days per year. Their telephone number is 1-800-668-6868. For text support, use 686868. Distress Line offers crisis support for adults, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and 365 days per year. Their telephone number is 780-482-4357.
In unity and harmony,