How Are You Coping?
Relentless RoundUp - Special Edition
How are you coping?
In this special edition of the Relentless RoundUp, I want to share some thoughts about RESILIENCE.
While the pandemic we are surrounded by is unprecedented, I trust that each of you has bounced back from devastating experiences – potentially similar economic loss (recall the crashes of 2000 and 2008?), job loss or possibly even health scares. You bounced back. The markets bounced back. And in the absence of a full bounce back, you have developed strategies to deal with your adjusted reality.
Need further reassurance about your potential to handle the current state? There is formal research that has shown that when we experience positive emotions on the back of a stressful event, we bounce back more quickly. In fact, there is evidence that there is even a faster “cardiovascular recovery” time – our heart rate lowers and our blood pressure stabilizes more quickly when we find a way to be positive. To dig into some of the details, check out summary research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: “Resilient Individuals Use Positive Emotions to Bounce Back from Negative Emotional Experiences.”
CARING FOR OTHERS
One of the simplest ways to experience a positive emotion? Look after your neighbours. You may be at low risk of severe consequences from the virus, but it may not be the same for your neighbors whose immune systems are compromised. The act of checking in on them (keeping a minimum two metres apart, of course) will not only make them feel good, but it will also make you feel good and remind you that there are others for whom this predicament is even more stressful. My neighbour is fighting cancer. So, we are taking her high-energy dog for a daily walk so she doesn’t have to expose herself to the potential risks of being out and about.
If not a neighbour, then make a list of the seniors in your life. Next, methodically reach out, one by one, and bring some light into their days with a phone chat. So easy. So positive.
Recall the Holiday Edition of the Relentless RoundUp? I referenced the clinical reality that for the senior population, social isolation and loneliness increases the risk of being diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses, often first presenting as depression. At a time when we are feeling just a wee bit sorry for ourselves experiencing the inconvenience of having to stay at home for a few weeks, use the time to make phone calls to the individuals in your orbit who are often facing chronic alone time.
Stay at home, yet also be a good neighbour.
Have faith in each other. Be patient with one another. Be a role model for your kids and grandkids. It is hard. Keep your distance.
And remind yourself daily of your personal resilience.