Our Collective Response to COVID-19
Within the past months, we've witnessed the havoc that the coronavirus has taken on our global community. With this rise of tension around the growing pandemic, we've seen our internal nervous systems bear the brunt of the trauma. We are overwhelmed. I want to emphasize this is a normal response. It's rational to feel afraid anxious and bewildered amid the outbreak of the pandemic, such as the coronavirus.
During this time, I'm reminded of the need for personal self-care and taking time to regulate our nervous system. It's so essential we find small ways throughout the day to release the cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline that is kicked up in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Part of addressing this rise in stress hormones is the profound need for the collective community to support each other as we grieve the losses and experience the shock of this wave.
There is a vast amount of devastation connected with the coronavirus. The losses are systemic and will likely continue into the next weeks, months, and maybe years. It's vital as a community that we do not bypass this discomfort but confront it head-on with the love and kindness to hold the truth of the circumstances and hope of eventual recovery. We can start by offering ourselves and others the most empathy possible. In the wake of hysteria, sanity is naming the madness for what it is.
While we cannot control the outcome of the coronavirus, we can take the most crucial action at this moment and practice social distancing. We can wash our hands; we can choose to offer the least harm by distancing ourselves from our neighbor. We can be empathic by using online ordering or pick up. We can move our businesses online, stay connected by Facetiming a friend, and supporting small companies through online purchasing. We can practice resilience by finding little ways to normalize our routines, days, and practices within our home. We can confront the coronavirus beast head-on by simply acknowledging true of this circumstance and taking action to engage through our kind social responsibly. These are ways we engage the mania, one small step at a time, by doing the least harm.
Engaging the reality of now holds space for us all to begin to grieve. And we will be grieving, maybe some for weeks and others for months. Others of us have not started to grieve because our bodies are responding to the trauma. Discussing the current disorder brings helps us reorient back to homeostasis.
We, as a people, need a collective marking of this profound disaster, these unknown waters, and this stint of isolation. Our bodies need to be told by others, I see you, you see me, and we are in this together. I believe this is the part of the antidote to the insanity we are all experiencing.
Friends, I challenge you to hold space for your neighbor through a virtual hug, creating a witty meme, sending kind emails, honoring social distance, and making an effort to connect with your people through Facetime.
As we move through the swells of grief and shock, may we practice this mantra to ourselves and each other, "I see you, you see me, and we are in this together."
Grace Upon Grace to You,
Anna