Mount Pleasant Magazine Documenting Covid-19

108 www.CoronavirusMag.com | www.ReadMPM.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com feature T he year 2020 ushered in a crisis of global magnitude no living person has ever experienced. People from all over the world have watched in disbelief and horror as an invisible and lethal enemy moved with exponential speed from a village in China into more than 180 countries in the world, bringing death and destruction to life as we have known it. The world is reeling from the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and families, and entire societies and economies have been brought to a sudden and screeching halt in the effort to curb the spread of death and save human lives. The uncertainties of life have exploded as mankind is both shut down and on high alert while leaders in government and medicine seek to delicately balance saving lives with maintaining solvent and functioning societies. In the Chinese language, the word “crisis” is made up by two symbols that mean “danger” and “opportunity.” In a crisis, the human brain’s limbic system kicks into high gear. Our bodies are flooded with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, that enable us to survive in the face of sudden and unexpected danger, often known as “fight, flight or freeze” reactions. We are not created to sustain these levels of overdrive for long periods. When stress and trauma become chronic, or we begin to ruminate and worry, we can get stuck in thoughts and behavior that lead to anxiety and depression, which can also result in serious mental illness. Scientists are now predicting that there is likely to be a second pandemic on the horizon as the world’s “limbic system” has been both corporately and individually stressed from the ongoing battle against the disease and ramifications on all aspects of the normalcy of our lives. To be sure, this pandemic will end. The world has weathered pandemics over the millennia. Some aspects of life will return to the old ways, but we must accept that there will be a “new normal” that emerges. Just like the events of 9/11 spawned TSA screenings at airports that have become normal to us in a matter of years, life as we know it is undergoing a “Kairos” moment in time, where a qualitative shift takes place. When we focus only on the danger and negative elements of a situation (such as with rumination and worry), we stay in a heightened state of alarm that weakens us in body, soul, and spirit. Research shows that our physical immune systems are undermined by anxiety and that our negative thoughts spill over into our abilities to function well—diminishing our ability to thrive in work, play and relationships. How then, do we best navigate times of intense stress and trauma? We must choose to focus on the second aspect of a crisis. Remember, there is also opportunity here. At the broadest level, crises also have a way of drawing out the very best in people as human innovation and cooperation is birthed from tragedy and loss. Even now, people in countries around the world are coming together in unprecedented ways to develop resources to fight the virus, hopefully fostering the development of a successful vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 in record time. Photos by Barbara Boatwright. Fostering Emotional Resilience in the World of Coronavirus BY DR. BARBARA BOATWRIGHT