It's true that many people infected with the latest virus may have mild, moderate, or even no symptoms. So what's the big deal? Why are schools and companies moving online and having people work remotely? Why are we seeing a down shift in the economy? Why are we in national state of emergency? And WHY is there no toilet paper at the grocery store???
Many media are running stories 24/7 about illness in Wuhan, Italy, and New York that are stoking a high level of fear across our country. Most of us alive today have never lived through an event like this, and anxiety (and even shock) is rampant. This is actually the answer to why there’s no TP in the store – this level of fear causes us to go into fight, flight, or freeze causing people to hoard resources so that we make sure we have everything we need to be safe and comfortable.
The emergency situation taps into our survival instinct and our lizard brain takes over. For those in shock, it becomes very difficult to function and they fall into the hole of ineffectiveness, and exhibit the reactionary pattern of fight, flight, or freeze. I know I can see some of this in my own behavior in the last couple weeks. I am practicing being as loving with myself as I am with others. When I fail to be as calm and kind as I’d like, I find that a sincere apology combined with the desire to make everyone right, and not expecting perfection from myself or others at this time is critical for team efforts.
We know that before the pandemic, 75% of all visits to health care professionals were stress-related. SOURCE?Unfortunately, being stuck in a place of nervous system imbalance puts everyone at a greater risk of having a lowered immune system. To decrease stress rapidly, some things that work for me include limiting consumption of news, connecting more with nature, and only doing one thing at a time while not pressuring yourself to multitask. NOW is the time to implement these strategies – they can really make a difference. In addition, staying connected to and resonating with those you love while staying out of the fear stories is a great way to support both you and your family.
Are people overreacting? Maybe. What’s true is that no one knows how this is going to unfold. The difficulties with testing (availability, time to results, reliability) and lack of understanding about the disease itself leaves a data vacuum that invites all kinds of imaginings about what we “should” do. Ideas range from “the virus is nothing, hardly any deaths, let’s get back to regular life” to “we’ll stay in our houses for 18 months if we have to, to stop this horrible plague.” As a country (and a lot of the world!) we’ve settled on something in-between, which is aimed at using physical distancing for a time period that is currently unknown and will be decided upon based on how cases of illness unfold week by week.
Because we still don’t know what direction the pandemic will take (will it accelerate or quiet down in the coming spring/summer season?), the current collective decision is to take the following steps:
What’s hard about our current state is that we don’t know how long this will go on. Some humans hate not knowing, it makes them cranky, anxious, and uncomfortable, and this is how we have to live right now. Are you up for the challenge? The answer is probably “sometimes yes, and sometimes no!” Remember, be easy on yourself and your quarantine buddies during this unprecedented time.
For additional free resources to thrive at home, please tune into our interactive support booklet -- The Top 20! This is full of “hit singles” for thriving at home. This resource is meant to provide an overall structure and focus to find harmony and ease in the upcoming times. We have included a plethora of ongoing resources to support families. This is a “Treasure Box” that we as a community will continue to grow and share. The TOP 20 is a great range of detailed ideas on thriving during our downtime. We hope you will share with others.
Many media are running stories 24/7 about illness in Wuhan, Italy, and New York that are stoking a high level of fear across our country. Most of us alive today have never lived through an event like this, and anxiety (and even shock) is rampant. This is actually the answer to why there’s no TP in the store – this level of fear causes us to go into fight, flight, or freeze causing people to hoard resources so that we make sure we have everything we need to be safe and comfortable.
The emergency situation taps into our survival instinct and our lizard brain takes over. For those in shock, it becomes very difficult to function and they fall into the hole of ineffectiveness, and exhibit the reactionary pattern of fight, flight, or freeze. I know I can see some of this in my own behavior in the last couple weeks. I am practicing being as loving with myself as I am with others. When I fail to be as calm and kind as I’d like, I find that a sincere apology combined with the desire to make everyone right, and not expecting perfection from myself or others at this time is critical for team efforts.
We know that before the pandemic, 75% of all visits to health care professionals were stress-related. SOURCE?Unfortunately, being stuck in a place of nervous system imbalance puts everyone at a greater risk of having a lowered immune system. To decrease stress rapidly, some things that work for me include limiting consumption of news, connecting more with nature, and only doing one thing at a time while not pressuring yourself to multitask. NOW is the time to implement these strategies – they can really make a difference. In addition, staying connected to and resonating with those you love while staying out of the fear stories is a great way to support both you and your family.
Are people overreacting? Maybe. What’s true is that no one knows how this is going to unfold. The difficulties with testing (availability, time to results, reliability) and lack of understanding about the disease itself leaves a data vacuum that invites all kinds of imaginings about what we “should” do. Ideas range from “the virus is nothing, hardly any deaths, let’s get back to regular life” to “we’ll stay in our houses for 18 months if we have to, to stop this horrible plague.” As a country (and a lot of the world!) we’ve settled on something in-between, which is aimed at using physical distancing for a time period that is currently unknown and will be decided upon based on how cases of illness unfold week by week.
Because we still don’t know what direction the pandemic will take (will it accelerate or quiet down in the coming spring/summer season?), the current collective decision is to take the following steps:
- Wash our hand with soap/sanitize after we touch anything outside our home;
- Wear masks in public to protect ourselves from touching a person or surface that has the virus and then touching our face;
- Physically distance (stay socially connected) from one another to decrease risk of spreading of the virus.
What’s hard about our current state is that we don’t know how long this will go on. Some humans hate not knowing, it makes them cranky, anxious, and uncomfortable, and this is how we have to live right now. Are you up for the challenge? The answer is probably “sometimes yes, and sometimes no!” Remember, be easy on yourself and your quarantine buddies during this unprecedented time.
For additional free resources to thrive at home, please tune into our interactive support booklet -- The Top 20! This is full of “hit singles” for thriving at home. This resource is meant to provide an overall structure and focus to find harmony and ease in the upcoming times. We have included a plethora of ongoing resources to support families. This is a “Treasure Box” that we as a community will continue to grow and share. The TOP 20 is a great range of detailed ideas on thriving during our downtime. We hope you will share with others.
Until we meet again, please hang in there and have faith in the process that we have to share and love one another during a storm, and perhaps we’ll be called to dance in the rain!
Staying Up to Date With the Latest News
The information we have is constantly growing and changing as we learn more. Note that this blog was created on 4/7/20 and may not be entirely up to date. We believe that knowledge is power. The following resources are a great way to learn more about the latest virus.
WHO
CDC
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
Interactive Map
WHO
CDC
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
Interactive Map
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