(Pexels.com/Andrea Piacquadio)
Hannah Warnecke is a former Hackworth Fellow at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and currently an ICU nurse in Denver, CO. Views are her own.
It is difficult to walk down the aisles of the supermarket and not notice an eerie emptiness on shelves typically stocked full. Even those of us who are not experiencing symptoms are hardly removed from the burden of coronavirus and its impacts across our communities.
The reality is that the infectious risk of the virus is only part of what we all confront as the pandemic unfolds. The fear and panic that have run rampant throughout supermarkets and in many other areas of our lives must be addressed with as much diligence as preventing the spread of COVID-19. Fostering emotional resilience is as much a part of our ethical responsibility during this pandemic as is preventing illness. Emotional resilience is our capacity to procure composure and resolve in the face of stress and adversity. It is in promoting resilience and calm in this time of uncertainty that we may be able to adapt in a way that enhances the well being of individuals and works to support the common good.
It is easy to lose sight of the ethical question of ‘what we ought to do’ in the midst of a pandemic, which is itself infected by panic. It is our ethical responsibility to evoke resilience in ourselves and one another to help guide our focus towards our ability to cope. Resilience enables strength and tenacity, which allows for better working through the formidable challenges at our doorstep. Seeking calm offers clarity of values and judgment. Striving for calm and pursuing resilience offers a path to our best selves even when immense stress challenges our very being.
Working to ease our own stress will dramatically impact how well we endure this pandemic. There is an abundance of research showing how stress hinders our immune defenses, making us less able to fight unwelcome microbial visitors. Allaying our emotional responses not only makes us better able to fight the virus, but also breaks a link in the chain that spreads infectious fear throughout our social circles. Taking a moment to find calm allows for enhanced coping through thoughtful problem solving, instead of hurried panic.
In a time of exceptional circumstances for all of us, we can benefit from affirming our adaptability and practicing compassion. Finding ways to accept responsibility for our emotions and proactively mitigate a panic response can be different for each person, but it is critical that each one of us identify what works and engage those practices with the same diligence with which we wash our hands.
Tactics for finding calm and fostering resilience include:
- reaching out to friends, family, and other contacts who are coping well and can help ground you
- reaching out to publicly available crisis counselors (information for SCCPHD resources mentioned at the bottom of this article)
- seeking facts from reliable sources when you want a situational update
- setting limits on information intake—distancing ourselves from social media and the 24-hour news cycle, especially when hearing repetitive pandemic content increases anxiety levels
- finding ways to establish a temporary routine in a new context—if working from home, planning set meal times and breaks to give structure to the day
- looking at trees, going to a park, or spending time outdoors in nature while maintaining social distancing recommendations by staying six feet from others and avoiding crowds
- if time outside is unavailable, trying to incorporate indoor movement into your day, stretching periodically or doing an online workout video (many are available for all skill and experience levels)
- making time for other self care activities that facilitate relaxation and “brain breaks,” such as meditation, reading, watching a movie, journaling, catching up with friends and family online, etc.
No one is immune from the stress and, as we’ve all witnessed over the past few weeks, stress and panic are in many ways more contagious than the coronavirus. It is important to remember that we are all going through this together, and we should strive to treat ourselves and others with gentleness. We have a moral responsibility to seek calm and reason during uncertain and chaotic times. We have control over how we as a community respond to the situation in front of us. It is through each individual fulfilling their ethical responsibility to be accountable for their physical and mental health that we may be best poised to weather the viral storm together. Resilience is something that takes consistent, mindful effort. And through the resilience of individuals we have the opportunity to foster resilience in our communities and find calm within ourselves.
Santa Clara County Public Health Department Resources:
- Crisis Counselors: Text RENEW to 741741
- Call Center for general questions: text coronavirus to 211211 or call 211
- Website for ongoing general updates: SCCPHD.org/coronavirus
Content provided by the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics is made possible, in part, by generous financial support from our community. With your help, we can continue to develop materials that help people see, understand, and work through ethical problems.
