Staying Resilient in the face of Corona Virus

The new year, ushered in news of a strange virus, that brought with it cases of pneumonia in the port city of Wuhan, China

Nothing to worry about I thought ….with our advanced medical science they’ll find a cure. Weeks later China began to report deaths, health experts worked to identify the virus and by the end of the month authorities in countries like The United States , Iran, Vietnam, Italy and so many more, began to confirm cases of the new virus.

Corona Virus was declared a global emergency !

Will the virus find its way into my country ….I knew it would;

Do we have the means to spot it and contain it or would it spread uncontrollably? My inner monologue continued.

In the days that followed, streets had passersby in masks, shops ran out of stock of sanitisers and a strange kind of panic was seen on the faces of people when someone beside them coughed or sneezed. I for one, stocked up my Allegra and prayed hard that my allergy would be in control when I’m on the streets, else I would be terrifying people.

Did I feel nervous — Yes I did.

At first it was an uncertainty over the trajectory of this little germ. I scoured the news. Listened to the politicians, the scientists ,the doctors; followed messages on social media — all to calm this niggling uncertainty.

But nervousness they say can be very sticky. My mind made absurd escalations and thought of all the worst case scenarios. My anxiety had enough news everyday to obsess about….A slow fear began to take over my life.

I ruminated, thought of unforeseen risks, worried about contamination, wanted to keep away from contagion but also wanted to connect; I was saturated with advice and warnings about the virus. My worries were there with me all day. No doubt this worry had its purpose. It came from a place of concern; It reminded me to take the necessary precautions- wash my hands, wear a mask, stay indoors; But it had begun to lace all my activities throughout the day. If I were to describe my state of mind, it would be — A general unease that was very distressing and which exhausted every resource I had for planning and coping.

Worry and Fear cannot be ignored or pretended away. As I sat back and examined my fears, I realized that this situation, where my life , the lives of my loved ones and the lives of million others on this planet has been threatened was disquieting and disturbing

Change that’s this rapid and this frightening had left me feeling unmoored. Added to that was the uncertainty of when and how all this was going to end.

If there was one thing I was certain about, it was, that I needed to get out of this continued misery, to reclaim my ability of looking at the larger picture.

Was I going to let the corona virus allow my life to fall apart? ..No Ways!!!!!

I reminded myself that the Corona Virus is a temporary challenge.

In some finite time it will pass, and until it does I need to keep my calm and maintain a healthy level of caution and concern

Yes I would have preferred things to be predictable. To know, when and how the spread of this virus would be contained. When I could go back to living my normal life……but I won’t know that for a while now, and so, for now, I have to learn to embrace this not knowing.

How do I make friends with my fear so that it becomes less powerful?

Here I am, sharing a few things that helped me find my bearings.

Examining my thoughts

I knew I had to stop catastrophizing. I brought to mind the times when my imagined worst case scenarios didn’t come true. I realized that I had no real evidence to support my train of negative thoughts. Thus challenging my negative thoughts helped me construct a more balanced view of events. This made me shift from helplessness to putting together a plan of action. Not to mention that this shift proved to be an instant mood elevator as well

Staying connected felt safe.

I talked ,texted, skyped with family and friends — my Support Squad. This way I maintained my perspective and distracted my mind from unhelpful thoughts. I may not be on the front lines of the corona virus crisis but I reached out to other people in the community, offering a helping hand when required. Friends initiated meet ups like an online musical evening and Zoom coffee time ….and I have to say that it was a lot of fun. It’s important to know that we are not in this alone.

Doing the things that i can do

I chose to turn my focus on the things that are within my locus of control, like, washing my hands, staying indoors, taking responsibility for the messages I forward on social media, not buying and hoarding everything from the supermarkets, and steering clear from engaging in continuous conversations on Corona. I know that my personal choices have ramifications on people beyond my family who are in my circle of obligation and so I made conscious choices to stay healthy both physically and mentally

Monitoring new updates.

I do want to stay informed but I have begun to check out only reliable sources of information on the COVID-19. . Constant talk of the virus on news channels feeds into my anxiety and therefore I’m now choosy about how much news I consume and from which source. Online sites like, The Center for Disease Control [CDC] and The World Health Organization [WHO] are reputable and give me the news sans the drama, which makes them my ‘go to’ source for information.

Muting my notifications on social media.

Watsapp and other social media handles used to be a fun activity but now it’s just Noise. There is a constant barrage of information ranging from the spread of the virus to claims of a vaccine; Jokes, songs, clips of people dying, and so much more….its draining! I have now taken a social media break and check my notifications at a few specific times during the day. Whew! This has cleared my head of so much clutter.Until sensible voices emerge and people who are experts on the subject decide to speak I think I’ll keep away from excessive newsfeeds.

Focusing on my wellbeing

I infused a bit of structure into my day,- A routine, making sure I give myself time for some guided meditation during the day. Besides that exercising and eating healthy are now a priority. Until a month ago. routine didn’t leave me with much time to indulge in a lot of things that I enjoyed doing. The ‘Pause’ that this situation has thrown at my face gives me ample time to do the things I’ve wanted to (in my case, drawing, reading, cooking). These have become my anchors to offset stress caused by the unpredictable aspects of life. While I’m at it I guess I will reflect on my journey this far, make shifts, and take baby steps into a more meaningful life..

Prayer

Spirituality has always been a great part of my life so spending time in prayer provides a sense of peace and connection.

The corona virus has undoubtedly disturbed the well-ordered, controllable and comfortable life that I led. This cascade of life changes has left everyone everywhere staggering. There will be anxiety and that’s only normal….but I know that you can move beyond it. I have.

Reach out with kindness to yourself and others .

Kindness is Contagious.

Stay safe …..Stay hopeful