SURVIVING A PANDEMIC
We are in a real pandemic, the likes of which we haven’t seen in over 100 years.
One tiny little virus is shaking the whole world, closing schools and offices, canceling sporting events, shutting down cruise lines, and emptying restaurants.
I have said from the beginning that although I have respect for the illness and death caused by COVID-19, I am much more concerned about the accompanying panic. (Photo by cdc on Unsplash)
Fear, like any infectious disease, can spread among individuals, communities, and nations.
The fallout from fear includes retaliation, hoarding, and stock market crashes.
And there doesn’t seem to be anything equivalent to the CDC for controlling the fear that follows in the wake of coronavirus.
As I reflect on this problem, I realize that things that mitigate fear are similar to that which keeps us safe from the coronavirus.
WASHING HANDS
To stand at the sink with soap and water for 20 seconds is an intentional act that the CDC wants us to make a habit because it creates an unwelcome environment for viruses.
Some recommend singing Happy Birthday because that slows us down long enough to do a thorough job.
I suggest that we substitute a verse of “I Got Peace Like a River,” or a short prayer for people who are trapped, literally or figuratively, by this pandemic or the fear of it. (photo by Elizaveta-Dankovich on Unsplash)
Can you imagine the results of twenty seconds of prayer by every person across the globe, done several times a day?!
Here is one person’s poetic response on handwashing during a pandemic.
https://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/blessing-washing-hands-during-pandemic
AVOIDING CROWDS
If we avoid crowds, our exposure is limited, and we won’t catch a virus or pass it on. That’s common sense.
However, sitting alone in our own homes listening to news of the spread of disease and falling stock prices, we begin to entertain ‘crowds’ of dire scenarios for the future. (Photo by Jez-Timms on Unsplash)
These crowds that follow us are news updates as well as voices and images in our imagination. These are the crowds that are harder to avoid.
In the last couple of years, I have noticed unusual new local road signs saying “escape route,” followed by a number or letter code across Maine.
Sometimes there are two signs together, each with a different code. I assume that they are directing different vehicles according to their needs. Trucks to follow one sign, cars another.
I need an escape route to get away from the crowds in my mind and soul. And my escape route is not going to be the same as yours.
One Suggestion That May Help
Here is one suggestion that may help avoid ‘crowds’ in our minds and quiet the voices, if only for a moment.
Each day (or several times a day), I write down three things for which I am grateful. (Photo by Freshh-Connection on Unsplash)
Particularly as they relate to fear.
Fear is a beautiful mechanism to keep us safe, and I am thankful for its presence in my life, especially when I am doing something involving risk.
A problem arises, however, when the voices in my head are telling me of risks that don’t exist, or that were real yesterday or might be real tomorrow.
Have you ever noticed that these inner voices are never talking about the present moment?
At this moment, I am safe and warm and loved. My gratitude journaling reminds me of that when I begin to doubt.
AVOIDING UNNECESSARY TRAVEL
Another piece of advice from the CDC is to avoid travel to areas of known outbreak.
This makes sense to me. I canceled a planned plane trip in part due to this advice. (Photo by jeshoots on Unsplash)
Why would I intentionally go where there is a confirmed presence of COVID-19?
I don’t want to get sick, but more than that, I don’t want to bring the virus to my loved ones.
On the other hand, I travel to ‘places’ that are rampant with fear without thinking about contracting anxiety.
Listening to the news, reading magazine articles, searching online for information on the pandemic are all places I go without thinking, “How much of this do I need?
What am I exposing myself to? What is the danger of being well-informed?”
Each of us has to decide for ourselves how much exposure to fear we are comfortable with, in the same way that we are careful where and how we interact with people, places, and things that may hold the virus.
I am not saying that the virus doesn’t have the potential to wreak devastation across the globe or in our personal lives, but I can’t help but ask myself if some of my fear of the spread of this virus isn’t a projection of my fear of other things over which I have little control.
Things like an unstable stock market, the aging of my loved ones, my vulnerabilities that until now I have hidden, even from myself.
The more I dig into the source of my fear, the more I discover areas in my soul that I CAN do something about. Like…
- Making choices to stay healthy.
- Planting a garden in the spring in anticipation of daffodils and summer veggies.
- Reaching out to help my neighbor.
- Looking at a sunrise and saying thank you.
- Offering my prayers for others.
- Adding all these gifts to my gratitude list.
LESSONS FROM FEAR
I am grateful for the lessons fear has taught me. One of those lessons is that fear has no power or intelligence all by itself.
Fear and anxiety are the signposts that cause us to slow down and reflect. Then we can decide where to go from there.
The only power fear has is the power I give it.
If you haven’t read Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic,” this may be a book you want to grab while you are sitting in quarantine.
In it, Gilbert talks about fear and the importance of welcoming it into our lives.
She says fear is allowed to have a seat in the car…but it is not allowed to drive. (Or run the radio or any of the controls.) She also talks about it in any number of podcasts or interviews.
Here is one: https://onbeing.org/programs/elizabeth-gilbert-choosing-curiosity-over-fear-may2018/.
As my gratitude list grows, a funny thing is happening to my fear. It hasn’t gone away, nor will it ever in its entirety.
I wouldn’t want it to leave, for then I would be like a leper whose sensitivity to pain is gone. I would no longer feel the dangers that protect me.
But as I enlist the power of gratitude, fear moves to the ‘wayback’ and is just along for the ride.
Rebounding From A Pandemic
(Photo by Xan-Griffin on Unsplash)
In the days (and months and years) ahead, we will rebound from Corona and her demons.
- We will be changed.
- We will be wiser.
- We will have met our demons and reclaimed our power.
- We will be stronger.
- We will reach out in many diverse ways to a Power greater than ourselves.
- We will have pain along the way. That is a given.
- We will have learned new ways to mitigate our suffering and serve others in the process.
- May the practice of gratitude give us the strength we need to choose wisely in a future that has yet to be revealed.
If you enjoyed this post, you might want to read “How to Find Time for Spiritual Practice” or “Things We Can Learn While Walking in the Rain.”
