I have been asking that question of clients and others. The answers range from, “It was a hundred years ago, right?”, to “has there ever been a pandemic?. It thought this is the first one.” Okay, I confess, I researched it and was quite surprised to learn it was in 2009, and the culprit was H1N1. I remember that one. I remember that we were part of the summer camp team at the airport taking temperatures of the campers before they were sent away to summer camp. And I remember that my son, a summer camp division supervisor, spent some of that summer with the quarantined campers who needed to be fed and entertained. After all, they were at summer camp, and they were supposed to be having fun. And I definately do not remember feeling panic.
When I told my “clients and others” that it was H1N1, each person remembered it, but no one remembered it being called a “pandemic”. And no one remembered it with the minute-by-minute angst or panic that is invading us now. “Why is it different this time?”, they asked me.
The answer: STRESS.
In 2009, we were in the “Great Recession”, with a new president, and 9-10% unemployment. That was stressful.
But somehow, the 2020 stress is more epic. Politically, we are in the midst of nominating a presidential candidate. We are in a bad flu season, types A and B, and we learned the vaccine is not flawless. The Corona Virus is shutting down businesses, schools, public gatherings. In 2020, our baseline stress is just higher than it was in 2009. We are already on edge; every new detail stresses us out more. I am calling it the “stress index” and it is high.
So, in my mission to help you manage your stress, I am going to remind you of YOUR role in all of this.
FOR OTHERS: Wash your hands. Keep all surfaces in your home and work environments clean. Sneeze and cough into your elbow, and wash those garments. If you feel ill, stay home, and don’t invite others in.
FOR YOU: Wash your hands. Keep your environment clean. If you suspect someone is ill, you are probably right. Turn the other way when someone coughs and/sneezes. And B R E A T H E! You need to lower your own stress index.
B R E A T H E! Inhale through your nose for the count of 3. Exhale, as if you are blowing into a straw, for the count of 5. And if you have been practicing that, move to 4/8 breathing: Inhale for 4, exhale for 8. Repeat at least 4 times.
Stay well!
Namaste’.