Five Tips for Resilience in the Time of Coronavirus (Post #2 in a Series)

(Post #2) PERSONAL RESILIENCE, with a Focus on Health and Well-Being

Leading from Wherever You Are to Build Resilience

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has shown us daily examples of courage and leadership in the medical, emergency services and biotech fields, as well as many others. The rest of us also have a part to play in building the resilience we need to help “flatten the curve” of the virus’ spread.

Leading ourselves, our families, our colleagues, and whole organizations requires credible information, practical strategies and candid communication in order to build long-term resilience. Whether you are working from home or going to your workplace, the significant changes in our daily routines can be stressful for everyone. Add to that the stresses of working, running a household, parenting, or caring for an elderly or ill family member through this crisis. Staying informed is key to building our resilience to face these challenges.

Each of us can lead from wherever we are through this crisis, even if we don’t directly manage employees.

That’s what my Resiliti colleagues and I want to help encourage and empower with these posts (see the endnote for more information about our Objectives).**

This post shares 5 Tips for Personal Resilience, with a focus on health and well-being.

You can read the previous post here: 5 Tips for Organizational Resilience, with a focus on compliance & ethical leadership

1. Be proactive about your own health, even if you’re responsible for caring for others.

First things first; if you’re sick or exhausted, you’re not going to be able to give your all to your work or to help anyone.

a. Practice “social-distancing”

Here’s a great article from the Washington Post, explaining how this helps to “flatten the curve” of the virus’ spread: Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve”

b. Follow the “US Coronavirus Guidelines for America”

Available here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/coronavirus-guidelines-america/

• The Broadcat and Human Risk firms have collaborated to create their “Antiviral Campaign” (https://www.thebroadcat.com/antiviral-campaign), including a great infographic of those US Guidelines as a simple decision tree, available for download by following them on Instagram here: https://linktr.ee/antiviralcampaign

c. Clean your mobile phone frequently!

There are some fun screensavers to remind you that you can download from the Antiviral Campaign Instagram page (above), as well as helpful guidance here: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/help-keep-coronavirus-off-your-phone-how-to-effectively-disinfect-and-clean-your-device/

d. Other things we’ve been saying to our family and friends:

• Keep disposable gloves in your car (or purse or backpack) to use when you go to the grocery store, pharmacy, gas station, etc.; and immediately toss them in the trash before you go back into your car or home.
• If you have a pre-existing condition of concern (for example, you’re on an immune-suppressant drug, have a lung condition, etc.), be proactive and talk to your doctor to see if there are any special precautions they’d like you to take; and understand ahead of time what they’d like you to do if you get sick (perhaps they’d prefer to admit you to the hospital, rather than have you go to an Emergency Room…)
• Make sure you have a thermometer and the various over-the-counter medications for fever, pain, sore throat, congestion, cough, etc.
• Get plenty of rest
• Try to get outside and breathe some fresh air
• Drink plenty of water
• Wash your hands before you touch your face!

2. Stay informed; but ask yourself, “how do I know what I know?”

Stay informed and connected with reliable updates about the virus and actions we should be taking. In times of crisis, rumors often travel much faster than truth. Before forwarding or sharing information, pause for a second and check that you’re confident of the source. Take seriously the health and safety precautions being communicated by credible sources, including:

a. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website

(www.CDC.gov) provides a lot of advice for protecting yourself and your family, what to do if you feel sick, and how to do your part to keep from spreading the disease. If you own a business or manage others at work, there are also recommendations for businesses and employers.

b. The Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center

(https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/) has a wealth of information about the spread of the virus, as well as actions we can take to protect ourselves. Many of the government and media sources use this as a reference. Several other major research hospitals and medical centers (such as the Mayo Clinic, NYU, and many others) have very informative online resources as well.

c. The World Health Organization (WHO)

The WHO is an arm of the United Nations focusing on improving global health, has a wealth of coronavirus information on their website for countries, organizations and the public; the advice for the public is here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

d. Government websites

Check federal, state, regional, county, local government websites — and look for links to join their email lists for updates.

e. The websites of your local or regional newspapers

If you don’t already subscribe to a local or regional newspaper, please consider doing so… Many of the major newspapers and news magazines have opened up their coronavirus coverage to non-subscribers, which is helpful; but while the national media are covering the broader picture and aggregate data, the more local media outlets can bring us information about the circumstances, statistics and resources closer to home.

f. Your employer

Whether you are working from home or are on the job, your employer will have information to share. Be very direct with your manager, if you have personal and/or family challenges during this crisis — it is their responsibility to escalate within your organization any needs/requests for accommodations, while also ensuring that they protect your private information.

g. Your health insurance provider…

…(if you have one), Medicare, Medicaid, local public health services, and local medical centers might have resources for you on their websites or through their telephone centers; and many hospitals and healthcare services are offering “tele-health” visits, to accommodate screening you by phone or video chat.

3. Practice self-compassion.

It’s perfectly natural to feel anxious right now. By understanding the neuroscience and psychology that explain what we’re feeling, we can try to accept it and get our arms around how to deal with it. This is a time for our inner voice to be as gentle with ourselves as we are with others we love.

a. This is a sort of “perfect storm” for stress, fear and anxiety

This virus is new and unknown, and we don’t have all the information we need to feel like we understand what could happen next; we have limited influence over most of the controls; and we don’t know how long it will last. The CBS Sunday Morning show had an excellent segment explaining this on March 22nd: https://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs-sunday-morning/video/8UqOkadhUzKqC7wEzd_OHnRp47l_my3b/coronavirus-anxiety-and-fear/

b. What we’re experiencing is grief.

There was an insightful Harvard Business Review interview (“That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief,” March 23rd) in which Scott Berinato interviewed David Kessler, the co-author (with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross) of On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief through the Five Stages of Loss. He explains the stages and the different types of grief that we’re experiencing during this pandemic: https://hbr.org/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief?fbclid=IwAR35_lZ8_xajIcqad-GfMTT6_Hcp_ytepXFah30uvVNMHnbri4RB6GmVPC4

Kessler has added a sixth stage: “Meaning.” We can find meaning in what we’re experiencing and will become stronger, individually and collectively, once we’re through this crisis.

4. Manage stress proactively.

Whether you are working from home or going to your workplace, the major changes in our day-to-day routines can be stressful for everyone. Add to that, the stresses of parenting or caring for an elderly or ill family member through this crisis. In addition to practicing self-compassion to understand our feelings, we can be proactive about how we manage what we’re feeling.

a. Misunderstandings can grow quickly when stress is high.

Communicating through text messages and email can magnify misunderstandings, since we aren’t hearing tone of voice or seeing facial expressions and body language. So… assume good intentions before responding to others. Avoid being reactive by taking the “pause between stimulus and response” approach. Ask for clarification, if you are unsure; and be sure you’re communicating clearly, as well.

b. Don’t forget to move.

Don’t give up on regular exercise, just because your gym is closed or your yoga classes are canceled. There are a gazillion video and online resources, including free ones, that you can use at home. If you’re feeling the loss of the social aspects of the gym, the Zumba class or the yoga studio, you could set up a time to exercise with your friends and family through the various web-meeting and video-conferencing platforms. We’ve also seen all kinds of on-line music and dance parties popping up on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

c. Take some time for mindfulness.

If you’re not a meditation pro, don’t worry… this can be as simple as being quiet and “present” with yourself for a little while. It really can help you get centered and find your positivity for whatever lies ahead of you. You can start with just 5 or 10 minutes, following your breathing (try inhaling to the count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4); or you can just sit quietly and listen to the sounds outside, notice how you’re feeling, where you’re holding your tension, and trying to relax from head to toe. There are lots of great books, audiobooks, videos, podcasts, apps, streaming services that can give you pointers about mindfulness and meditation. Here are some suggestions:

• There is some free content on the Insight Timer app: https://www.insighttimer.com
• There are some free meditation courses on the Meditation Studio app; here’s an article about it: https://wanderlust.com/journal/best-meditation-app-meditation-studio/
• Daily Om: https://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/courses/categories.cgi?cat=7&aff=&co=1
• The 10% Happier podcast and app (based on the book, 10% Happier, by Dan Harris)
• If you’re interested in more in-depth meditation and mindfulness information, there are books and podcasts by Tara Brach, Jon Kabat Zinn, Pema Ch?dr?n, Thich Nhat Hanh and many others

5. Extend random acts of kindness.

Do something kind for someone who can’t leave their house or someone who is on the front lines of dealing with this pandemic. They might have children who are out of school or elders for whom they are responsible. They might not be able to get to the grocery store early in the morning, when the shelves are still stocked. Even just acknowledging their work is a meaningful gesture.

a. Offer to shop…

… for an elderly friend, family member or neighbor; someone at home with a new baby; or someone who is quarantined at home (leave the groceries at the door, though, so you limit any potential exposure).

b. Be supportive and compassionate to…

• Someone who has recently been furloughed or laid off.
• Nurses, doctors, EMTs, other first-responders, hospital workers and others — and all of their families — are all putting themselves at risk by caring for the sick on the front lines of this pandemic.
• Those who are providing essential services in transportation, grocery stores, postal services, manufacturing, supply chain, pharmacies, takeout restaurants, delivery services, and so many others, who can’t work from their homes to do so.

c. By the way…

In addition to lightening someone else’s load, you’ll feel happier by doing something productive in the midst of this crisis. Here’s an article on the neuroscience to back that up: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/vitality/201404/the-neuroscience-giving

Be present for yourself, your family, your colleagues, your friends and neighbors. Build your resilience. Stay safe.

In Post #3, we will share tips for LEADERSHIP RESILIENCE, with a focus on Am

If you have suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact us by email: [email protected].

**OUR OBJECTIVES WITH THESE POSTS: In Resiliti’s work, we focus on helping our clients develop and sustain personal, team, organizational, brand, community and environmental Resilience.

We are a team of experts with decades of experience in ethical and compliance leadership; environment, health and safety; risk assessment and management; security; operations; social responsibility and sustainability; and internal and external communications.

We are putting our heads together — as a team and with clients and colleagues across professions and industries — to share tips and strategies for resilience as we all adjust to changing conditions during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. We will share our notes regularly, focusing in each post on Five Tips for Personal or Organizational Resilience.

There are some terrific online resources and inspiring examples of leadership through this crisis already; there have also been many cautionary anecdotes. We will share some of those stories and resources, and we hope you will respond in the comments to share resources, stories, observations and tips, as well.