The Silver Lining In COVID-19
Here it is – the first pandemic of the century. This is a scary, crazy, and unpredictable time. It’s ironic that the first days of the future begin with a chaotic twist. There is an iconic symbolism of being in the midst of the wilderness of confusion, despair, disappointment, frustration, doubt, fear and loss. COVID-19 has taken some, many have recovered, and many more are recovering.
One of the tenants of a successful recovery is for the recovering to develop a strong sense of resilience. What is it? It’s finding a strand of hope and faith that there is an ending to all of this that will yield some benefits to humanity. It’s the mental and physical elasticity that allows for the flexibility to take the lows and highs all the same. How can humankind look for the positive in all of this mess? During this crisis, there have already been some marketable beneficial changes in our behavior, such as:
An upsurge in people utilizing technology to stay connected;
A higher regard for personal hygiene, health, and personal space;
A slowing down that has caused us to pay more attention to detail;
More people taking advantage of exercising outdoors; and
More time formerly occupied by stress-induced traffic now yielded back to the user, empowering through more autonomous time management.
It’s not a vacation, it’s a crisis. In the midst of this trauma, resilience has already become evident. Looking closely, it’s possible to notice indications of the emerging elements of our post-traumatic growth. When we come out of this, the way we approach our lives is going to be different. Milton Friedman said, “Only a crisis, actual or perceived, produces real change.”
