When Mental Health Goes Digital ~ Q1 2020 ~ Special ***COVID~19 *** Edition
Times of such great global strife and uncertainty show us just how interconnected we are as a species on this Earth. The Covid-19 pandemic is not only a test of our responsiveness and resilience but also, a test of our collective humanity — how we treat and take care of each other.
More and more we are restricting travel, quarantining cities and towns, closing schools, restricting public gatherings, cancelling or postponing events, closing businesses or switching workspaces to remote work and minimizing all direct social contact, meanwhile, the stock markets are plummeting, food and supplies are becoming scarce, medical systems are at risk of being overwhelmed and it is easy to feel that the glass is hazy, cloudy and barely half full.
It is easy for us to want to descend into places of fear, panic, loathing and catastrophic worse-case scenarios as a response. Anxiety, fear and panic release Dopamine, Norepinephrine and Endorphins. You can catch and ride those waves without even knowing you are doing so. Remember, though, that COMPASSION, GRATITUDE, KINDNESS and EMPATHY release the same chemicals. And while it can be easy to fall into negative places and mindsets, we should all do our best to avoid doing so as they are counterproductive and lower our mindfulness and connectivity to ourselves…
