(By Domingo “Daryl” G. Simbajon)
“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.”
― Elizabeth Edwards
THROUGH time, people have experienced the psychological impact of a wide range of catastrophes including famines, floods, earthquakes, wars, and, last but certainly not the least, outbreaks of deadly infectious diseases. We are no exception today as we try to figure out how to cope, as well as try to help others cope with the grief, stress, anxiety, and uncertainty caused by what is apparently the biggest health challenge of our time: the COVID-19 pandemic.
I believe that for us to manage well in this present health crisis, we need to develop resilience. What is resilience? I have read that resilience is the process of coping well during hard times, trauma, tragedy, threats, or major sources of stress.
It involves changing behaviors, thoughts, and actions. Being resilient includes learning from past experiences and developing new coping strategies to move forward.
I am suggesting some strategies that can also serve as resilience-building steps to help us deal with the still ongoing pandemic.
Take time to pray. When we pray, it has nothing to do with the positive deeds we have (or haven’t) done. It is only because of God’s great mercy that we can approach His throne with our requests with an expectant heart to have them granted. When we have a relationship with God, praying is really just having a conversation with Him. Sometimes we may not be sure what to say but His Spirit can lead us.
As the Bible says: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8: 26). Our prayers should also not just focus on our personal needs but also of others.
Maintain connection with others. Take time to reach out to people. You can do this via social media or even meeting others face-to face but still practicing the basic health protocols.
Be mindful of others. A few months ago, a student of mine organized a fundraising activity through social media upon learning that her former teacher had a fatal accident and that the late teacher’s family needed financial help. Being mindful of others can reduce stress and improve emotional wellbeing.
Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to the news. It’s good to be informed but hearing about the pandemic constantly can be upsetting and stressful. Consider limiting your exposure to the news and disconnecting from phone, television, and computer screens for a while.
Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy with well-balanced meals. Get enough sleep. Make exercise part of your day. Exercise is known to boost endorphins. Physical activity can help relieve stress, boost mood, and improve concentration.
Make time to unwind. Do activities you enjoy like listening to music, journaling, or making a list of the day’s triumphs and things you are grateful for. Unwinding helps manage stress and repeated negative thoughts.
Developing and having resilience during the pandemic can help get us through it. Learning what we can from the pandemic, about our ways of coping, about ourselves and others can help us move forward.
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Food for Thought
I have endured, I have been broken, I have known hardship, I have lost myself. But here I stand, still moving forward, growing stronger each day. I will never forget the harsh lessons in my life. They made me stronger. – curiano.com
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Domingo “Daryl” G. Simbajon is a Licensed Professional Teacher III of Special Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) Program from Butuan City.
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Woman Lens can be reached at belindabelsales@gmail.com. Twitter @ShilohRuthie/PN
