**This was written in 2020 during the pandemic while in my graduate writing program. I stumbled across it in my files and was feeling nostalgic. **
Americans have been inundated with COVID-19 as the virus has spread across the globe. Twenty-four-hour media coverage shows enough to leave us feeling informed, yet uninformed. We in the United States have been told for months what we cannot do by our respective state governments. Do not get within 6 feet of a person you do not live with, do not gather in groups, do not enter a store (or any other building) without wearing a mask are some of the consistent restrictions. However, the question remains…what CAN we do?
We Can Let Go
Letting go of the “should” and accepting the reality of our lives. Our image of the “perfect” life cannot be attained while limits are being set that are not within our control, if ever. Humans have the mental capacity to change our minds and not follow our instincts or patterns; we can alter that about ourselves. Try to remember that nothing is perfect and that change, while scary, can be positive.
We Can Embrace
We can accept that things are different and adapt. Instead of fighting the change, we can acknowledge it and make small adjustments. Evolutionarily speaking, adaption is essential to maintain the species. Humans can and must adapt to this pandemic situation in order to maintain our species survival. Try to think of the situation as something you can use to your advantage: change the paint color in your bedroom, try a new recipe or take an online class.
We Can Learn
Adversity can teach us about ourselves. This pandemic is giving us a chance to see ourselves in an uncomfortable situation out of our control. What we can change is ourselves and how we react to adversity. We need to be able to trust ourselves in difficult situations and this pandemic is testing all of us. We can ask ourselves, “When I describe my life during the pandemic to my grandchildren or great-grandchildren, how do I want to describe myself and my actions?” Then we can decide if we need to change our behaviors to match our desired persona. Try to think of something you have always wanted to learn (maybe knitting, or another language), but never have time to do.
We Can Smile and Wave
One of the most emotionally traumatic parts of the pandemic is the loss of regular social contact. Not just contact with family and friends, but also casual passing contact we have with people walking down the street, riding the bus or checking out at the grocery store. The small moments that show we matter to society at large. The importance of these brief encounters to our psyches has become glaringly apparent now that we have to limit them. We have to cover half of our faces, not shake hands or hug people. Many of our non-verbal communication methods have been cut off in efforts to contain transmission of the virus. What we can do in this situation is smile with your mask on because even though your smile is covered, the way a smile makes your eyes look will still be visible. Smiling also helps you see happiness or positivity in others around you even if they are not smiling. We can use other non-verbal cues: waving or nodding at a person as you pass or even just making eye contact. These gestures can make a difference not only in the way you feel, but in making the person you exchanged expressions with feel recognized or cared about as well. Try to make personal connections like waving or smiling when in public.
We Can Remember
We are not alone in this. Every human on this planet is impacted by this virus. Everyone has days where they feel lonely or angry or frustrated. We can remember to be empathetic to those not adjusting well to a situation. We can remember to be kind to those who may have lost someone to the virus. We can remember that the virus has more than just medical consequences. We can remember that we are all susceptible to the virus and that at any time you could be on the not-so-friendly end of it. We can remember that we are all in this together.
There is plenty we CAN do during this pandemic to help ourselves and each other. Keeping our focus on the CAN, while remembering the CANNOT, may help us all get through this pandemic a little easier, together.
Sharon J Writing 