Panic is optional

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Empty shelves in a supermarket

 

 

A friend recently asked:

Very glad to know you all are in one place.  What are you thinking about this virus? What is your opinion and how much time it will take to recover?

 

Here’s my response:

I’m at peace with the virus. We have been through many pandemics in our own lives and as a human race, we will be stronger as we come out of this pandemic also. If I or a loved one gets infected or dies, that is no different than if we went out on a “normal” day and got into an accident: I’ll feel sad, do all the positive action that I can, grieve, accept and move on. We all live with risks all the time, this is no different except in the immediacy and invisibility of the novel risk agent.

A guess at how long it takes is totally speculation and I don’t speculate.

Yes, life IS different from what we’re used to… so we adapt to this new way of life. Families and communities are coming together in ways that we have not seen in the past several decades. Let’s celebrate that! Let us learn to live with one another again – this time with understanding and love.

There are many many among us that are struggling with anxiety-attacks, with real health issues, with stigma, with oppression, with financial challenges – how can we connect with them and provide meaningful help? Blaming others is not a rewarding game. Trust that everyone is doing the best that they are capable of at that particular time, all with the best intentions. Second guessing or “Monday morning quarterbacking” may build careers for media personalities but only builds angst in the audience. Re-forwarding half-read and barely-understood messages on WhatsApp (or other social media)… or constantly consuming alarming news from various outlets is NOT going to help, this much I am sure. The people that write these news items are repeating and amplifying messages of fear that they don’t understand themselves – so how will that help me?

What WOULD HELP is for us to all follow the simple health rules that we all know by now. Plus, reaching inside ourselves to find our calm center. The single biggest thing that we can do for ourselves and for others around us is to stay calm – and that requires work, discipline and focus… yes, its hard but rewarding.

As I (Lakshmi) work with people around the world that are concerned about the virus, I keep repeating that the most important contribution is your own mental health. That is in fact, my own biggest contribution: now and always. Please do reach out to us if you want to talk – we are both here to listen to you. Again, please DO REACH OUT TO US.

Remember, I am (Prabu is) a microbiologist, meaning I studied the behaviors of these things (viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms). As a neuroscientist, I also study human behavior. As a project manager, I have a sense for the complexity in the task of rebuilding… and as a business executive, I see how bringing together multiple (competing) interests is required to regain trust and bring us to a sense of (new) “normalcy”. So I know that the challenge posed by the novel corona virus that causes COVID-19 is serious – we don’t YET have the immunity, a vaccine or medicine to overcome it, we have many bridges to cross and a long way to go. While a focused, combined effort is essential, panic is totally optional.

 

A bridge
Some uncharted territory ahead. Together, we can do this.

Some additional reading (Please do provide other links that we will continue to add to this list):

 

Cow-and-calf
Let’s care for each other: especially the young, the old and the vulnerable among us.

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