Weathering the Storm
Weathering the storm, meaning sheltering in place rather than evacuating, is rarely the recommended course of action to prepare for any natural disaster. However, with the spread of Covid-19, “staying at home” has become the mandate for countries around the globe, introducing enormous emotional, economic, and financial changes and challenges. All of a sudden, we are required to adjust and adapt to this new reality that we find ourselves in, and as William Bridges puts it, we experience “the inner reorientation and self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate (significant) changes into your life”. That’s what he calls “transition”, or the psychological response to change. And as in all major transitions, we cannot know what our transition will lead to until we complete it.
The vast uncertainty of the situation surrounding how long the pandemic will last and when and if we can go back to “normal” puts us under an enormous psychological stress, and our responses range and vary with time. David Kessler, a world expert on grief and loss, explained in a recent HBS article that the trajectory of our reaction is linked to the five stages of grief, from initial denial (this won’t affect us) to anger (why can’t I go on with my life?) to bargaining (if I stay home for two weeks, will it go away?) to sadness (it will never end) and finally to acceptance (it’s real, and I need to figure out what to do).
This final step is important, because it marks the realization that the whole world is going through this together, and we can each help in our own ways. In the past weeks, there has been an outpouring of offers to help spread information on the virus, manage its economic impact, and raise funds and resources. Professional support groups are providing free learning opportunities, mindfulness sessions and ways to connect in isolation, and recent online events such as Otto Scharmer’s GAIA or Patrick Lencioni’s CAPA workshops had thousands of participants from all over the globe. What started as a local, daily Corona podcast by a northern German radio station (NDR), featuring SARS expert Professor Drosten from the Charité in Berlin, now has listeners in 60 countries. Perhaps for the first time in history, we have the opportunity to connect and engage in real time during a worldwide crisis, providing empathy, support, advice and hope.
And while this crisis allows us to connect in ways never experienced before, it also offers an unexpected opportunity to check in with ourselves. What brings us meaning when the buzz of our busy lives quiets down? What truly matters to us, and what are we grateful for? Where do we find meaning and purpose in our lives beyond the pursuit of status and money? Who do we really want to be? If we are willing to dive into this pause, dig deeper and examine how this change affects our innermost selves we may discover unexpected opportunities for growth, beauty and happiness.
