Better, Not Bitter: Intentional Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic
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By William Parham, Professor of Counseling & Interim Associate Dean of Faculty in the School of Education
It has been said that life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning how to dance in the rain. The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in an off-the-radar and unprecedented storm of uncertainty that has fast become an emotional tsunami requiring instant and life-altering changes. Further, the swirl of these dramatic changes has yet to unfold fully. The lived experiences of each member of our LMU community will never be the same.
Following the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other recognized public health entities, President Snyder and Provost Poon have charted a course for us to follow as we navigate ourselves to shores of a new tomorrow. Like most journeys, opportunities are disguised as challenges. Hidden in the challenges in this still unfolding journey are opportunities to discover more about ourselves and how we manage our emotional health and wellbeing. An overall look at the emotional seascape we are likely to encounter is provided herein.
A series of four narratives exploring the unique experiences and challenges faculty, students, staff and administrators are likely to encounter will be offered for consideration during the upcoming weeks. One to two brief narratives about re-entry into ‘normal life post-COVID-19 and the emotional readjustment challenges likely to be experienced during that journey will also be highlighted. For now, let’s start our journey of exploration asking the following self-reflective question: Relative to this new reality, what can I do today that is better than I did yesterday, knowing that it won’t be as good as what I will accomplish tomorrow?
- Part 1: Being Very Intentional in Managing Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Part 2: We Can’t Direct the Wind, But We Can Adjust the Sail: Responding to Forced Isolation In Times of Crisis
- Part 3: Not All StormsCome to Disrupt Our Lives
- Part 4: Illuminating Dark Spaces: Vulnerability to Self- and Other-Directed Violence in the Chaos of COVID-19
- Part 5: The Flight of the Arrow: A Way of Framing Responses to COVID-19
- Part 6: Cocooned in Disarray: Emerging Out of the Darkness COVID-19
- Part 7: A Reflection in the Mirror: An Intimate Date with Ourselves at the Invitation of COVID-19
- Part 8: If You Want to Put a Smile on God’s Face: Taking a Moment to Pause in the Era of COVID-19
- Part 9: Etching Invisible Tattoos: Risks of Overlooking the Emotional Effects of COVID-19
- Part 10: Finding the Wizard: Traveling Down the Yellow Brick Road of COVID-19
- Part 11: Easing Restrictions to Stay at Home: A Pandemic of Hatred and Uncovering Invisible Tattoos of Trauma
- Part 12: The Voice of the Child: Finding Courage to Say What Others Won’t About the Garment of Truth
- Part 13: Whispers of the Devil: An Invitation to Think Differently About Our Abilities to Effect Change
- Part 14: The Cost of Not Paying Attention: Lessons Hidden in the Pandemics of COVID-19 and Racism
- Part 15: Hitting the Middle of the Fairway: Playing Life’s Course One Hole at a Time