Sarahritchie17 Have you all heard of this COVID-19?
It seems like everyone has their own two-cents to chime in on the issue. People are either freaking out like the world is ending or they’re laughing at the panicked-people and making memes about the shortage of toilet paper. Some are putting on a front and trying to be cool, but really freaking out on the inside. Then there’s the official narrative which I’ve also heard more times than I can count. (Stay with me here, there’s a short side-note, and then I’ll be done talking about the coronavirus and into the actual content.)
Side note: Here’s that official narrative in case you haven’t already heard it a gazillion times… COVID-19 stands for coronavirus disease 2019. That’s the official name for what everyone’s talking about. The symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Precautions to take are to wash your hands frequently, maintain 3 ft distance with other people, avoid touching your face, cover your mouth with your arm when you cough or sneeze, and don’t give people handshakes. If you think you may be infected, self-quarantine and call your doctor. Do not go to urgent care or the ER or your doctor’s office without calling first unless it’s an emergency. Reconsider travel plans, and stay in the know. Look for updates and information on who.int. A good tracking website for COVID-19 is https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/ops dashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
But this post isn’t about COVID-19 (at least not entirely). We all go through different crises at various points in our lives, and they come in many different forms. These five things are lessons I’ve learned in crisis management from work and life. I hope you can relate them to whatever you might be facing whether it’s now or ten years from now.
1. Keep calm and carry on
In crisis management, the most important thing is to think logically and rationally. It is easy to get overwhelmed and freeze when everyone else is freaking out. Anyone who’s taken a CPR class or is in the military or a law enforcement agency knows that the reason we repeat things over and over and over again in our training is so that we don’t freeze when we are in the crisis situation. Panicking helps no one. Having a sense of urgency does, but you need to have a clear enough headspace to think logically and start taking the steps that need to happen. There are three ways people respond in times of crisis whether it be a hurricane or coronavirus or car accident: 1) Ignore it (drive by and say ‘not my problem’), 2) Process the situation and prepare/respond, or 3) Panic. It’s really a spectrum that we need to be in the middle of. That’s the first step—to get into the right headspace.
2. Toilet paper and water bottles
I was at the grocery store on Friday and noticed that the whole aisle of toilet paper, batteries, lightbulbs, and paper towels was wiped out. When I talked to my dad yesterday, he said it best, “The World Health Organization said to be prepared to quarantine yourself for 14 days, and people heard ‘prepare for the zombie apocalypse.’” I really don’t understand why people are buying months worth of toilet paper and water bottles. COVID-19 is not a stomach virus, and it’s not a hurricane. When you are responding to a crisis, be mindful of what you actually need to take care of that situation, and don’t waste your time, money, or stress on the rest.
3. Buy low, sell high
If you haven’t heard this phrase before, it has to do with investing in the stock market. We’ll dig deeper into this one in future finance blogs. What you need to know right now is fairly simple. When you invest your money into the stock market, you are buying a part of a company or companies in the hope that its/their value increases. Right now the market is having some rough days which means that companies are being valued way lower than they normally are. If you have cash sitting around, now is the time to invest. Please do not hold me liable for what you choose to do with your money, but I highly recommend buying some stock in companies that you feel like will rebound from this dip in the market. If you have been investing, and don’t have extra cash to push right now, leave your money right where it is. Now is a horrible time to pull your money out of the market. You’ll likely have lost money on your investments if you sell now. If none of that makes sense and you feel like I’m speaking another language right now, please do some research and learn about what crisis times mean for your money. COVID-19 may be having a bigger impact to your wallet than you think.
4. Have patience with one another
Everyone has a different natural response to crisis, and we need to respect each other’s emotions, fears, and personal responses. I’m going to relate this to COVID-19 because it feels especially relevant as the pandemic worsens in the U.S. Just because we’re having to shut our doors on each other doesn’t mean we have to shut our hearts on one another. Don’t be angry at people with allergies or colds; don’t be annoyed with people who have the COVID-19. First, it’s not their fault. Second, giving people mean looks when they sneeze instead of saying “Bless you” is not going to help anyone. Also… sneezing isn’t even a symptom of COVID-19. In a panicking world, turning our backs on one another is only going to make things worse. I’m not saying to hug and embrace physically, but I think we need to emotionally support one another. It’s a tough and unprecedented time when dual-income families are having to add homeschool and child-care their already full plates. Grocery stores have empty shelves and checkout lines are around the building. The stock market is crashing. Businesses are sending workers home to quarantine themselves when they’re not even sick. In this literal pandemic, we need to be better supporting one another.
5. Prioritize your joy
Once you’ve figured out your initial response, thought logically about what you need, figured out this crisis financially, and checked that you’re being respectful to others, you need to find a way to shift your mindset from calm and composed to positive and grateful. In a world that is driven by fear, you need to find your peace and share it with others. I’ve seen and applied a few great practices not just in crises, but also in daily life. A high school friend writes a “Happiness is…” post on Facebook every day, encouraging her to find a moment of joy in each day. Rachel Hollis preaches a gratitude practice and listing in a notebook five small things you’re grateful for each day. These practices work because they force you to actively search for things that bring you happiness or gratitude. Every day is what you make it, and you make time for what matters. You can choose to spend your time getting caught up in everyone else’s negativity, or you can choose to get caught up in moments of joy. Notice the small things. Acknowledge and then release the big anxieties. Also be mindful of who and what you are following on social media. If something or someone is constantly dragging you down or generating negative energy for you, maybe you don’t need that in your life (or you need a break from it). You have control over how much and what kind of content you are consuming. Make sure it’s lifting you up and serving you in a positive way. Especially in times of crisis but also always, you need to prioritize your joy and surround yourself with whatever points of positivity you can find.
Keep your head up. Know that things will get worse before they get better. Also know that you are in control of how you view and respond to this situation. Know that you decide what content you consume and the company you keep. Know that you are in charge of the lens you view the world through. You are in charge of recognizing and highlighting the positive moments in each day.
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Cheers!
Sarah