Seemingly overnight, our country and the world, has changed. Our new normal is completely being redefined. And truthfully, no one really knows what the future has in store. The stock market has plummeted. Businesses are closing for weeks, possibly months. The American workforce is, for the most part, at home, isolating with family. Worldwide people are isolating, while the global economy grinds to a halt.
Or has it?
Rather than fear-filled people, I’ve seen tremendously kind-hearted gestures and optimistic views emerging from all over the world. A story about Fred Rogers (creator, showrunner and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers‘ Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001) strikes me each time I come across positive news during this COVID-19 pandemic.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news,” Rogers said to his television viewers, “my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
Instead of complete shutdowns, people are becoming creative and finding ways to make life work. Supporting local restaurants by ordering take out or joining a sewing club to make additional masks for healthcare works. Singing to each other from balconies and sharing those videos online have become a way to connect to each other across the world. We may be in a global health crisis right now, however, I believe we will be stronger, and more connected when we finally emerge, and, We Will Emerge.
To see us through, there are three main ideas that I believe will help us to emerge thru these challenging times. Take care of your health, help others, and don’t ever give up hope! The news headlines may fill you with anxiety but take a deep breath and focus on what you can do starting right now.
1. Take Care of Your Health
Taking care of yourself has never been more important than it is right now. Self-care practices like eating healthy, creative ways of exercising and staying upbeat and positive are the keys to great health. If you can take care of these three basic self-care acts, you are better prepared to take care of others, and also to fight off illness.
In addition to self-care practices for yourself, the CDC has several great resources. Those resources include a check checklist for your household plan.*
Some key items on the list include:
- Create a list of local organizations you and your household can contact in case you need access to information, healthcare services, support, and resources.
- Create an emergency contact list including family, friends, neighbors, carpool drivers, healthcare providers, teachers, employers, the local public health department, and other community resources.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily (e.g., tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles using regular household detergent and water.
- Take care of the emotional health of your household members, including yourself **
Be informed about the progress of the virus, however, make sure you take metal breaks from the news as well. Although being informed is important, it is just as important to stay mentally balanced and reduce stress.
2. Help Others in Need
Businesses that would under normal conditions have nothing to do with healthcare have been stepping up to provide goods and services outside of their normal realm. Pernod Richard, the 34 billion dollar beverage group responsible for such brands as Jameson Whiskey and Absolute Vodka, began crafting high-quality sanitizers. Of course, their master blenders were on hand to help. Other companies like Diageo (Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker), and Anheuser-Busch are also jumping on the healthcare bandwagon to provide hand sanitizers. These are alcohol beverage producers and distributors jumping into the fray to produce hand sanitizers. Now think about that for a moment, like, isn’t that pretty cool? ***
The list of companies helping is growing daily. U-Haul donated storage to displaced college students, grocery stores have changed their hours to allow seniors to shop first in the mornings, Uber Eats is donating meals to healthcare works, the list goes on and on.
1`mother, who is 79 years old and in lives in rural Oregon, has neighbors bringing her food and other basic necessities just because they want to help. Neighbors helping neighbors. I think that that is the way it is suppose be, right?
There are ways to safely help those around such as donating to nonprofits providing COVID-19care is just as important. The CDC has a foundation established by Congress, and as the primary organization combating this virus, could use all the help they can get! A list of nonprofits battling COVID-19 can be found here https://www.fidelitycharitable.org/guidance/disaster-relief/how-to-help-novel-coronavirus.html>
3. Never, Ever, Ever, Give Up HOPE…..Not EVER.
Early outbreak areas are showing signs of recovery, and the medical community is working hand in hand with our government towards positive treatment steps. We can diagnose COVID-19 now and are working with great expediency towards a vaccine and even a cure. This year may not have started with what we would consider being hopeful and positive, but a poem I read in school makes me feel positive about the rest of the year to come.
“Hope…Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering ‘it will be happier’…”
― Alfred Lord Tennyson
Amid this pandemic, I look around me and I see hope. Worldwide, the medical community is communicating faster than we ever had in the history of humankind. Celebrities are in on self-isolating and communicating with the world. On Instagram, look up the hashtag #TogetherAtHome to watch celebrities all over the world offering free concerts and hope. I see lots of reason to be hopeful.
Finally, today we have the power and ability to share information at an unprecedented level, discuss treatments and paths forward, in an unprecedented manner. The entire world is together, working for cures and working together to halt this virus. We can communicate with each other in ways never thought of in our history. This enormous planet that we call Earth, doesn’t seem quite as large today as it did yesterday and smaller tomorrow than today. In my mind, Walt Disney was right, “It’s A Small World After All”.
Bringing this all together,
In summary, this too shall pass. Whether it passes like a thief in the night or passes like a stampede of horses, we will overcome. We will emerge from this pandemic, and it is my belief we will emerge from it not only as a stronger nation but as a stronger, more cohesive world. We have so much more that bring us together than divides us. In the meantime, I hope you do your part to stay healthy, help others, and no matter what, never ever ever, give up HOPE!
Until Next Time,
Your Staffing Partner, Darrin Rohr- President, CEO and Chief Servant
Current owner of HH Staffing and Former Chief HR Officer for several successful Multinational Fortune 500 Companies. Brings fresh perspective from decades of experiences creating Great Workplace Cultures by building high performance teams while leading and managing people from all different backgrounds. HH Staffing is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida and is uniquely positioned to serve both local and national clients.
*https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/index.html
**https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html
