Member-only story
The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly brought with it an assortment of unprecedented challenges and stresses. Even though there are a rare few who remember the events of the last global pandemic we are a much different world structurally, technologically, and societally this time around. However, while the challenges may be unprecedented our struggles to handle them are not. The discord, confusion, belligerent resistance, denialism, and divisive polarization are not new. They have been with us for quite some time we’ve just never seen them so powerfully intensified system-wide before.
Times of crisis are always difficult, stressful, frightening, often painful, and we all have limits to our capacity for coping with them. Even those who are fully trained and well-practiced in managing and navigating crises have limits to their stamina and endurance. If we are not able to gain at least periodic reprieve from intense stress it begins to deteriorate not just our mental and emotional state but our basic biological functioning as well.
Our bodies are hardwired with an entire neurochemical system designed to help protect us from imminent danger. When a threat is perceived the hypothalamus in the brain cues our adrenal system to release…