Unless someone is 100% off the grid, does not watch the news, or follow social media, I would suspect they would have heard about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading across the world. Like most Americans, I first heard about this virus a few months ago, when it started to spread across China. In a short few months, the virus has spread to dozens of countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as a “Pandemic” this month. Over the past few months, the news coverage has been nothing but the Coronavirus. I’m not even going to mention the stock market and how it has done over the past few weeks. It seems like there is more and more panic and fear over the Coronavirus.

As I spent time in reflection and scripture this morning, I focused on what the Bible says about fear. My attention was brought to one of the most iconic verses about fear in the Bible. Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” I hope this can bring you some encouragement to know that you don’t have to walk alone through scary times in life. There is a God who loves you and is always there in times of need. I then thought about how can I help my clients navigate a culture that is full of panic and fear in times of high uncertainty. So, I came up with an acronym that is easy to remember:

B.E. – S.M.A.R.T.

Brave

It takes courage to not go along with fear and panic. To be brave, one has to actively make a choice to not let fear and panic control them. A healthy response to fear and panic starts with the choice of what your attitude will be. At the beginning of each year, I come up with a motto to live by for the year. My motto this year is: “Dare to be unafraid”, how fitting. Will you be brave and choose to be unafraid?

Educated

Take time to learn about what is going on. There is so much information out there. Some information is accurate and some is not. Diversify where you get your information from. Educate yourself on the source of your information as well. Is it a trusted source? Once you become more educated on the situation, remember to talk to your kids. With social media the access children and teens have to information can be frightening. Not all the information they are receiving is accurate. How you talk to your children about what is going on can play a significant role in lowering their anxiety and fear.

Stay Present

Staying in the present moment is key in avoiding getting swiped off your feet by fear and panic. These feelings often get worse when people emotionally focus or get stuck on what happened in the past or what could happen in the future. I call it the “What If” game. We can’t control the future and we don’t have the power to change the past. However, focusing on the present day is within our control.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the active choice of responding to fear and panic by using healthy coping skills. Being fearful and feeling panic is not unhealthy. In life, we experience a vast array of emotions. Some emotions are more pleasant then others. Using mindfulness is a choice of using healthy copings skills to help relax and ground yourself in the present. Skills like deep breathing, meditation, prayer, journaling, physical exercise, and distraction can all help lower stress and anxiety. Getting some fresh air can also help.

Attentive

To be attentive means that you will not isolate yourself emotionally. Stay engaged with your emotions. Fear and panic and often make us want to checkout emotionally. Emotional isolation is never helpful. One of the blessings with technology and social media, is the ability to engage with others even if you have to be physically isolated due to illness or precaution. iPhone use can use Facetime, Android has video calling, Skype, Google, and the list goes on and on. If you are a person of faith or practice spirituality, seek comfort and strength from that. In times of fear connect with your higher power.

Responsive

Being responsive means that you make changes when necessary. All of these steps are not something that you do just once and move on. Sometimes you might need to practice mindfulness daily or even hourly. Keep yourself updated with new information and make changes as directed. As you learn more about yourself, makes healthy changes to your routines that lower your anxiety. Even healthy change can be scary.

Transformed

Last but not least, be transformed by struggles and challenging times in life. Reflect on your experience and look for key take-aways for future situations. Share what you learned with your children. Appropriate emotional vulnerability is one of the strongest factors that builds and fosters strong attachment.

The spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is just one example of how we live in a broken world. How quickly things can change in a matter of months. Here at Stenzel Clinical we choose to B.E. – S.M.A.R.T. We stand bravely in the face or fear and panic and model to our clients how to live life well. We educate ourselves from trusted sources how to mitigate risk to our clients and staff. We stay in the present moment and not be consumed with the uncertainties of what tomorrow might bring. We practice mindfulness and promote selfcare for ourselves and our clients. We are attentive and responsive to the recommendations from the CDC and other public health officials. For example, we provide tissues for our clients to open our suite doors as they enter and exit. And when this too shall pass, we will learn what we did well and what we can improve and be transformed by this experience. Will you make the choice to B.E. – S.M.A.R.T. with us?