5 minute read
Cameo’s Cauldron
We’re All in This Together
By Cameo Miller
Illustration by Bethany Caskey I have struggled with this article. I always try to write something that I think will be needed or helpful at the time it is read. I am writing this in April for June printing. The world is in chaos as I write this, and I have no idea what it will be like in June. Will we be through the worst of this, still in the middle of it, will it be even worse? What message will people need to hear that fits with the current situation?
Whatever stage we’re in, there are several things certain to be true. One is that prolonged stress produces some significant changes in us and needs a conscious and dedicated response to overcome them. The stress, worry, and hypervigilance cause physical changes to several systems. I won’t go into all the details here, but you may be feeling more tired, sluggish, disoriented than usual, or have trouble focusing and concentrating. You may have noticed increased GI symptoms, difficulty sleeping, headaches, etc. These can be resolved by taking good care of yourself for awhile— eat healthy foods in a timely manner, practice meditation or just quieting your mind to help with sleep issues as well as metabolism modulation, and drink plenty of water to flush toxins from your system. Do more of the things which you have learned bring you peace. Talk to others to see what works for them—I guarantee that you are not the only one feeling as you do. Even if the crisis is over, there is sure to be leftover distress in all of us that doesn’t just go away with the ending of the event. It can take weeks or months after the trauma has subsided for our bodily equilibrium to return to normal. If you live in especially hard-hit areas there may be significant psychological trauma and PTSD to deal with too.
A second certainty is that we will need to help each other more than ever before in our lifetimes. Everyone’s life has been disrupted, some more significantly than others, but everyone is going to need some degree of help to reestablish a satisfactory, balanced life. Perhaps this will be a positive outcome of these times—that people see each other’s needs, are there to help each other, are working together instead of against each other. For most people, things will not “just go back to normal”. Major, world-wide, prolonged events such as this leave lasting effects. Effects that may not even be known or recognized until well after the end of the event. We are going to need to help and support each other for quite awhile. Probably not in the way we needed to during the crisis, so we need to really talk to each other to see what we can do to help them and what they can do to help us.
During normal times, we just do what we have always done—we just keep everything running smoothly. We may make a bit of change here and there, but mostly things stay pretty much the same. We have all been forced to make drastic changes over the past few months. We have had time to reassess what is really important. To really look at the way things were and how they have been over this enforced change. Before, we did what needed to be done. During this time you may have found better ways to do some things, that some things don’t actually need doing at all, that there are things which could make your life and your business much better. This forced disruption gives us time to rethink and reorder our priorities. And the fact that things will not go back to normal gives us a perfect opportunity to implement changes to what was. What have you learned during this crisis that you should keep once this is all over?
There is an old Native American teaching that many of you may have heard. It’s about 2 wolves who live within you, a good wolf and a bad wolf, vying for dominance. When the student asks which wolf will win the battle, the teacher replies “The one you feed”. I think right now there are many wolves within us. Some are severe anxiety, worry, and depression. Some cause hoarding and selfishness. Some cause great acts of kindness. Some become the leaders of packs while others cause people to become reclusive hermits afraid to go out at all. What other wolves reside in you? We have a whole pack of wolves in us right now. But it is still the ones we nurture that will thrive and become even more a part of who we are after this is all over.
No, things will not “just go back to normal”, back to the way they always were. But that means that you have an opportunity to add in the new things, the revised things that you have found are needed. You can work to restore the ones you found you really want to keep that got pushed aside during the chaos, and you can ask for help in doing that. You can maintain relationships you have forged or reestablished during this time. You will need to continue to take care of your physical and mental health for quite awhile as will your family, your students, and your staff. Perhaps this is a good time to incorporate more fun and relaxing activities ➢ continued on page 25
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