Coping With COVID-19

NOTE: For the latest updated information about COVID-19, visit The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) here.

In times like this, we can feel oh so powerless.

This may be especially true for those of us whose work centers on touch.

We can feel lost without our primary means of contacting others.

We can feel bereft of ways to communicate love and support.

Why We Struggle When Touch is Off The Table

Touch is our first language. It’s primal to need touch as means of giving and receiving support. It’s human.
But in times like these, with the unique pandemic we are facing, touch is off the table for most of us.

Social distancing is a way to act in solidarity with our fellow humans. Temporarily refraining from close contact is an essential way to be kind.

But what do we do? This is hard and it feels wrong to distance ourselves from others in crisis times. Again, especially for those of us whose work centers on touch. We can feel so lost.

Self Efficacy Matters Right Now

My perspective is that we can help by focusing on what we can control.

Our human brains may be freaking out. And, our human brains need to know we still have some agency.

We need self efficacy now- to know we can make a difference in some way.

For me, that sense of self efficacy can come by focusing on the tiny things I can control- how I treat myself, how I make small seemingly insignificant choices throughout the day (maybe about things that seemed irrelevant or unimportant just a few weeks ago).

In feeling a small sense of control and being kind and gentle to myself, my nervous system can begin to settle. I can begin to feel into possibilities for supporting others from this place.

Begin within. With gentleness.

Then, creative ideas for how to support others may emerge. Compared to what we are used to doing through touch- the ideas that emerge may feel trite or unimportant.

But wait, these are not normal times. This is not business as usual. Don’t dismiss those small things you might be able to do.

What Can You Do?
Can you check in with someone daily by phone or video call?

Can you write kind letters to send by email each day?

Can you text links to soothing or comforting content (ie musical performances on YouTube/funny videos/cute kittens or puppies)?

Today, we truly can focus on the things we can control.

When touch is temporarily off the table, when social distancing is the temporary new norm, there is still good we can do.

We are not powerless. We are creative. We are kind. We are strong. 💓

Addendum: Coping with COVID-19 can also mean dealing with severe financial stress. The loss of the ability to work is a very real stressor that many massage therapists are currently facing - in addition to the stress and despair of not being able to do the work they feel called to. The professional massage therapy association, American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) is leading an effort to advocate for economic support for massage therapists in the wake of COVID-19. Read about it here (and review the opportunity to sign a letter to Congress here).