When we speak of resilience – many like to say that it is the ability to bounce back but I believe that it is the ability to bounce forward. This "return to normal" post-lockdown will not be a returning but a moving forward, carrying with us newly acquired insights and behaviors.
There will not be an "all clear" call after which we will each go back to our previous lives. Until a vaccine is developed and provided, we all share a personal, community and global challenge.
There is no quick fix and COVID-19 can affect anyone, anytime, anywhere.
The last few weeks have taught us a great deal about ourselves. Looking from a psycho-social perspective, a few insights can be shared when thinking about moving forward.
The Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC) has been actively engaged for almost 20 years in emergencies but more than that – engaged in building resilience and focusing on strengths. Now, more than ever before, people will need to find their own resources and support both internal and external and find ways to be positive and proactive.
The way we coped and are coping will define us –everything we do now as individuals, as professionals, as a community – will define who we will be and how we will perceive ourselves. Will this be a narrative of victimhood and helplessness, or a story of coping and togetherness?
The new normal will involve a gradual restarting of physical proximity, relative safety with the knowledge that there may be a next wave and living with the threat of illness. We will need to learn to live with this. We have the choice not to live in fear. We need to focus on what "is" and adopt a positive and optimistic approach, to preserve a message of hope and resilience.
Over these last few months, we have learnt and taught personal responsibility. Even very young children absorbed this message, the meaning and importance of washing hands or not hugging as a precaution for saving lives. This can and does create more caring and responsible individuals and communities.
Physical distancing will continue and remain part of our lives. We will choose who we will count as part of a close and safe circle. With others we will share the new ways that we have learnt on connecting and expressing messages of support. Through this experience we have created a stronger sense of family and community. Now is the time to put this into practice as we chart this new future.
Time to start thinking and planning is now. We may not know what this new future may look like but we do need to prepare for the challenges of a changing reality. Understand that the way we respond and frame our reality makes a difference. We know we are in unknown territory but the process of healing and creating resilience cannot wait.
We all need to take responsibility not only for adhering to the instructions of wearing masks or keeping physical distance but also for creating a narrative of resilience. We have learnt how fragile life is, for all of us, it is a reality we share. The world is reshaping – we do not know what the new model will look like but we do know that we are in this together. Let us share a daily practice of resilience and compassion.