Virus d-STRESS: How to PROJECT Yourself

Transcript:

I hope you're doing well out there through this viral crisis, and with all the prevention measures that are in place. And if you are sick on top of feeling awful, this must be very scary. I wish you well, and I hope for your recovery.

In a situation like this it's interesting to see how we react to distress. Our evolutionary genetics kick in, and we find our primal tendencies are working to get us through the crisis. So what is your destress tendency? Is it distress or is it de-stress? Here's what I mean:

Distress is like an emergency alarm. Do you signal an urgency for everyone to acknowledge the severity of the crisis? Does the expression on your face reflect the very real distress of our present reality? This is an important stress reaction, because if the house is on fire, the alarm needs to go off, everyone in the house needs to know that there's distress.

On the other hand do you de-stress?

Are you sensitive to panic that might spoil a thoughtful response? Do you destress, moving into your head, amidst the panic, and call others back to their destressed logical senses? This is also an important stress reaction, because if the house is on fire we're going to have to be able to follow a thoughtful plan so that everyone can get out.

These stress reactions are both important survival projections. We need to get them out there. We need to hear the distressing alarm, and we need to de-stress and stay calm. But over the difference instead of listening to each other, and hearing each other, and responding affirmingly to each other. Under stress, we might instead argue over the difference, and invalidate each other; One side yelling: if you don't care we're all in trouble, the other side yelling back: stop panicking and calm down. I think the tug of war has its place, sometimes. We need one more than the other, depending on the situation, but in every situation survival favors the consideration of both. We need both.

We need each other. We need to hear the distressing alarm, and we need to de-stress and stay calm. So what if this is what we projected forward in crisis? We need each other. Not: my way or your way, but we need each other. I think we'd see the difference when it comes to getting us through this matter and any and every matter as partners, and parents, and co-workers, and friends, and neighbors, everything.

So let's start here: during this distressing crisis consider this projective measure: we need each other. I think we'll find out this was the best way for us to project ourselves and protect ourselves.