Ask an Expert: Coping with Stress During COVID-19
In our Ask an Expert series on Pulse @ ChathamU, we rely on the expertise of Chatham University faculty to speak to a timely question or topic. In this edition, we ask several faculty members to weigh in on a subject that’s on everyone’s mind—COVID-19, and specifically, how do you manage the stress surrounding issues of health, social distancing, and non-stop news coverage?
Q: What can I do to keep myself and others healthy?
Jennifer J. Wasco, DNP, RN:
Assistant professor, nursing program practice experience coordinator
All of us need to take part in comprehensive efforts to “flatten the curve” of the virus, and at this time here are recommended precautions that will help keep you and our entire global population safer:
Practice social distancing. This is the first, best and simplest way to prevent transmission of the disease. Do not attend large-group events. Do not shake hands or hug people upon meeting them. Remain a safe distance – six feet is being recommended – while you converse with other people.
If you have recently traveled, especially to areas where there are documented high numbers of the infection, please maintain self-isolation as directed by the CDC.
If you have come in contact with a person that may have been exposed, consider self-isolation as directed by the CDC
Washing your hands multiple times a day for at least 20 seconds each time. Consider singing “Happy Birthday” twice while washing your hands.
Use hand sanitizer that includes alcohol (at least 60%) copiously
Coughing or sneezing into the crook of your elbow
As more cases in the United States are expected to peak over the next 2-8 weeks, it is important to know the signs and symptoms of Covid-19 virus – fever, cough, shortness of breath. It is also important to remember regular flu activity is still widespread through most of the county. Flu symptoms are sore throat, runny nose, muscle or body aches, fatigue, feeling feverish or having chill and headaches. More than likely if you feel sick, it could be the flu, the common cold or even allergies as we are moving into the spring season.
For the most up-to-date information on Chatham’s wellness measures around COVID-19, please visit our website.
Q: What are some tips to cope with stress?
Mary Jo Loughran, Ph.D., M.S.
Associate Professor, Psychology Program Director
This is a very stressful situation, but it is not the first time you have ever experienced challenges in your environment. Take an inventory of the ways you usually deal with stress. Use the coping strategies that you already possess that work for you.
Engage in good health practices, both physical and mental. In the same way that it is important to wash your hands, it is also important to tend to your emotional health.
Avoid negative coping. Overeating and overdrinking might feel good in the moment, but in general won’t reduce your stress level and actually will make you feel worse.
Stay informed, but don’t get obsessed with the risks portrayed in the media. Turn off the tv and your phone for periods of time each day. Go outside and take a brisk walk or run. Read a good novel. Do your schoolwork!
Do as many “normal” things as you can. Send your friend a birthday card. Call your parents and grandparents. Write a poem (or read one). Daydream. Treat yourself to an ice cream cone.
Remind yourself that feeling anxious, scared, or any other host of things is normal in crisis situations. Do, however, allow yourself to feel your positive emotions too.
Reach out to your support system when you feel down. And be available to others who might also need some support.
Try your best to resist the temptation to point the finger of blame at others. Viruses don’t discriminate based on race, political affiliation, or national origin, etc. Neither should we.
Q: How do I self-isolate without feeling, well, totally isolated?
Douglas North Cook:
Assistant Professor of Immersive Media
“Reach out to friends. Let them know you’re a social resource. Play some games online, have a meal over video call, share your favorite beverage and chat on FaceTime… social distancing doesn't mean you can't spend time with people!
Carrie Tippen, Ph.D.:
Assistant Professor of English, Coordinator of First-Year Writing
If you start missing campus and the college life, you can always read about it instead. I recommend Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl. Or you might like The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Both are chock full of those wonderful “only on a college campus” moments and a fair amount of romance. Personally, I’m going to re-read Willa Cather’s O Pioneers! for about the thousandth time and borrow some of Alexandra’s pioneer spirit for getting creative over the next few weeks. I also have my first flock of baby backyard chickens, all named after characters from Eudora Welty’s The Ponder Heart, so I may re-read that one while I chuckle at my chickens and their silly names: Edna Earle, Bonnie Dee Peacock, Teacake Magee, and Ouida Sampson.
Q: What about community issues in the time of COVID-19, especially around elections?
Jennie Sweet-Cushman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Political Science
As Pennsylvania prepares to fight the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 Primary Election looms just weeks away on April 28th. It is prudent to consider how voters will make their preferences known if the pandemic worsens in the area. Fortunately, new changes in the commonwealth’s election law make addressing this concern much easier.
Some students from other states may have already had their opportunity to cast their ballots since Pennsylvania’s primary is pretty late in the primary season. That usually means that Pennsylvanians have a good idea who the major party candidate for president will be before they head to the polls. That’s not necessarily the case this year, with two Democratic candidates still in the hunt for the required number of delegates to secure the nomination. Pennsylvania’s delegates could be pivotal. And, of course, other races on both the Democratic and Republican ballots matter too. So, what do we do about going to the polls if large gatherings continue to be cancelled and social distancing is still the norm?
Students who use their Chatham mailing address to register to vote would normally be able to vote conveniently in the Welker Room, but the election is after move-out day so while that might make sense for the General Election in November it complicates things for the Primary Election. Good news is that in October a new election reform bill was signed into law that made it easier for everyone, and specifically college students, to cast their ballots in Pennsylvania. Even better news: it can be done without interacting with another human being (also good for introverts!). You can now register to vote until 15 days before the upcoming election. Do that online here (you have until April 13th).
All Pennsylvania voters can now also vote by mail; no-questions asked. You can request a mail-in ballot up to 50 days prior (that’s now) to the forthcoming election. Do that here. Just pop your ballot in any mailbox so that they are returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day, no potential COVID-19 exposure required.
County election officials are in the process of planning measures to keep polling locations safe for voters who still vote in-person.
Thank you to all our expert faculty members who took time out of their busy days to provide these thoughts. Please remember to be patient, mindful, and kind in the days and weeks ahead. We as a community are in this together. Counseling Services are open and ready to help if you need them; for more information, visit our website.
