COVID-19: Making the Best of Our New Reality

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I procrastinated about writing this blog post. In these uniquely challenging times, it seemed trivial to write about a new app or the impact of technology.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives. Amid the “shelter in place” orders, curfews and quarantines, it’s difficult to feel normal or even safe. Certainly, technology is playing a bigger role in our lives… helping us stay in touch, perform telemedicine, video-calls, and if you are lucky, working from home. But today, I will focus more on psychology and behavior than on the role of technology.

In my community, we are on lockdown. Students now meet with me online instead of in a classroom. My walking across campus, hallway banter with colleagues, and lunch breaks with coworkers, are all gone. Instead, I view hand-washing videos and people singing together from distant locations. I'm feeling a bit of technology-assisted information overload, as now my office is in my home and I feel as if I can’t get away from the office.

Given this inevitable stress we’re all going through, I’ve employed a mental app called “App PAS: Positive Asset Search.” My book – Password for Your Mind – presents a "mental app” as a thought you can trigger anytime you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or blue. App PAS is a way of thinking about a “silver lining” as it directs us to look for the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.

One positive observation is that I don’t burn gas commuting through frustrating traffic anymore. Since my wife and I are both stuck at home, we can now enjoy lunch breaks together. We typically work apart, so this is a big plus for us. We also take midday walks to get some movement and sunshine. This won’t last forever, but for a short while during our stay-at-home orders, it’s a vacation-like pleasure we enjoy. That’s definitely a positive asset for us.

Another change is that we both used to do more “stuff” after work. Errands, meetings, clients, friends — all meant after hours visits and phone calls. But in our new reality, events have been postponed or even cancelled. Our weekend volunteering, retail shopping, recreation, and home improvement projects are all on hold. Another benefit is doing new things with all this extra time. We’re tackling tasks we’ve been putting off; organizing, decluttering, and spring cleaning. Might as well put this mandated at-home time to good use. Having no more excuses is a positive for a procrastinator like me.

More positive can be found by helping others. Of course, you must focus on your own health and well-being first. But if you are lucky enough to have resources to help others, now is the time to do so. There are ways to leverage technology to express your generosity and altruism.

Here are a few apps to get you started:

• Volunteer.gov lists volunteer opportunities and organizations in every state.
• GiveGab connects you with more than 400,000 nonprofits based on your interests.
• Good Sam is an emergency alert and dispatching platform networking communities of professional and trained first responders. Think of ride-hailing apps like Uber or Lyft but used to coordinate good Samaritans.

These are just a few. Research and find other volunteer opportunities that support your causes. From online chats for lonely elders, to pro-bono counseling and tutoring, there are countless ways to make a difference from the safety of your home.

Some temporary social distancing is needed to remain safe these days. These drastic changes in our behavior and whereabouts will eventually diminish. The risk is that we become too emotionally distant or antisocial because of our physical distancing.

App PAS can be the antidote to some of the negative feelings that arise from our forced separation. The key to mental survival in this new reality may be in launching your own App PAS to search for the positive assets and opportunities that make up your silver lining.

Next time: Disconnecting the remote workplace.