Dear MDECOE Community,
We have just past the sixth month mark in the pandemic, and this milestone is wearing heavily on many. The thought that we likely face at least another six months can be even more daunting. So how is this ongoing crisis affecting us, and what can we do to take care of ourselves? Tara Haelle, in the online periodical Elemental, has written an article called “Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted-It’s Why You Feel So Awful.” According to Haelle, “Surge capacity is a collection of adaptive systems — mental and physical — that humans draw on for short-term survival in acutely stressful situations, such as natural disasters.” Like a pandemic. And it seems that there is a limit to how much surge capacity we can sustain before it begins to take a heavy toll. Haelle shares her own real life experience about how she has been affected and why managing this time of “ambiguous loss often requires a bit of creativity.” So what are some creative ways to power on and be well during this time of “indefinite uncertainty?” One way is to “begin slowly building your resilience bank account.” To find out more, this is an article that you will want to read! Big thanks go to Kim Goldberg-Roth, Executive Director of Strength United, for sharing this enlightening article.
https://elemental.medium.com/your-surge-capacity-is-depleted-it-s-why-you-feel-awful-de285d542f4c
Please continue to look at our COE self-care website for other self-care resources for faculty, staff, and COE students at:
https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care/articles-information-self-care
How will you manage surge capacity depletion and build your resilience bank account?
Warmly,
Shari and Josh