COVID-19 Statement and Resources
Greetings in the grace and peace to you all in this difficult time!
COVID-19 brought overwhelming crisis, confusion and frustration globally. Let’s keep praying and supporting one another with the limited connectivity meanwhile we need more of resilient human connection than ever before ironically.
I don’t know why but I find myself busier with this social distancing season in the middle of online transitioning and the flood of information via emails, texts and social media. I have been with online communication for decades as a campus minister, connecting with graduates who scattered to the world. However, when everybody depends on this connection channel only, I see myself more overwhelmed and feeling lost quite often.
I had many things to share but suddenly I feel I don’t have anything to say or too numb to talk. Regardless, I will share here whatever I can. I guess my email might not arrive in many recipients’ mailboxes as I have too many links and/or too long. Too dangerous to receive or simply recognized as spam.
Anyway, like all of you, I am surviving and working harder with the increase of huge demand and needs in the community. I am here to cheer to you, encourage you and pray for you with my sincere love, care and respect. Please let me know if you have any prayer request that I can pray for you or any need that I can help or support.
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
Crisis brings danger but also opportunity. We need to work urgently to fight against the virus pandemic. But also we need to use this social distancing season as an opportunity to focus and re-value ultimately important things in our life: identity (who I am, where I belong), purpose of life, family or significant others. This is time we can re-connect and build constructive and caring relationships, overcoming past conflict and trauma but establishing safe, transparent and resilient connectivity that will continue after this pandemic emergency passes.
We train people to ask, “What happened to you?” rather than asking, “What’s wrong with you?” in trauma-informed care. Honestly, it’s quite easier to ask “What’s wrong with you?” or “Why did you do that?” to those who are very close in our life such as, spouse, our own kids, other significant others. We now have an opportunity to practice the training knowledge with those who are close and living together so trauma-informed care will be our lifestyle at home as well as the modality of serving in the community.
WINDOW OF TOLERANCE
In trauma-informed care, the window of tolerance is the zone between one’s being hyperarousal (over-responsive) and being hypoarousal (under-responsive) so s/he can function effectively with the proper recognition of thoughts and feelings. This pandemic emergency may shift each person’s level of the window of tolerance.
Based on the past history of traumatic or toxic stress, the level can be dramatically shifted each day with the magnitude of stress and/or suffering in this difficult time. It is important to get aware of one’s window of tolerance and its changes, responding with appropriate self-care. It is also important to share that with others courageously so we can build resilient connectivity together.
I am grateful for my last three years’ trauma recovery process. However, having family in South Korea as well as here in States, COVID-19 has been a huge stressor to me since January and I sense my window of tolerance is narrowed. Now I am easily getting anxious and hyper-vigilant if the amount of information from electronic communications is too big to digest thoroughly. Now the amount of all telecommunication tripled. I am safe and well so no worries. But I might spend more time of calming, centering and self-care so I do apologize if I am to be less responsive to your telecommunications in the coming days.
RESOURCES
National/ Federal Government: https://www.coronavirus.gov/
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
State of Arizona
Phoenix COVID-19 Resource Connection: Facebook Group
ITRC's statement about the pandemic: Download PDF
American Bible Society: Beyond Disaster: A Survivor's Guide for Spiritual First Aid
Trauma Healing Institute
Parenting Guide Download Word Doc
THI Healing from the Distress of the COVID-19 Crisis: Download Word Doc