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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2020)
8 Wednesday, April 1, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Commentary... Emotional survival tools for a pandemic By Mitchell Luftig Columnist According to Dr. Rick Hanson, our minds are like velcro for negative experi- ences and teflon for positive experiences. This started with our ancestors9 whose survival depended upon pay- ing close attention to the bad things going on around them (was that the snarl of a saber tooth tiger?), which created a <negativity bias= in the information their brains prioritized. As we hunker down in the face of the current pandemic our bias for negative infor- mation may cause us to be consumed with fears about the future: Will my family and friends remain healthy? Will I still have a job when this blows over? Will I be able to pay my bills? How are my children being affected? An effective tool for diminishing our anxiety about the future is to practice mindfulness. We can find a quiet place to sit and simply focus on our breath, going in and out, using our breath as an anchor to the present moment. When our thoughts turn towards fears about the future, we return our atten- tion to the breath and the present moment. We learn to be present to our immediate experience and as we do our fear diminishes. Now we see the joy that was hidden from us. We can also take steps to directly alter our negativ- ity bias. Dr. Hansen recom- mends that when you have a positive experience (you view a beautiful sunset, you witness a child9s smile, you complete an important project, someone treats you considerately) that you stay with the positive experience for 5, 10, or 15 seconds. Set a goal each day to actively look for beauty in your world, or signs of caring for you by others, or good quali- ties within yourself. Let the experience fill your body with positive sensations and emotions. Fully savor the experience. When we prac- tice this exercise we <rewire our brain= learning to priori- tize positive experiences. Our ancestors divided the world into those who were members of their clan who fell under their protection, those just like them, and <strangers= to be met with suspicion, sometimes with fear and violence. During the coronavirus pandemic we may be tempted to com- pete for critical supplies with <strangers= as we strip the shelves at Ray9s and Bi-Mart of critical supplies. A more adaptive response to the current pandemic is to use the experience to increase our compassion for those who face similar adversity. We can feel com- passion towards others who are also scared, anxious, and uncertain about their future. We can recognize that we are truly in this together, that the coronavirus does not discriminate based upon our national origin, our politi- cal affiliation, or our wealth or status in life. Everyone in Sisters Country faces the same risk of exposure, all of us have people we love who may be placed at risk if we don9t compassionately prac- tice social distancing, shel- tering in place, and use of appropriate hygiene. Living in a pandemic is stressful. Although we know that stress can contribute to health problems, there is evidence that the way we think about stress makes a significant difference in how it impacts us. When we per- ceive stress as a threat we are more likely to activate the brain9s fight or flight emergency system. Meant to respond to an immedi- ate threat, when our fight or flight system remains turned on over a prolonged period, it may sap our immune sys- tem, just when we need it the most to help us fight off the coronavirus. However, when we view stress as a challenge rather than as a threat, the brain9s fight or flight mechanism doesn9t remain activated and our immune systems con- tinue to operate effectively. So instead of viewing the coronavirus as a threat, we can view it as a challenge. We can challenge ourselves to seek out objective informa- tion about how best to protect ourselves, our families, and vulnerable populations from the coronavirus. We can chal- lenge ourselves to make wise financial decisions. We can challenge ourselves to build a stronger connection to our children, helping them build resilience that will enable them to bounce back from future stressful events and hardships. When we believe that 4 over time 4 our behavior makes a difference, we increase our optimism CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S NUGGET INSERT! Ray’s Food Place Boneless Beef Roast $4.99 per lb. Franz English Muffi ns $2.19, 6 ct. Tropicana Orange Juice about the future. One of the prime drivers of happiness is social con- nectedness. The coronavirus pandemic provides us with an invitation to reach out to our neighbors in Sisters Country, providing them with support and assistance, whether by offering to shop for someone at higher risk, watching neighbors9 children so that they can shop or work from home, or by ordering takeout to support our local businesses. Doing so, we deepen our connections to our neighbors and instead of living amongst strangers, we realize that we live amongst friends. Mitchell L. Luftig, Ph.D. is a semi-retired clinical psy- chologist living in Sisters, Oregon. He is the author of the Kindle book, Six Keys to Mastering Chronic Low- Grade Depression. You can visit his website at www.mast erchronicdepression.com Permit release delayed The Deschutes and the Willamette National Forests are postponing the ini- tial release of the Central Cascades Wilderness permits due to COVID-19 public health and safety measures and to avoid potential issues with reservations. Permits were originally planned to be released on April 7. <The uncertainties of COVID-19 are short and long term,= said Deschutes Forest Supervisor Holly Jewkes. <We continue to focus on the safety, health and well-being of our employees and the pub- lic at this time.= Updates will be provided in early May about the availabil- ity of permits and implemen- tation of the Central Cascades Wilderness permit system. The USFS currently does not know if it will be able to honor early summer reservations. THE NUGGET OFFICE IS CLOSED But we are working remotely to serve you! We, The Nugget Newspaper, take our responsibility as a leader in the community seriously, and we will continue to deliver accurate and verifi able information in a timely fashion through our newspaper, website, Facebook and other online resources as appropriate. Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief In an eff ort to help protect our staff and community from the spread of COVID-19, The Nugget offi ce is closed with staff working remotely, as possible. You can contact us by email or phone. A drop box is located to the right of the front door if you need to drop off payments or other printed items. $3.99, 52 oz. Tillamook Block Cheese, 8 oz. selected 2 for $6 Luxury Senior Assisted & Independent Living 541-549-5634 411 E. Carpenter Ln., Sisters www.Th eLodgeInSisters.com Fantastic Friday One Day Deal Whole Turkey Breast, 4-8 lb., Frozen 99 ¢ per lb. Office: 541-549-9941 News & Letters to the Editor: Jim Cornelius, editor@nuggetnews.com, 541-390-6973 Classifi eds, Subscriptions, Announcements: Lisa May, lisa@nuggetnews.com Display Advertising: Vicki Curlett, vicki@nuggetnews.com, 541-699-7530 Billing: Leith Easterling, accounting@nuggetnews.com Production: Jess Draper, jess@nuggetnews.com See NuggetNews.com or Facebook.com/NuggetNews for breaking news and COVID-19 updates