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