Stress and Resilience for Coronavirus

As the coronavirus crisis unfolds, the AMGA community faces unprecedented challenges. You, as AMGA members, and the guiding industry face personal loss, a disappearing livelihood, and huge lifestyle changes. The AMGA is focused on how we can work through this together, supporting our resilient and resourceful community.

This is Stressful

Much is now understood about the psychological impact of unexpected events, such as illness and natural disasters. There is clear consensus, both expert and in the literature, that one’s level of social connectedness will likely be the single most important determining factor in how an overwhelming or unexpected event affects both the individual and the community. What is unusual about a quarantine as it relates to other natural and man-made disaster events is the need for physical distancing and social isolation to contain the illness.

Make your own Resiliency Plan

Consider developing a resiliency plan for yourself, your family, and even your smaller communities. Pandemics are unusual in that they hit each person, family and community in different ways and at different times. Planning resiliency actually counters the feeling of helplessness and allows us to remind each other, that there are many things we can do to support ourselves and each other, thereby reducing the feeling of helpless so often at the core of the development of emotional trauma.

Consider building a plan for the next two weeks that has elements known to support and mitigate traumatic stress in real time. These elements include the principles of Psychological First Aid: Safety, Calm, Connection, Efficacy and Hope.