My father had a saying for times when we were unsure what to do and did not know what to expect in a given situation. We would just head into the situation, head on and depend on our common sense, abilities, and luck to complete the task or get where we wanted to go. We would fly by the seat of our pants. This came from the early aviation pioneers who had no navigation or communication
devices yet still got to their desired destination.
Since Covid hit I have seen a big change in life for everyone. No one knows what is fact or what is fiction. Here is a deadly virus. Deadlier then past viruses? We don't know. Able to be cured? We don't know. Able to be prevented? We don't know. Businesses have closed, activities ceased, and life was put on hold to prevent the spread. Some people isolated themselves at home and others attempted to live their normal life which was not possible. Either way, we were in limbo.
I don't know about you, but I do not function well and hate being in limbo and that is where my life has been for a year and a half. The government, businesses, and citizens out of work have been flying by the seat of their pants with no clear direction as to what is going to happen, what to expect, or when it is going to end.
Covid has been a traumatic experience for many people, so in spite of the shutdowns and the inability to meet with groups I have been flying by, and you guessed it, the seat of my pants. I have talked with dozens of people about trauma, and how to deal with it, and taken time to complete trauma debriefing courses. One of these people is my son, who is a smart kid. He was severely injured by an IED in Afghanistan. He was in three fire fights a day, for a year. Was almost blown up by rockets several times but survived. We were talking about PTSD, yes, we both have it and after Covid, many people have suffered trauma and PTSD for them is a result.
We discussed who has PTSD the worst? Him, me, or the housewife up the street? Our realization is, the result is all the same. We each have PTSD and no ones is better or worse then the others. All can be debilitating and deserve to be treated. The triggering events are much more dramatic in his case, and a little more dramatic in my case, but the results are all the same. PTSD is PTSD. Each person has a battle to overcome, in their attempt to get back to a normal life, although the new normal will never be the same as the old normal. This may be traumatic in and of itself because people are creatures of habit. Our old habits have been destroyed, but new ones created, and now we get to change it again. When is it going to end? Who knows.
How do we deal with the changes, again? For some time, I sat back and read, but, as evidenced by my lack of blogs during this time was not comfortable and got into habits of avoiding things. I was out of sorts and did not know what to do. Covid and our reaction to it led to cancelled presentations for me and a complete stop to my business so I went back to work at a hospital to cover things. Then I started back to martial arts, found some places to walk my dog, worked on my house with my wife, and did anything I could to keep busy and feel useful.
With the extra time, I did finish my book, Bridging the Gap; An Inside Look at Communication and Relationships After Traumatic Events. I talk about ways to deal with and work through stress and maintain communication and relationships after going through traumatic events.
The book is available in e book on September 7, 2021 and in bookstores on December 14, 2021 and is now available on Barnes and Noble and on Amazon for pre order.https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bridging-the-gap-glen-williams/1139072172?ean=9781631955686
Now, I am starting to teach again, promoting my book and getting back to what I call a normal life. Society is still flying by the seat of their pants right now, but I have spotted my destination again. As each of us work through the stress, strive to get back to our lives the stress will reduce and we will spot the destination in our lives. Let's work together to achieve this for all. One at a time we can reduce the stress and get back to normal. I challenge you to pick up this book, look through the ways to work through stress and get closer to your final destination so that you can land comfortably and safely.