What about when it is happening for everyone on the planet? When the whole of humanity is going through a challenging time like the current pandemic of COVID-19, how do people from diverse cultures and traditions respond? Often, we have difficulty in understanding whether it is stress, a panic attack, depression, trauma, sadness, loneliness, fear: we all know that we are suffering, in one way or another. The longer the lockdown continues, the mental and physical stress that we go through may increase its intensity. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic creates different reactions and consequences in the life of people in different ways because of the lockdowns, lack of medical help, death in the family because of the COVID-19, and sometimes more than one.

 Only one thing we who are alive yet can know: We must overcome, we must cope with the situation, we have to continue to live. This is not the end of the world. People have immense potential and resilience to bounce back after even worse catastrophes, and adversities happen. Everything depends on us. Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher said, “what does not kill you makes you stronger.” Psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls it “adversity hypothesis,” which means that people can reach personal fulfillment and self-actualization if they approach adversity, setbacks, and trauma in a positive way.

Right attitude to human suffering

One classic example could be taken from the ancient Roman world regarding the right attitude to suffering: the life of Anicius Boethius. He was born around 480 and received the best education in philosophy and public service. Boethius was wealthy, happily married, and at the peak of his power, when he was accused of treason towards the Ostrogothic King, stripped of his wealth and honor and thrown into prison. In prison, he could not accept his sudden misfortune. He wept and wrote poetry on weeping during his first few days in jail. Later, he realized the reality of life and wrote a famous book, “The Consolation of Philosophy, which is a dialogue between Boethius and Goodness of Philosophy. He says that “nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it.”

Job’s story in the Old Testament is beyond the description of human suffering. Job’s words of wisdom and trust in God, even amid suffering is praiseworthy. “We accept good things from God; should we not accept evil?” (Job, 2:10) holds the proper attitude we should all take when we confront adversities in life. St. Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, encourages the followers of Christ saying, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; full of doubts, we never despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor. 4: 8-9) These are words I would like to reiterate at this time of suffering because of COVID-19, that we are not torn apart beyond repair. There is nothing miserable unless we think it so.

From learned helplessness to learned optimism

If we look at the human condition today from the psychological perspective, many may be in a state of learned helplessness. Martin Seligman and Steven Maier coined the term learned helplessness in 1967 after researching animal behavior involving electric shock to dogs. Dogs who discovered they could not escape the shock stopped trying even when they could jump the barrier. In other words, dogs accepted their condition and stopped trying to avoid the shock. Human beings are not animals. We have immense potential to transform our world despite the hardships and adversities we go through. We may be feeling hopeless at this moment because of the COVID-19 and its aftermath leaving us with trauma and depression. Despite the difficulties, we can thrive and flourish if we have a mind willing to do it.

Martin Seligman suggested the concept of learned optimism against the theory of learned helplessness that we can change our attitude and behavior by recognizing and challenging our negativity. Learned optimism is very much a concept from positive psychology. It involves looking at the world from a positive point of view. People can learn to be positive and optimistic. At this moment of trauma and depression caused by a coronavirus in the entire world, we must develop a healthy, positive attitude to bounce back despite the adversities we experience. If we increase the positivity in our approach to the current situations, we can thrive and flourish, no matter what we are going through right now.

Adapting to the Changes

The physicist Stephen Hawking when asked in an interview with the New York Times how he was able to face the challenges of life and solve the problems of cosmology. He replied, “my expectations were reduced to zero when I was twenty-one. Everything since then has been a bonus.” Nobody would doubt the story of Stephen Hawking in adapting to the circumstances despite his physical disability caused by motor neuron disease. We are often afraid of the changes. We are accustomed to a particular way of life. Therefore, when there is a change, we give up without fighting the feeling of helplessness. We must learn to adapt to changing life situations. During this time of human crisis, we may have lost our loved ones, lost our jobs, our dreams may be scattered, and there is uncertainty in the world about what will become our life tomorrow. According to Jonathan Haidt, we are all struck by what he called the “hedonic treadmill.” In his theory of the adaptation principle, psychologist Haidt says that we are sometimes like people who use a treadmill. We may increase the speed but stay in the same place. Even if we accumulate all the riches of the world, we find ourselves in the same place without happiness because we are stuck in the treadmill of life. We must learn to adapt to changing life situations and face the challenges of life to thrive and flourish.

Post Traumatic Growth

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a familiar concept. The psychological damage caused by World War I, World War II, is unforgettable. Many countries have faced traumatic events like 9/11, earthquakes, tsunami, floods, and other natural calamities. Soldiers who return from the war zones face the most difficult challenges in their life. Now because of the COVID-19, we are facing a comparable situation. For many, the aftermath of coronavirus could be trauma, depression, stress. When Martin Seligman announced the concept of positive psychology in 1998, he suggested a new way to deal with trauma: turning trauma into growth – posttraumatic growth (PTG). He did a module for teaching soldiers consisting of five interactive elements: understand the response to trauma, anxiety reduction, constructive self-disclosure, creative trauma narrative, and life principles and stances that are more robust to challenge. (Flourish -Seligman).

According to the principles of Posttraumatic Growth, there are five ways to come out with unexpected things that happen in our life. The first step is to appreciate life. Life is the greatest gift that we have received. When civil authorities imposed restrictions on our movement in a free society, we thought it was to curtail our freedom. We who are alive now and those who lost their near ones can understand the relevance of restrictions imposed in a free society. When we learn to appreciate life, we know the value of everything in life. The second is to foster relationships with others: good and healthy relationships. The third principle is to bring meaning to the world. Adversities, if taken positively, give us a new perspective on life, change the way we see things, our approach matters. Fourth, personal strength: positive psychology identifies twenty-four-character strengths under six premises; wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Focusing on signature strengths and encouraging their usage brings about a change in life. Finally, spiritual transformation is brought about through our faith in a Power higher than we are. For most people belonging to a religion and following the principles taught by the founder gives meaning to life.

Coping Strategies

Gratitude: Martin Seligman, the co-founder of positive psychology, says gratitude can make life happier and more satisfying. According to him, thank you is said nowadays so casually and quickly that it is almost meaningless. So, he introduced the “Gratitude Visit” in his book Flourish: Writing down the gratitude we feel for a person, and visiting that person to read what we wrote. Observing the reactions of the person whom the letter was written makes the person who wrote the gratitude letter happier and less depressed. Writing a gratitude journal is another way of learning to be grateful for what we have in life. At this time of crisis, we have many people to be thankful to, such as medical professionals. However, above all, we have to be grateful to God (for example, the air we breathe free: the costliest thing now is oxygen) who keeps us alive even today when sadly, thousands of people have died as a result of Coronavirus. Gratitude opens our hearts. It is a pleasant experience of joy with heartfelt appreciation

Mindfulness: The only healthy practice that we can make it part of our life without side effects is meditation. All the side effects it has is positive: increased self-esteem, empathy, trust, improves memory, reduces stress and depression. It costs nothing. Mindfulness meditation gained its popularity in the West when Jon Kabat-Zinn introduced the Buddhist based mindfulness mediation in the 1980s. Various kinds of meditations exist today, such as mindfulness meditation (Buddhism – Jon Kabat-Zinn), loving-kindness (Jainism – Sharon Salzburg), Centering prayer (Trappist monks – Thomas Merton). All the meditation techniques concentrate on awareness: breathing, on a word, on an image. The purpose of meditation is to change one’s automatic thought process. The practice of meditation may not be as easy as it looks. However, during this time of lockdown, if we could sit silently for at least 15 minutes a day or while listening to soft music, it will help to reduce the anxiety and stress that we are experiencing at this time. Making meditation part of our life is the healthiest practice anyone can have in life.

Cognitive Therapy: The psychoanalytic perspective that said whatever happens in your life is because of your childhood events were changed to a new approach by Aaron Beck in the 1960s. Beck understood that depressed people are guided by false beliefs, which he called the “cognitive triad” of depression: “I am not good,” “My world is bleak,” and “My future is hopeless.” A depressed person fills his mind with these dysfunctional beliefs, especially when things go wrong. Cognitive Therapy teaches people to become more realistic and break the feedback loop and distorted thinking and find an alternative and more accurate way of thinking. At this time, when we think the world is shattered and our future looks hopeless, only positivity can help us to look to the future with hope. Therefore, it is essential to not just to keep our fingers crossed, but to look forward to a meaningful future. Let us not look forward to a back-to normal-life, but to a better life, a flourishing life. That is possible only by changing our thinking.

Expressive Writing: Social psychologist James Pennebaker in his research, found that writing about traumatic or upsetting experiences could affect people’s health and well-being. According to him, the nature of the writing process itself helps us to understand, to come to terms with, and make sense of our trauma. Writing about their traumatic experiences allows people to find meaning in life as writing involves the recording of our thoughts and allows us to unburden our minds of emotions, thoughts, and memories, to move past our troubles. Therefore, get a notebook today and start writing. You can get off your mind your unwanted negative thoughts that burden your mind.

Positive Relationships: Jane Dutton in his research found that high-quality connections are life-giving. When we foster dynamic relationships with friends, our spouse, romantic partner, or coworkers, it can bring about positive psychological changes in us. In essence, they recharge our energy and resonate within our bodies. Genuine relationships and engagement with others transform our life with positivity. During the threat of the coronavirus, our relationships may have improved. We started making connections: shared our worries and anxieties. Positive relations fosters positivity in life.

Faith and Hope: Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, studying the brain of people undergoing mystical experiences, mostly during meditation, found that the rear portion of the brain’s parietal lobes are responsible for such experience. Human beings can be spiritual without belonging to a traditional religion. Developing an ability to see the holiness in everything gives life a distinct perspective. A universal way to practice a religion is through prayer. Though there are many kinds of prayers, dedicated time for individual prayer can change a life. Some people make prayer a spontaneous act throughout the day that helps them to be non-judgmental and less depressive when things go wrong. Hopes comes to play when hopelessness invades our life. Deep within us, when there is a belief that things can change and will change, no matter what we are going through now, it helps us to be optimistic and not collapse into despair. With faith and hope, we can look to a better, flourishing future despite the adversities we go through.

To languish or to flourish in the face of the adversities in life is our choice. We can change our negativity and look forward to a flourishing future or suffer, lamenting over what is happening in and around the world. It is our choice.

Fr. Shijo Kanjirathamkunnel, C.M.
Southern Indian Province – Alaska Mission