Defeating the Enemy
Greetings everyone!
Of course, we’re still in the midst of our shared problem with a microscopic bug that looks something like a poorly created floral display.
Very little I have to say will be new. However, the reactions to what we’re seeing is, in many cases, taking on frightening proportions for many of us. People I’ve known for years…strong, forceful and confident people, are beginning to succumb to the fear surrounding this disease. This does not, in any way, indicate weakness. It goes a long way to demonstrating their humanity. And some of it is certainly deserved.
You may find this difficult to believe, but we, as human beings, are designed to be afraid. We have built-in mechanisms to work our way through fear. We have been given the ability to produce hormones needed to run from that which threatens us or to fight the same challenge. Sometimes we freeze in its presence. As a result, our senses oftentimes become finely tuned. Our strength increases and we are able to sustain injury and insult and come through the other side of the menace, scarred to some degree, but alive and stronger for it.
One of my earliest recollections of abject fear occurred in the 1950s (yes, there was a previous century in which some of us lived). At the time, our world was undergoing something we lovingly referred to as the “Cold War”. Every day we were assailed with the potential of a nuclear bomb dropping on our communities.
In grammar school (that’s what we called it) we practiced hiding under our desks. We waited for the alarms to sound knowing that a thin piece of wood and some decorative metal would save us. That’s what teacher told us anyway.
Before passing into fitful sleep each night I had to be reassured by my dad that our family would be ok. I cried myself to sleep almost every night. I knew we were going to die in a giant ball of nuclear-fueled flame. We seem to have a need to label everything and at the time, behavioral scientists gave my fear a name…“Nuclear Neurosis”.
I wonder what we’ll call this…“COVID Crazy”? Apologies. A poor attempt at humor.
Well, the bombs never dropped, the Cold War was replaced by real wars and we continue to worry about everything.
One of the problems here is that our bodies produce substances that, while designed to assist us in difficult times, can injure us in the long run. Epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol, both needed for survival can have a long-lasting effect in the guise of interfering with our immune systems.
One of the best things anyone can do to counteract such issues is laugh. Yes, you read that correctly.
Think about it…
In the short-term laughter lightens our mood. It also stimulates different organ systems. We breath in more oxygen, our hearts (a strong muscle) are exercised, and endorphins are secreted. Laughter can also stimulate and subsequently relax our stress-responses. Oftentimes, the result is a feeling of relaxation. A hearty guffaw may stimulate circulation and aid our muscles in relaxing.
In the long-term, our immune systems benefit. Being positive releases substances that in turn, help combat stress. The negative effects on our immune systems I mentioned before are toned down.
Laughter can decrease pain by facilitating the release of natural painkillers. Laughter may also make it easier for us to cope with difficult situations. (I’m reminded of the time when, as a trooper trainee, I was assigned to a Field Training Officer who had a strange way of reacting to stress…his face would break out into a broad smile. When he testified in court, often a very stressful situation, he would smile at the defense attorneys. It drove them crazy.)
Laughter can assist us in connecting with others. Ever start to laugh and notice people around you, who have no idea why you’re laughing, tend to join in? Try it!
Laughter can improve our overall mood. These can be depressing times. Instead of ruminating on the negative, give the positive a try. Laugh in the face of danger…maybe even accompany it with a hand sign (the Supreme Court of the United States has determined it’s ok to do so)…the gesture is completely up to you of course.
I have been around for a long time. I have seen a lot of the best that humanity has to offer…and the worst. I choose to believe in the former. I sincerely invite you to do so as well.
As always, we are all here. Every City department. We want to be here. If you need us, we’ll be there.
Be well and take care. We will defeat this enemy as we always do.
-Chief Goldstein