TSMD April Newsletter - Hope in the Time of Coronavirus
April Greetings,
When once I’d have written expressing my wishes that you were happily celebrating spring alongside your loved ones, I now wish two things for you in this period of isolation—health and hope.
This is a time of incredible uncertainty. We don’t know exactly how all of this will play out. But here is what is certain:
People are good.
All over the world, the helpers are showing themselves. You are not alone.
This will end.
We don’t know when, but someday we will all gather together again with a joy that right now we cannot fathom.
The only way through this is together.
I will take care of you. You will take care of me.
April Spotlight: Healthcare Workers Everywhere
Artwork by Sara Paglia
Each month, it is my honor to highlight the work of Emergency Medicine physicians who are doing extraordinary work in their hospitals and communities.
This month, I want to express my gratitude for the healthcare professionals all over the globe who are demonstrating incredible courage, compassion, and selflessness.
While millions of people are sheltering in place, healthcare workers are caring for patients, often with woefully inadequate protective gear. If you feel grateful for healthcare workers and wish to express your gratitude, give them the greatest gift you can and stay home.
Around the Web
“DURING THE 1950S, New York’s Museum of Modern Art organized a famous photo exhibition called “The Family of Man.” In the wake of a world war, the show, chockablock with pictures of people, celebrated humanity’s cacophony, resilience, and common bond.
Today a different global calamity has made scarcity the necessary condition of humanity’s survival. Cafes along the Navigli in Milan hunker behind shutters along with the Milanese who used to sip aperos beside the canal. Times Square is a ghost town, as are the City of London and the Place de la Concorde in Paris during what used to be the morning rush.
The photographs here all tell a similar story: a temple in Indonesia; Haneda Airport in Tokyo; the Americana Diner in New Jersey. Emptiness proliferates like the virus.”
These 6 simple habits can help calm your coronavirus anxieties
Hembree suggests taking a moment to be thankful for something good that exists in your life now, such as family and friends. Keep a gratitude journal. Say “thank you” to anyone who offers you help during the day. Show your appreciation to someone with a simple smile in acknowledgment or with praise. And write a thank-you note or email if someone shows you acts of kindness.
“By practicing gratitude, we feel good about ourselves,” she says. “And, when we feel good, we are less stressed and our immune systems remain stronger.”
The Uplifting Stories Emerging From The Coronavirus Pandemic That We Need Right Now
“Out of the darkness of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have emerged some lighter, much-needed moments.
Videos of quarantined citizens worldwide paying tribute to medical workers, singing and playing music from balconies, getting married, hosting concerts for self-isolating neighbors and playing games across deserted streets have ― among many, many other incidents ― captured hearts worldwide.”
Let’s stay in touch
At this point in my newsletter, I usually share with you some of my upcoming speaking engagements or conferences I’ll be attending.
For the time being, I’ll be in the ED or at home.
But I would love to stay in touch. Let me know how you’re doing. If you’re a fellow healthcare worker, how are you keeping your spirits up? If you’re staying home, how are you staying in touch with friends and family?
Sending love and strength, my friends. We will get through this,
Tracy