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Coping During the Pandemic of 2020 in New York City

By Dessa Garnett Awadjie posted 10-22-2020 16:22

  

Coping During the Pandemic of 2020 in New York City

By Hildegarde Payne, RN, MA, CDCES, FADCES

Diabetes Care and Education Specialist

ADCES NYS CB Board Member

The Pandemic of the Century, it seems like a bad movie or a nightmare. I prayed for the day when the “stay at home” or quarantine order will be completely lifted. I was inundated with negative news, the high unemployment rate, and the economy, the state of the union, protest and political unrest.

I will remember, my life before the COVID-19 Pandemic and mourn lifestyle, freedoms, leisure activities, and interactions with friends, colleagues and family. I did the best I could to stay healthy and use the resources that I had to make life livable in the “new normal”. They were competing information and difficulty managing the unknown and planning for the future. Short term goal was to stay alive and virus free as well manage the daily stressors. I use daily prayer, healthy eating, taking medications, and monitoring, keeping active, problem solving and reducing risk. How blessed I felt as a diabetes care and education specialist that I have strategies in my tool box that worked not only for my patients but can be applied to my own self-care.

The long term goal was to endure the changes that were out of my control and hope for a future with less restrictions on daily living. What help me most was a daily gratitude journal? Sound familiar?

The medical community seems to know more now about the virus then six months ago. I am interested in novel treatment guidelines and a safe vaccine when it becomes available.

How are you doing in your local region or state? 

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Mary McLoughlin
01-21-2021 11:56

I am new to reading the blogs and just saw this today. Not much has changed since before the holidays when this was written and yet much has. We have a vaccine and a new president. We still have many challenges ahead in our day to day and the wisdom offered here continues to be valuable. Thank you for your thoughts.

Nancy Toleno
10-28-2020 12:40

Thank you, Hildegarde for these inspiring thoughts.  The daily gratitude journal especially resonated with me.  I have tried to create a habit of expressing more gratitude; the result has been that I have found more to be grateful for, even some of the changes that the pandemic has brought about!
I feel this will be even more critical in the coming 6 months as people weary and chafe under the restrictions in this pandemic.   Hang in there, everyone; we will get through this and adjust!

Yurcania Veras
10-27-2020 21:59

This is so true. I love how we as clinicians we can apply to our own lives the same guidance we give our patients and how as model of healthy living we too go through the struggles of the "new normal", we share our experiences and guide others through them. This is so important that we can empathize with our patients and demonstrate how we too are experiencing and managing these new level of anxieties. 
Yurcania Toribio, MSN,RN, CDECS

Vicki Bogard
10-23-2020 22:38

I've been working with persons living with serious mental illness as well as chronic metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes.  In mid-March, my workplace went remote.  In order to help my patients stay on track with their diet, medications and physical activity, I would text them daily.  For one patient, I created a medications schedule that worked around her work as a security guard which involved a variable schedule, including overnights.  Although we were physically separated, my patients and I established new connections.
Vicki Bogard MS RD CDN CDECS

Kathleen Hebdon
10-23-2020 07:39

You are correct- the 7 self-care behaviors can be applied to any of life  stressors. Your story is a great example of resilience. Thank-you for the reminder!

joanne greene
10-22-2020 19:28

This was a wonderful post Hildegarde and I think you really showed us how to put into practice what we teach our patients every day. I guess I can say, I lived too these past months using the AADE 7 tools too and thankfully have stayed very healthy too!!