Early on in the COVID-19 shutdown, I participated in the COVID Research Team, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University study. The initial in-depth survey covered many different aspects of how I handle life events that predated COVID-19’s initial impact. A month later, another survey appeared in my email for me to relate the continuing impact of the virus on my life. This follow-up delved into changes in my personal behavioral patterns, variations in our economic status, and even differences in how much I thought about the virus as it rolled through our country. Another survey appeared at the three month mark and asked very fine-tuned questions about more specific aspects of my life and family as we continue on this uncharted path.
The
researchers probe various qualities on how I process problems and manage the
different world in which we all now live. The psychologist that I am, I
appreciate the multileveled purity of each questionnaire. When I participate in
each response, I take my time. Usually able to block out music or television in
the background, these surveys require focused attention to each weighed
response. I want my answers to be accurate and true to honestly represent my
experiences with COVID-19 as it impacts my life and the lives of family and
friends.
Taking
part in this study reminded me of the importance of critical thinking. For some
of us, being able to assimilate and accommodate information comes naturally.
Back in early January, my curiosity led me to reading about SARS-CoV-2 in
several journals. I began tracking the virus using data provided by different
sites and finally began using www.worldometers.com for daily information. I
understood early on that COVID-19 would develop into a nightmare because it’s
easily transmitted, infects many asymptomatically, and has a mild or moderate
impact on most of its hosts. That type of virus lulls people into falsely
believing it is “no big deal” when in reality (because it’s so easily
transmitted from person-to-person), it will do exactly as nature designed it to
do. During the past nine months, I’ve continued to hunt down peer reviewed
research to enable me to make educated decisions about our daily life.
Some
of those choices will have long-term impacts. I quit my part-time job as a
substitute teacher. Returning into a classroom doesn’t make sense. If I
contracted COVID-19, I could end up seriously ill and possibly hospitalized,
which would result in enormous bills from employment with a job that pays
$12.50 an hour! I will NEVER go anywhere without wearing a mask until there’s a
vaccine in place. Because we have a “designated shopper” for groceries, I
haven’t entered a store since March. At first there wasn’t data on how long
COVID-19 remained on surfaces. I disinfected everything that came into the
house: groceries, take-out containers, mail, shoes. More data has allowed me to
shift to a more relaxed approach. I no longer drown our mail with Lysol spray!
I don’t feel anxious. I don’t battle depression. Instead, I have confidence
that science will do what it does best. My choices over the next year to
eighteen months will come from gathering information provided through reliable
research.
In the meantime, I await the next installment of the survey on how COVID-19 has touched my life. I can report that twelve of my in-laws (who don’t follow science) have been infected. I can state that my husband’s department will work remotely even after the pandemic (amazing how some companies are finding that option really can work), and I can state with confidence that for me, knowledge is power.
Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
No comments:
Post a Comment