Putting COVID-19 into perspective.
Like many, we at RJVN8 have been watching the news, daily updates and doing our research about Coronavirus. We continue to listen to the advice given by the government and fully appreciate how this is affecting our lives and daily activities. Each one of us is unique and we will all face this challenge in our own way. Due to our uniqueness we will have different views, opinions and ways on how to support ourselves, our families and loved ones. At this challenging and unpredictable time, we can find additional difficulty in living in uncertainty, creating worrying thinking, and an un-serving mindset. For some, isolation is proving too hard and we're struggling to speak up. While our frontline workers battle to save lives every day, the rest of us stay at home to stop the spread. For many, lockdown is threatening our well-being. As we worry about our physical health, we all face a real threat to our mental health. A mental health epidemic is exploding alongside the outbreak as people are waiting too long to reach out for help. Some of us have lost loved ones, some of us have lost jobs, income, routine and purpose. Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK, and claims the lives of 126 men, women and young people every week. This is only rising under the pressure of Covid-19.
The Media, in balancing the black and white reality of the situation with rare glimpses of positivity too often draws upon a divisive, fear driven narrative. Although there are clear exceptions, take for example the story of Captain Tom Moore's birthday walk for the NHS which raised a jaw dropping 31 million for the health service. Just the other day Captain Tom received 125,000 birthday cards to be opened by volunteers. A chart topping number 1 single followed making Tom the most senior artist to achieve the top spot accolade. However it is fair to say that the balance of negative coverage far outweighs the positive media rhetoric, with the occasional breath of fresh air to provide some respite. The story of Captain Tom proves that in times of crisis there is light to be seen in the most selfless acts.
At RJVN8 we would like to address the importance of perspective in times of crisis with the mainstream media flooded with stories of division and disillusionment. Waking up every day to negative media and press coverage on Coronavirus can take its toll on our mental health and contribute to feelings of a state of hopelessness and anxiety. To take one example we can look to the misfortune of Virgin Atlantic. There are articles and petitions suggesting that Sir Richard Branson should be held accountable for the company's recent demise with calls for him to bail out the company. Irrespective of our personal views on Virgin Atlantic, waking up every day to more articles saying Branson deserves to lose the business and does not deserve government support raises questions on the impact of the media's divisive narrative and its effect on the mental health of the general public. By focusing on the actions and behaviours of wealthy business owners and apportioning responsibility instead of considering the impact on the lives of 13,000 employees, employees who have paid tax, contributed to the welfare state, have families to support and mouths to feed, the question arises of whether there should be a shift in perspective. Perhaps if those calling for the collapse of large corporations had family members employed by Virgin Atlantic and other organisations in the same predicament they might feel differently. Should we be encouraging cutting support at this crucial time to employees whose livelihood depends on forces outside their reasonable control?
The aviation industry like many others is in dire straits with zero investment, high operational costs and no guarantee of a structured plan to return to business with social distancing policies likely to affect profitability for the foreseeable future. Regardless of our individual stance on Branson's responsibility, social consciousness and economic rationale should surely dictate a moral obligation to support the mental and physical wellbeing of those employees suffering from the uncertainty of economic crisis providing emergency loan support where possible enabling struggling airlines to continue to run with all funds to be paid back with interest when operations continue. Our thoughts and actions should be in solidarity with the thousands of employees and the social and economic impact if they are to become unemployed rather than simply being furloughed.
In this difficult social and economic time for industry we believe there should be a positive, proactive social and economic stance which safeguards business and social stability, promoting a shift in perspective, showing empathy to employees, rather than fueling the media's negative and divisive narrative.
On a more positive note, Coronavirus seems to have transformed the way in which people communicate. There is more warmth, informality and an attitude of 'how are we going to sort this?', rather than 'the problem with that is...?' We should relish this new can-do world, promoting solutions, support and sustainability to counter fear and anxiety in this era of uncertainty.
If you have recently been furloughed, made redundant, feeling anxious about your current position or know somebody who may need support we have a solution. Self-isolation isn't the only way we can save lives from our homes. We can talk, we can help to signpost you to the services you need and we can help save lives.
Call our consultants today: 02039 504 259 Or email us at hello@rjvn8.co.uk
