The global COVID-19 pandemic has inevitably transformed the way safety is prioritized. We are living in a time when the natural environment is a threat. And because of this global problem, several people have quickly learned to adapt to new challenges, ways of living and in the process, have developed a rare form of social-emotional resilience and aptitude. While this is true for several people, others have also struggled to cope. The drastic nature of the lockdowns, numerous life transitions and living in the unexpected for extended periods of time, are the reasons why.  

The pandemic unknowns can be daunting and a strain on the social-emotional needs of any individual. Living in the ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ state can lead to long term issues and that is why re-framing how we confront this pandemic is important. Overriding this edgy way of living can be effectively tackled.

We must first understand that people are built for connection and progression. Yet, at a time where this notion has been challenged through various bouts of isolation. All kinds of economic, social, and physical setbacks have led to prioritizing safety awareness. This indicates that there is an evident correlation between the individual and collective sense of security. Safety awareness is not only relevant for the current times when addressing the challenges of a global pandemic with vaccinations, but also essential for the day-to-day living of individuals and communities in the near-term, mid-term to long-term.

Safety in seasons of high anxiety caused by uncertainties, may require various layers of consideration. Developing a healthy lifestyle relevant to the times entails; acquiring and applying the skills, knowledge and attitudes that form a healthy identity. Today this involves normalizing the drudgery of constantly wearing a mask, social-distancing and washing (or sanitizing) hands while managing everything else. A healthy lifestyle requires intentionality when it comes to physical exertion and exercise. This could also mean managing emotions and striving to achieve both personal and collective goals. It could also allude to developing, establishing, and maintaining supportive relationships as well as physical systems, that enable responsible and vital decision making to ensure robust living.

There is an appreciation that is attained with finding internal personal stability. For many, this is through navigating the obstacles that the pandemic presented to their financial, physical and emotional health and then becoming aware of concrete solutions to these challenges. Anyone who takes initiative to deal and cope with the pressures of an unknown and ever-mutating virus, should be commended. Something else that is pivotal, or some may argue, foundational to actualizing safety is, acquiring a safety mechanism—at a personal or collective level—to provide peace of mind and comfort from other external threats. Thankfully, in Rwanda, this is not a major issue seeing as safety is constantly prioritized at both the national and community level.

The advantages of having physical systems of protection are numerous as these do indeed provide a significant level of assurance for at both homes and workplaces. Any opportunity to boost your capacity to remain safe, physically, financially, and emotionally should be readily perceived and seized. This helps to elevate your priorities as you determine what is valuable and has direct benefits to your life. This also implies that through limiting as many stressors as possible, does impact the severity or serenity of one’s peace of mind.  In fact, when people apply heightened prevention and response mechanisms in their life, they create a conducive environment to thrive and progress forward toward a future where the pandemic is reduced to a non-threat for both the individual and collective.