'While we are learning away from campus, members of our WAB Counseling Team are sharing a weekly message with our community. These messages may spotlight resources, offer advice, highlight information, or suggest strategies helpful to you and your family as we face the challenges associated with being away from school.

This week, the counselors explain secondary stress then suggest habits and behaviors to fend off its effects.

This is a challenging and highly stressful time for everyone in the WAB community, no matter where we are in the world. We are all trying our best to establish a new norm with setting up online learning, managing work-life balance, and caring for our family.  

Common Reactions 
It is normal for us to feel scared, confused, or anxious when we watch, read, or hear news about coronavirus. You may find yourself falling into the trap of constantly awaiting breaking news updates, tracking the number of coronavirus cases, or being hyper-alert with temperature checks and handwashing. This is true whether you are near or far from where the outbreak is taking place – even for those who are at little or no actual risk of getting sick.  

Secondary Stress 
As the COVID-19 outbreak brought additional stressors to our life, it is important to be aware of secondary stress, which is the emotional duress that comes from indirect exposure to difficult, disturbing, or traumatic images and stories of other peoples' suffering.  

We all react to and cope with stress differently, but repeated exposure to difficult content can negatively impact our functioning and overall health. Secondary stress can be experienced by anyone in all stages of life. If, as adults, we are stressed out by what we see and hear, our children can adopt and reflect our stress level as well.

Here are some tips to mitigate these negative effects: 

• Self-reflection: Take a moment to “check in” with yourself and your children each day. Notice any changes in mood, behavior, and emotion. Ask yourself if it may be related to the news and social media. Being aware of secondary stress is a sign of emotional maturity and strength.
• Be critical of media sources: WAB compiles reliable news from trustworthy sources on COVID-19 in our Parent Portal Coronavirus page. When talking to children about the news, put the threat/risk in perspective. Focus on safety measures that are in place to protect them.
• Talk it out: Life is very hard right now, and all of us could use some support in this challenging time. A conversation with a counselor, colleague, or friends is an opportunity to share and process your experience with someone you trust who can understand, give support, and offer their perspective.
• Self-care: We cannot stress enough the importance of self-care. Make sure you are getting enough of whatever helps you replenish your mental energy: ample sleep, regular exercise, nutritious food, mediation, prayer, reading time, playing games, or whatever it is for you.
• Relaxation strategies: If you find yourself having difficulty sleeping at night or experiencing moments of panic during the day, here are some simple deep breathing exercises, grounding activities, and muscle relaxation routines to try. 

If you want to know more about coping with uncertainty and re-establishing control during coronavirus outbreak, check out this webinar in English and Mandarin. 

As we navigate through this challenging time together, let’s focus on our holistic health and maintain a positive mindset.

If you find that you or your child are experiencing significant changes in sleeping, eating, or personal care routines due to secondary stress, please reach out to our counseling team for further stress management strategies. We are here to help.