Show compassion, balance mental and physical health, advise MSU health professionals

<p>Claudia Finkelstein is the Director of Wellness, Resilience and Vulnerable Populations. Jennifer Johnson is the C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health and Professor of OB/GYN, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine. And Julia Felton is Assistant Professor in the Division of Public Health and Pediatrics and Human Development. <br> <br> “It's a very different experience for many different people, depending on how their lives were before and during the pandemic,” Finkelstein says. “There's a pervasive sense of grief and transition from normal. Your life may be more or less tranquil, but it is certainly different than it was before all of this hit. For many of us, transition, even when we choose it, is very anxiety provoking. And this enormous transition is not voluntary.”<br> <br> “What Claudia mentioned about the uncertainty is really crucial here,” Felton adds. “One thing that we know is that uncertainty is not a comfortable place for any human to be. We like to know what's going to happen, just like little kids like routines. And we like to have our planners as adults. Human beings like to know what's going to happen next. And one of the things that we can do right now is to develop a tolerance for uncertainty, but it's really hard. And it goes counter to a lot of the things that human nature breeds for us. So that's been, I think, one of the biggest stumbling blocks, is we just don't know how this is going to resolve and how even tomorrow is going to look.”<br> <br> “This is genuinely difficult.” Johnson says. “Some people are grieving. Some people are worried about family members who are sick or others who won't stay home. Some are inside with very little children in small spaces. Some are worried about their money and their jobs. Some communities are affected more than others, but it's just really important to acknowledge that yes, it is stressful. And there are also things we can do to help take care of ourselves mentally, emotionally, and physically.”<br> <br> What would the panel like us to be