MODLUE 6:

ADAPTING TO THE CHALLENGES AND UNCERTAINTIES IN

THE NEW NORMAL AND BEYOND

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the module, you are expected to:

 Manage stress and emotions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic;

 Know the steps you can take if you find technology is getting in the way of you feeling
and living your best;
 Build and maintain resilience during a pandemic; and
 Remain positive.

“On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes

from having navigated through it.
Raise your sail and begin.”
― Gregory S. Williams

BRAVING THE NEW NORMAL:

EMBRACING REALITIES, CARING FOR WELL-BEING

As we stand together in this unprecedented moment in time, it is inevitable to feel a

certain level of stress and anxiety. Being aware of how we are responding and practicing
different ways to care for ourselves will boost our resilience.

We have to embrace realities, care for our well-being. Looking back six months ago, everything
was different. Are we already used to online activities? How is our personal battery? Are we
empty? Are we still full? Are we recharging? We have these uncertainties, difficulties challenges
facing us during the COVID-19 pandemic. Who are we these days?

According to medical experts, it is normal to feel anxious during a crisis. You are not alone.
Learn more about mental health practices. It’s okay not to be okay. Your mental health is as
important as your physical health. Continue maintaining positivity and building resilience amid
the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Pope Francis, “Certain realities of life, we only see through eyes cleansed by our
tears.”

 Online education is a new frontier for us in the Philippines. We do not know how much
longer we will be in quarantine because of COVID-19.

 Technology is very essential especially during these days because it enables us to

connect with each other and be of service to others, regardless of the current situations.

 But life goes on and there are some things, such as education, that cannot be delayed.
We have to move on.
Life Realities (P.O.G.I)

 POSITIVITY – thinking in an optimistic way, looking for solutions, expecting good results
and success, and focusing and making life happier. It is a happy and worry-free state of
mind, which looks at the bright side of life.

Positivity means a positive frame of mind:

o With this frame of mind, you do not take things too personally.
o You enjoy the present moment.
o You do not worry about the future.
o You focus on doing and achieving, not thinking about the past and about
difficulties.
o It is a state of being happy, tolerant, and good-natured

The mind of such a person chooses to think in terms of “I can,” “It is possible,” “I am
doing my best to improve myself and my life.”

Whatever your present reality is, stick to positivity and keep expecting the best to
happen.

Avoid TOXIC POSITIVITY:

o Avoid ignoring or stuffing your emotions. Acknowledge how you feel and feel all
your emotions, good or bad. Avoiding how you feel will only prolong the
discomfort.
o Listen to and validate how others feel – even when it’s different from how you
feel. Acknowledge that others may not cope with things the same way you do.
Everyone’s entitled to their own feelings. Don’t shame another person for his/her
emotions.
o Remember that feelings aren’t mutually exclusive. You can be sad about losing
someone or something during the pandemic and be hopeful about finding
something/somebody new in the future.
o Be realistic. It you want to feel something productive, start with small actionable
steps. During times of emotional stress, do not engage in brand new tasks that
you think will make you feel better.
o Recognize and avoid toxic positivity messages. Usually they are overly simple
“positive vibes” only. Choose happiness, etc. Remember, what makes positivity
toxic is that it dismisses other genuine emotions.

The emotions associated with positivity are joy, love, and inspiration. A person
possessing this state of mind chooses constructive and good feelings and emotions; and
tries to avoid the negative and unhappy feelings. This might not be easy at first, but with
a little training, it becomes possible.

The thoughts associated with positivity are those of courage, self-esteem, certainty, and
success.

 OPTIMISM
 Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an
optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Research shows that, on average,
human beings are hardwired to be more optimistic than not. How do we face challenges
in our lives in these pandemic days?

To many psychologists, optimism reflects the belief that the outcomes of events or
experiences will, generally, be positive. Others contend that optimism is more an
explanatory style: it resides in the way people explain the causes of events. Optimists
are likely to see the causes of failure or negative experiences as temporary rather than
permanent, specific rather than global, and external rather than internal. Such
perspective enables optimists to more easily see the possibility of change.

What does it mean to be optimistic?

Optimism doesn’t mean engaging in wishful or fantastic thinking. It’s a way of looking at
the world that gives more opportunities to the optimist as being, at least, partly
responsible when life is going well. Optimists have healthier outlooks and tend to live
longer than their more pessimistic counter-parts; they also are less susceptible to the
negative effects of illness, fatigue, and depression. However, an unrealistic belief that a
person’s future will be full of only positive events can lead them to take unnecessary
risks, particularly with their health and finances.

What are the benefits of being optimistic?

People who are more optimistic have better pain management, improved immune and
cardiovascular function, and greater physical functioning. Optimism helps buffer the
negative effects of physical illness and is associated with better health outcomes, in
general. Optimists tend to look for meaning in adversity, which can make them more
resilient.

 GRIT is passion and perseverance for long-term and meaningful goals. It is the ability to
persist in something that you feel passionate about and persevere when you face
obstacles. This kind of passion is not about intense emotions or infatuation. It’s about
having direction and commitment. With this kind of passion, you can stay committed to a
task that may be difficult or boring.

Grit is also about perseverance. To persevere means to stick with it; to continue working
hard even after experiencing difficulty or failure.

Studies show that grit isn’t something you have to be born with – it can be taught and
learned. Without grit, talent may be nothing more than unmet potential. Grit is important
because it is a driver of achievement and success, independent of and beyond what
talent and intelligence contribute.

 INFLUENCE
 Factors That Influence Well-being

Every aspect of your life influences you state of well-being. Researchers investigating
happiness had found that the following factors enhance a person’s well-being:

1. Happy relationships with people around him/her

2. Enjoyable and fulfilling life
3. Regular exercise
4. Enough sleep
5. Fun hobbies and leisure pursuits
6. Optimistic outlook
7. Sense of purpose and meaning
8. The ability to adapt to change
9. Network of close friends
10. Financial capability
11. Nutritional diet
12. Religion or spiritual beliefs
13. Healthy self-esteem
14. Realistic and achievable goals
15. A sense of belonging
16. Living in a fair and democratic society

As teachers, it’s heartbreaking for us that you won’t be able to experience the things that you
have anticipated for the entire year. What breaks your hearts breaks ours also. We all feel
helpless because we feel like we can’t do anything to help at this point.

Let us strengthen our resiliency in dealing with the “normal stresses” of life. Resiliency in the
normal stresses of life is a characteristic of mental well-being.

A lot of people may think that we are doing well and having the best days of our lives because
of the work-from-home setup. But we also have our own fears and anxieties because we also
have roles and responsibilities.

Coping Strategies and Behavior during the Pandemic:

1. Be realistic – know yourself.

2. Be purveyors of truth – no fake news.
3. Learn to love yourself – be kind to yourself.
4. Lead with kindness. Consider the following acts of kindness, online and offline:

 Compliment someone. This could include sharing a note of gratitude with a friend or

praising someone’s social media content. It costs nothing, and can make all of the
difference in someone’s day.
 Let someone know that they are appreciated. Now, more than ever, we may
benefit from being reminded that we matter (and why).
 Reach out to someone who you haven’t spoken to in a while, just to see how they
are doing and to let them know that you are there for them if needed. Technology has
made this easy, and has unified many in just a span of a few weeks. There is no
better time than now to reach out.
 5. Be an inspiration to people – learn to appreciate frontliners.
6. Live life each moment, each day, and enjoy.
7. Learn to live with others – family, community, society.
8. Be connected, spiritually. What is the message of the Supreme Being in these times of
uncertainties?

TECHNOLOGY AND WELL-BEING

Have you found yourself on your phone, scrolling instead of sleeping? Spending hours on your
computer instead of going outside? Or simply finding that social media posts leave you feeling
worse about yourself?

Technology is necessary for school, work and social interactions, but it's also had a paradoxical
effect on people's well-being.

It has enabled greater and easier communication than ever before, while simultaneously
creating a sense of isolation, disconnection and discontent. 

Life with Technology

 Significant increased use of technology

 Rapid technological changes; digital transformation projects
 Transition to digital economy
 Internet connectivity issues
 Cybersecurity and data privacy concerns

How Technology Affects our Well-being

 Perpetual distraction
 Sleep disruption
 Work-life balance concerns
 Fear of missing out (F.O.M.O)
 Social comparison
 Digital presenteeism
 Response anxiety
 Zoom fatigue phenomenon

Overall, findings reveal that people think technology has a neutral or positive impact on their
well-being.

Following is a list of digital activities people engaged in and how they perceived such on their
well-being:

NEGATIVE IMPACT POSITIVE IMPACT

1. Checking phone notifications
2. Passively scrolling through social
media
3. Looking at content before sleep
4. Using search engines
5. Messaging others
11. Reading news, magazines, or about
sports
12. Listening to music or audio
13. Streaming TV shows or movies
14. Working in documents
15. Playing games
 6. Communicating via calls or emails
7. Browsing or shopping online
8. Dual-screening
9. Using social media
10. Being on devices during conversations
16. Setting tasks or organizing
17. Video calling others
18. Taking or editing photos/videos
19. Reading books
20. Using health, fitness, or well-being
tools
21. Learning on educational apps or sites

Practicing Digital Wellness While Social Distancing

As social distancing measures continue to increase in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we

have become more reliant on technology than ever before. And technological advances have
brought incredible benefits during this time including: the ability to stay closely connected to
loved ones, the ability to provide education virtually, the ability for businesses to maintain their
workforce by moving to remote employment, and the ability to watch inspiring videos from all
over the world that remind us that there is hope amidst the hardship.

With increased time spent online and interactions via social platforms becoming even more the
norm than usual, we must prioritize our digital wellness. Digital wellness, in this context,
includes both the proactive measures we take to keep ourselves healthy and balanced, as well
as those we take to keep ourselves safe online. Technology, especially in the “COVID world,” is
a double edged sword – we rely on it to stay connected to the world around us, but it can also
lead to anxiety, stress, and exposure to online scams, harassment, and inaccurate information.

MANAGING STRESS IN THE VIRTUAL LANDSCAPE

Spending several hours in school is now a thing of the past. The COVID-19 pandemic has
shifted the academic learning landscape, with all the schools/colleges/universities moving
towards remote learning. Such virtual learning has many benefits for students, such as
reduction of expenses in a face-to-face learning setup! However, the impacts of COVID-19 —
from health scares to uncertain or difficult, worst is the non-availability of internet connections —
combined with a classroom location (a.k.a. the living room, dining room, bedroom, etc.!) has left
many learners feeling more stressed than ever before.

While the benefits of online learning are many, there are challenges that come with it too.
Learning from home might seem like a dream come true! No rush-hour commute, lunch straight
from the fridge, and more flexibility and freedom are all big benefits of having classes remotely.
But there are challenges that come with the perks. Some common problems that cause stress
for online learning are:

 No social interaction – When you’re studying from home, you might go an entire day
without seeing another person! This can lead to isolation, loneliness, and not feeling
emotionally supported. When you don’t feel connected to one another, it can leave you
feeling like you have no one to turn to.
 Studying longer hours – Sometimes studying from home can feel like you’re living at
school. If you are in different time zones it can result in feeling like you always have to
be on. When there isn’t the boundary of arriving to and leaving the school, it can be easy
to do school work extra hours. All these mean that you are taking less time away from
school work, and that’s not actually beneficial for your productivity (not to mention your
happiness!).
  Work/life balance – When school work and home life merge together for online
learning, it can be hard to separate the two. Having a classroom at home can mean that
you study when you should play, and the other way around. This lack of boundaries can
lead to added stress when attending online classes.

In managing stress in the virtual landscape, the following must be considered:

1. Improve self-awareness
2. Acknowledge your feelings
3. Maintain a healthy life style, get enough sleep, exercise, eat well
4. Establish a routine, get organized
5. Make time to unwind
6. Practice mindfulness
7. Connect with others, stay social
8. Encourage work boundaries
9. Manage screen time, manage your time wisely
10. Limit media consumption
11. “Unplug” or take a “digital detox” periodically

It is easy to fixate on events outside of our control. Instead of focusing on what

we cannot do, ask yourself what you can do during these uncertain times to build
individual and collective well-being. When you start noting feelings of stress, ask yourself,
“What can I control in this situation?” The truth is that we can only control what we think,
say and do, and how we respond to events outside of ourselves. Accept what you cannot
control and thus stop wasting energy on the unnecessary. Focus your energy and effort
into what you can directly control.  

Related Concepts:

 Resilience:
o Isn’t a single skill but a variety of skills
o It’s a coping mechanism to jump on your feet and get back again
o Is developing social, academic, and vocational competencies if exposed to
extreme stress
o Level of resilience changes according to situation
 Stress is the perception that the problem or challenge is greater than the resources
you have for coping and dealing with it.