Everyone is trying to come to terms with the fact that life as we know it is changing fast and it is changing on a daily basis. New information is coming out about COVID-19 all the time and nobody really knows what the near future is going to look like. This comes with uncertainty and fear as we are seeing all around us. It is undeniable that the impact of this virus will be felt by everyone. As human beings when we experience a real threat or we perceive something as a threat we go into a flight fright or freeze response. This response was designed for our survival to keep us safe when we lived in the wild a long time ago. We still have this automatic response even though we do not have to hide from wild animals any longer.
When I work with people that are in a conflict situation it is my job as a mediator to create a safe environment for people to have conversations in, so people do not go into a flight, fright or freeze response and are able to make good decisions. The reasons I do that is because when we are in our flight, fright or freeze response our brain is not operating at its normal capacity and we are not able to make the best decisions. The threat of the coronavirus is probably causing a similar response in many people and we see that play out at the moment with supermarket shelves being empty and people getting into fights at the supermarket over buying toilet paper.Â
The situation as it is is stressful enough and people getting into conflict is only going to add to the stress of this situation. Plus now is the time to connect and have good communication so we can solve problems as they come up and adapt to our changing environment. So how can we deal with this situation best and avoid conflict, communicate better and not make decisions you might regret later?
Lisanne Iriks
Conflict Resolution & Mediation Specialist
If you are interested in any of Lisanne’s workshops or reading about her background, please visit this link.