In my role of helping staff within the University of Iowa Emergency Department’s psychiatry team and providing 45 well-being first aid workshops to more than 2,000 clinicians across Iowa, I have a unique perspective into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on society.

Experiencing, witnessing, and instigating incivility and bullying behaviors can have long-lasting effects on our mental and physiological well-being. In fact, witnessing or experiencing a new event can trigger those old responses. As you read the following three scenarios, think about how you might feel if you witnessed or experienced these events, what you would do, and what University of Iowa resources you would access for help.

I invite you to imagine or reflect on the stereotypes that are assigned in high school. Some of you may remember a famous ‘80s movie where five high school students had to serve an eight-hour detention on a Saturday morning. The characters (reflective of that time) included the following personas: the criminal, the princess, the athlete, the nerd, and the misfit”

Over the last few years, I’ve sometimes felt like I’m on an arduously long roller coaster ride in the dark. Just when I think I know what is going to happen next, there is a sharp turn or a stomach-dropping descent that comes out of nowhere. Before I’ve even had a moment to process or feel relief, I have noticed that I’m bracing for or fearing whatever unexpected turn is up next.