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.

Disruption. No other word characterizes the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic better for me than disruption. Disruption has brought radical change to the ways in which we live, learn, work, and play.

When we experience a colleague, student, friend, ourselves, or anyone else who is “upset,” we can jump quickly to "this person needs help.” When someone experiences upset emotions, it is important to differentiate along the continuum between stress and crisis.

I’ve read these articles before. “Times are tough. Focus on the positive. You'll get though, you always do.” Sure, it might be a winning argument because those who don’t aren’t going to argue with you. But I didn’t think that was the message we needed, and it wasn’t the message I needed.

Having a conversation with confidence and a clear understanding of what was said and shared is familiar; yet when following up, confusion and uncertainty can exist. We might say or hear, “That’s not what you said,” or “I did what we discussed,” or “That’s not true.”

The COVID-19 pandemic ripped apart all sense of normalcy for many people. Data shows a rise in addictive behaviors since March 2020 as people saw drastic increases in stress and isolation. Stress and isolation are risk factors for increased alcohol consumption, other substance use, and maladaptive coping, such as other process addictions, which include eating or shopping. The brain seeks pleasure from the chemical dopamine that is produced through connection and enjoyable things, but in the absence of positive stimuli, the brain seeks out pleasure, including alcohol or other substances.

As a member of the Air National Guard, a student at the University of Iowa, and someone who works in the area of veteran support, I have seen first-hand the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on our veteran and military-connected (VMC) community. While no two people’s experiences of the pandemic have been the same, one defining feature that lockdown had on the VMC community was loss.

Disturbances alter the state and trajectory of an ecosystem and can shape ecosystem dynamics long into the future. This is particularly the case for disturbances that are large, severe, and infrequent that capture the public attention and challenge our understanding of an ecosystem. I see the disturbance of the COVID-19 pandemic creating similar damage and challenges to our human ecosystem. This disturbance has been large, severe, and infrequent.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines cultural humility as, “a lifelong process of self-reflection and self-critique whereby the individual not only learns about another’s culture, but one starts with an examination of their own beliefs and cultural identities.”