Introduction by Lauren Pearcy

Dear Readers,

As usual, every single article in this edition of Breaking Ground was inspired by a conversation. I want to tell you about one of those conversations, as it relates to one of my favorite articles in this edition: staying calm in a crisis.

Over the summer, our Council member Courtney Johnson was recognized at our national association’s annual conference in Washington, DC. The conference happened to take place during the CrowdStrike global IT outage that affected flights around the world. When Courtney arrived in Atlanta for a layover, she was met with many hours of delays, threatened cancellations, and overall chaos. Long story short: after expecting to arrive in Washington by 7 p.m., she rolled in at 5 a.m.

When I caught up with Courtney at dinner the following evening, the first thing she said was, “I had a meltdown at the airport when they told me my flight was canceled.” I asked how she got through that experience and she replied, “Hellen stayed calm.”

Hellen is Courtney’s direct support professional. I sat with the gravity of that statement for a minute before Courtney and I talked more. Courtney went on to explain that even while Hellen was doing practical things (offering headphones and escorting Courtney to the sensory room), Hellen was showing Courtney with her body language and tone of voice that things were going to be okay. Hellen said things like, “It’s okay to cry.” And, “We’re going to get to Washington, DC.” It was as simple as that.

Except, staying calm is not simple at all. As I listened to Courtney, I thought about my own life and all of the times I’ve let my own heightened nervous system match someone else’s instead of doing what Hellen was able to do. My mind also flashed to the Emergency Department Protocol we published with the Dept. of Disability and Aging a few years ago. As we wrote that protocol, I remember being struck by a realization, similar to the one I had talking to Courtney: does this all boil down to calm and compassion? The clinical experts working on that protocol affirmed, yes. To me, that is a monumental realization.

It takes no special credentials to use calm and compassion. But, it is a natural instinct to move into fight or flight instead. All you have to do is read the news to realize how hard it is for most of us to make that shift. My awe for Hellen and supporters like her is unparalleled.

I hope our tips for staying calm resonate with you. Our goal with all of our behavioral health resources is to offer practical support your own experiences.

Happy reading,

Lauren