I have one. You have one. Your family members and friends have one. The cashiers at the grocery store have their own invisible stress backpacks. Your children’s teachers, your co-workers, your doctor… literally everyone is walking around with an invisible backpack loaded with stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These emotions are hitting all of us because we are living with so much uncertainty. Is my job secure? What’s going to happen with my kids’ camp this summer? What about the fall? This is unchartered territory. There are no rituals or rules or lanes to guide us. When we are adrift and overwhelmed with endless worries, the filters disappear, and our words don’t always come out quite right. We unintentionally ignite a fire with another human being. In these intense moments, when someone else’s comments hit you hard, be forgiving. Remember the invisible stress backpack, theirs and yours. Their backpack affects what they say, and your backpack affects what you hear.
Instead, I urge you to acknowledge the stress in your invisible backpack. Talk about the worries and burdens it carries. It’s ok to ask others about them… and go beyond the surface. Check out this article that suggests 20 questions to ask instead of “How are you doing?” It will lead to a more open and honest conversation, a deeper connection, and you both may come out of it with a little less in your invisible stress backpack.
As a founder and owner of MorganHR, Inc., Laura Morgan has been helping organizations to identify and solve their business problems through the use of innovative HR programs and technology for more than 30 years. Known as a hands-on, people-first HR leader, Laura specializes in the design and implementation of compensation programs as well as programs that support excellence in the areas of performance management, equity, wellness, and more.