A Model For Managing Grief & Other Resources During Covid-19 Pandemic by Astra Brantley

This article was written using post-modern principles to address the psychological needs of individuals when they encounter a novel and overwhelming circumstance such as Covid-19, a time when survival and quality of life depends upon conceptualizing the problem and identifying resources in an expeditious and inventive manner. It introduces a seven-arena graphic entitled "My World" in order to capture all potential repositories of resources. One metaphor is used to normalize loss as a stressor, and to recognize grief as a requisite skill to cope with that stress, and grief as a gift to all in connected community. However, largely in the US, grief avoidance and resistance results in her residents being ill prepared to manage grief stress as they typically occur. Another metaphor is used to illustrate how stressors are layered, and to highlight how racialized trauma greatly increases the stress-load for Black and Brown people. Finally, a Covid-19 stress reduction exercise is presented.