PSYCHOLOGICAL
WARFARE –
Combating Covid-19
Stress Relief Strategies
COURIER L 6 IFE, JANUARY 8-14, 2021
One child dead,
another critical
after B’hurst crash
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
& ROSE ADAMS
A driver fatally struck a 4-year-old
boy and left another child in critical
condition after dropping the children
off outside a school in Bensonhurst
Monday morning, Dec. 4.
Police say the motorist drove the
children to a yeshiva on 67th Street
near 20th Avenue at around 9:18 am,
and let them out of the blue van before
hitting the two children and driving
away, apparently without noticing the
crash.
The driver drove to his home in
Brooklyn, but returned to the scene after
the yeshiva contacted him, according
to area Councilman Mark Treyger.
“The driver claims he didn’t know
a child was killed,” said Treyger. “This
just doesn’t add up to me.”
First responders pronounced the
younger child dead at the scene, while
paramedics rushed the 5-year-old
victim for treatment at Maimonides
Medical Center, where he is expected
to survive.
The children’s school, Yeshiva
K’Tana of Bensonhurst, is located
FATAL CRASH: Offi cers from the 62nd Precinct
(top) and the NYPD’s Highway Collision
Investigation Squad (left) investigate
a traffi c collision at 67th Street and 20th
Avenue that left one child dead and another
in critical condition on Dec. 4.
Photos by Lloyd Mitchell
around the corner from PS 207 on
20th Avenue. Neither street has a reduced
speed limit as part of a School
Slow Zone, according to Department of
Transportation records.
Treyger lamented the crash, and
said that police are working to obtain
video footage of the incident.
“This is just horrible, horrible
news to start the new year in our community,”
he said. “We need a lot more
information than we have now, but the
bottom line is that a young boy is dead
right now, and that’s unacceptable.”
Transportation advocates blamed
the boy’s death on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s
failure to implement more safe
streets infrastructure.
“These crashes are not just a failure
in judgement on the part of drivers,
but also a failure in leadership
on the part of elected offi cials who
have not taken the steps to prioritize
human lives over cars,” said Transportation
Alternatives Executive Director
Danny Harris. “Unless Mayor
de Blasio takes immediate action to
save lives and save his Vision Zero
legacy, more people, including children,
will die.”
This year of 2020 is a very unusual year for all of mankind. The COVID-19 pandemic
spread over every place on the Earth, causing anxiety, confusion and fear. People
witnessed the suffering and death of loved ones on an unimaginable scale. During
previous episodes of infections outbreaks, people relied on doctors, who had
experience treating such outbreaks. In the case of pandemic COVID-19, there
were no doctors or experts, who have had such experience due to the very unique
situation, related to the nature of virus itself and its capacity to affect simultaneously
multiple organs in the body. Even though doctors have all available modern medicine
tools to diagnose infections, it took time to organize protocols for prophylactics,
diagnosis and treatment of this deadly virus.
On the individual level, stress, related to this pandemic, could be described as
intensive psychological, emotional and physical reaction in response to the infection
and the threat of getting this virus, accompanied by feelings of uncertainty and
information overflow. Several simultaneous processes are happening before our
eyes. Changing lifestyle. family relationships, isolation and decrease of usual
activities, financial hardship and illness of family members, grief and loss, all
cause different levels of stress. Symptoms of stress could be fear, anxiety, worries,
decreased concentration, attention, and memory, muscle tension, loss of sleep
and changes in appetite; alone or all together.
Working with our patients and health professionals affected by this pandemic, we
developed “COVID-19 stress relief protocol”, based on our previous protocol, related
to September 11 (Manhattan protocol). These protocols consist of several steps,
starting with non verbal (first) and verbal communications (second), slow breathing
(8 cycles per minute), mild physical exercises, meditation, medications, and diet
and vitamins recommendations. In case of intensive emotional reaction (crying,
tearfulness) simple tapping technique, combined by medications is implemented
at a first session.
These simple strategies help people to regain control over emotions, by actively
switching attention from overwhelming thoughts, fears and anxiety to feelings
coming from our own sensory motor system (breathing, muscles and joints). The
more attention goes to sensory motor activities, the more our mind, thoughts and
emotions have time to heal.
Breathing is the simple tool for actively switching our attention to yourself and your
bodily reactions. Observing movement of your chest and belly gives you time to
not think about any problems and to help your brain to feel relaxed and refreshed.
A special recommendation goes to combine breathing with finger movements,
which increase brain blood circulation and restore oxygen supply to the brain. On
inhale, your thumb touches the index finger and on exhale your thumb separates
from your index finger. It should be done with other fingers as well.
Being on quarantine and being home bound for many weeks puts an additional
pressure on all of us. Healthy coping strategies include restricting time for news,
paying more attention to yourself, to restoring mild physical activities, studying
new recipes and preparing them in your kitchen.
It is time to be creative, to watch old comedy movies, or watch travel and creativity
channels on TV or on YouTube, writing and drawing pictures. Please, pay more
attention to your food and your vitamins. Vitamins need to be discussed with your
physician.
If you feel overwhelmed by emotions and thoughts, contact your doctor or you
might choose to call OMH (Emotional Support Helpline): 1-844-863-9314
Valentin Bragin MD.
Stress Relief and Memory Training Center.
Brooklyn, NY.
718 946-2481