Let’s not talk about Covid, please!

I am not sure if it’s only me, but lately, I feel that I am suffering from Covid-small-talk-burnout (let’s call it CSTB, yet another acronym!). Almost, without exception, it seems that any interaction, with anybody, being work, friends or family-related, starts with the latest “news” on Covid. Inevitably, when you join a virtual meeting and there are a few minutes’ before all the attendees join, the discussion will be Covid. When colleagues “meet” up again after some time of absence, the meeting starts with Covid. When meeting with friends for lunch or dinner, Covid always seems to creep into the discussion. We compare notes; it almost becomes an Olympic game about who has the most extreme news.

I am not in any way questioning the severity of the pandemic. I do have big concerns about the impact on society at a micro and macro level. I get it. It is a huge tragedy. It is newsworthy. It is important.

However, my call-out today is this: let’s stop placing Covid at the center stage of our daily informal discussions. Let’s remember that there are so many other good things to talk about. Let’s get some balance back in our lives when it comes to the things, we “small-talk”. Let’s resist CSTB. Rather talk about the relief brought by the recent rain, the full moon of last night, the amazing sunrise last week, your child’s first step or words, your colleague’s great accomplishment. Ask questions to your audience, be genuinely interested in them and their world, family, achievements, and challenges. Tell a joke of a funny story that happened to you or someone you know.

An attitude of gratitude and positive expectation goes a long way to turn negatives into positives. When we make this a habit, our brain’s neuroplasticity creates pathways that leads to repetitive behavior. The old saying “Whether you say you can or you can’t, you’re right”, holds true. In this context, seeing is not really believing.  Believing is seeing. What we believe is what we see (also called our biases). When we believe we can, we usually can.

I argue that we all can make a choice to focus on a balanced “small-talk” agenda and decide not to be captured by Covid in all our activities. But, in the final analysis, whether you say you can do this, or cannot do it, you’re right.

Article written by Dr Tienie Stander