This article was originally posted on Larry’s LinkedIn here.

The past week has been unlike any other in our lifetimes. As a PR professional and crisis communications counselor, the news cycle is essential to my business but I find myself vacillating from keeping close tabs on breaking news to needing a break from the endless coverage. Every challenge has a silver lining and, over the weekend, I reflected on seven silver linings I observed this past week:

  1. Stepping Up. Colleagues rallied to match the moment, as we moved quickly to deliver daily updates on COVID-19 impacts, share behavioral science insights on messaging during a pandemic, offer media relations best practices, and provide scenario planning, risk assessment, and crisis counsel.
  2. Collaborating with agility. Clients and colleagues alike rolled with the punches we all took this week while staying focused on what mattered — both on and off the job.
  3. Blending work-life passions. One of our colleagues, a meditation and mindfulness teacher in-training, hosted a 10-minute guided meditation class on video. 75 people participated. Now’s she’s offering it weekly. This week, we’re adding a 15-minute yoga class, thanks to another colleague who is a yoga instructor.
  4. Practicing kindness. I witnessed a surge in compassionate gestures that helps preserve our faith in humanity, despite some of the head-shaking scenes and comments captured as well.
  5. Enjoying simple pleasures. Reading a book, playing with our dog, and just hearing the sounds of a full nest in our home again.
  6. Discovering something new. One of our agency’s core values is to be curious. I listened to a new podcast, explored a new Spotify playlist, and watched a new show on Netflix.
  7. Relaxing without guilt. Having nowhere to go enables you to shed the guilt of doing absolutely nothing, and more fully enjoy the moment and recharge your batteries.

I’m glad I did, because it’s about to get much worse before it gets better. There will still be silver linings, we just might need to look a little harder to find them.