“Don’t Fear the Reaper”: Processing Tragedy through Art

We are in a time of year when we traditionally think more about the dead. Samhain (pronounced sow-in), is a Gaelic holiday celebrated from the evening of October 31 to November 1, representing the end of the harvest, the end of the Celtic year, and a time when the veil is thin between worlds.[1] Not by accident, it is also All Saints’ Day / All Hallows’ Day (November 1), on which christians (specifically Catholics) celebrate all of the known and unknown saints,[2] and All Souls Day / Day of the Dead (November 2), on which christians/Catholics remember deceased loved ones, specifically those who have passed since the last All Souls Day.[3]

This year has taken a toll on all of us in many ways, particularly to the families of the 236,101 people in the United States, 1.2 million people worldwide, who have died of the novel coronavirus, as of this post.[4] Given the infection and death rates in the United States alone, if you are reading this post from the US, chances are you know someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 (2.87% of US) and probably someone who has died from it (0.07% of US). Even if you don’t, your life, all of our lives have been affected by this global pandemic. We haven’t just lost loved ones, but livelihoods, routines, and peace of mind.

Coping with Disaster

In times like this, we can’t always rely on our standard coping mechanisms (for both Christian and myself, seeing friends is a big one). And when issues compound (global pandemic, stay-at-home orders, economic crisis, racial tensions, political vitriol in advance of a contentious presidential election, balancing working and schooling kids from home, etc…), it’s even harder to get the same relief from coping strategies that might have worked in the past on one or two stressful situations alone. (It should also go without saying that stress-eating and drinking are not effective long-term strategies.)

As for us, we holed up at home at the beginning of the COVID shutdown nearly eight months ago, prepared for a few weeks shut in together with a haul of good liquor from the state store before it closed and a list of movies and TV shows about disasters and pandemics (of varying accuracy): Contagion,[5] Outbreak,[6] and 28 Days Later [7] among them. Since we watched The Stand [8] this summer, I have had Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” (which is featured in the first episode’s introduction)[9] stuck in my head pretty much on repeat, which led me to wonder about our fixation with death in art.

A plague doctor for a plague Halloween. Christian dressed as a plague rat.
Photo credit: Darcy Osby

It appears that our quarantine movie list was not unique to us: Business Insider noted that several pandemic movies were trending on Netflix and iTunes in March 2020.[10] Christian and I both admit to having a darker sense of humor, but I was intrigued by this larger trend of people watching disaster narratives during a disaster, because it does not seem logical or effective as escapist art.

However, researchers at the University of Chicago have since noted a trend suggesting better coping skills among disaster movie fans.[11] Researchers in the UK found that fans of apocalyptic movies were better emotionally prepared for lockdown.[12] Even reports out of China in early 2020 demonstrated a large number of viewers of and participants in a movie and related interactive game called “The Flu.”[13]

In our consumption of apocalyptic horror narratives, we see more than just the existential threats themselves. Sci-fi author and YouTuber Lindsay Ellis [14] describes in her video on pandemic literature that art in this genre mirrors our fears about disease and societal collapse, but also allows us to tune into the psychology, sociology, and human behaviors that result from such a situation. Common themes in these narratives include being physically closed in and having nowhere to escape, government incompetence or betrayal, resource hoarding and scarcity mentality, hubris, media spin, and resulting societal and economic impacts felt by survivors who are not directly killed by the disease. We absolutely experience empathy with the characters in these stories.[15]

Some of the researchers mentioned above listed benefits of watching disaster movies that include emotionally preparing oneself for the worst case scenario, seeing it play out, and observing how the heroes adapted and survived. The fact that these narratives are ultimately hopeful could be enough of a reason for our increased viewing right now, but based on some other reading and listening I’ve been doing lately, I believe the connection may go deeper than that.

Brene Brown,[16] my guru on vulnerability and leadership, has understandably spent a lot of podcast time this year talking about strategies for coping with burnout, and the two most notable episodes (for me) focus on physiological responses to stress and coping strategies.

We are all experiencing fatigue from chronic stress. This book describes ways to combat that stress, including laughing, crying, and artistic expression.
Image credit: [17]

Processing Emotions

First, it is important to note that short-term coping strategies for acute natural disasters (e.g. earthquake, hurricane, etc.) cannot be extended for the long-haul to deal with pandemics, economic recessions, or other chronic stressors. Ann Masten, PhD psychologist at the University of Minnesota calls this short-term resilience “surge capacity,” and it does run out. This concept is described in a Medium article [18] that Brene further discusses in her podcast.[19]

Humans are better mentally equipped to deal with the stress of concrete problems limited to a defined period of time. “Ambiguous loss,” which relates to uncertainty around specifics in the timeline or the extent of a loss (whether it’s people, employment, routines, or whatever normal looks like to you), is especially hard for those of us who are used to solving problems, getting things done, and being in control. (That description certainly applies to more than a few people in my life.)

Second, it is important to understand that unprocessed stress manifests itself in the human body, causing a host of health complications over time. The body knows how to deal with stress for minutes or hours, but not months or years. We experience a stress cycle that evolved during our hunter-gatherer days to protect us from predators, and it has a beginning, middle, and end. For the vast majority of us, our daily stressors probably do not deal with existential threats (yes, I understand that is not the case for many front-line health workers or people of color right now). Nevertheless, our bodies only know that there is a stressor present, not what the stressor is.

In running from a predator, for example, we experience the full cycle of stress, in which the body can recognize at the end that the threat has passed. However, there are no such physical cues when we deal with more modern stressors like paying bills or arguing politics online. Even though a stressor may have passed, there is no physical indicator to inform the body, so the body remains “stuck” in the cycle. This problem is described in Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, by Emily and Amelia Nagoski,[20] and further discussed on Brene’s podcast.[21]

Of course, there is pushback on gratuitous COVID-specific or plague-related humor right now, as there are still people actively suffering. And dark humor, though a common coping mechanism, is not for everyone.
Image credit: [22]

The twin sisters, both doctors, who co-wrote the book describe several techniques to inform your body that you are not in imminent physical danger and to complete the emotional stress cycle. Some of these techniques include:

Physical activity (the most effective recommendation by far)
Deep breathing (meditate and focus on your breath – acknowledge and put aside intruding thoughts as they come)
Positive interactions with other humans (thanking someone, giving someone a compliment)
Laughter (not polite, socially-acceptable laughter, but genuine belly laughs)
Crying (again, not simply tearing up, but full-on ugly crying; focusing on the physical experience of crying, not the stressors that prompted the cry)
Physical affection (the long, 20-second hug)
Creative expression (most people I know have a quarantine project – what’s yours?)

The “New Normal”

The crying, the laughing, and the creative expression on this list all bring me back to my original thoughts about our interaction with art, particularly the act of watching pandemic movies while we’re in a pandemic. It’s a commonly accepted fact that dark humor is a coping mechanism,[23] and I’ve certainly noticed a lot more of it this year. However, it had never occurred to me that there might be a physical necessity behind the catharsis of watching horrors on the screen, or that we may perhaps be experiencing the full stress cycle through our empathy for the protagonists.

Indeed, it can also be inspiring to watch the heroes adapt and overcome, reminding us that we can too. We do not know what the “new normal” will be or when it will be, which is exceedingly difficult for the control freaks among us, but we can remember that our choices and actions today will shape whatever it is. The Nagoski sisters remind us that self-care isn’t the goal; self-care is nothing more than a fallout shelter. If you truly value your wellbeing, you and everyone in your bubble must make that a priority.

As we reflect upon and grieve our losses from this past year, we must also accept that this coming year will look very different, and that we will never return to what we think of as “normal.” However, it is comforting to think that we have a hand in whatever this coming year will be. In that venture, I wish you kindness to yourself, kindness to others, and a whole lot of pandemic fiction.

Stay well and thank you for reading.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Day

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls%27_Day

[4] https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

[5] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

[6] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

[7] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

[8] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108941/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQXqZ8JJktw

[10] https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-outbreak-one-of-netflixs-most-popular-movies-2020-3

[11] https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-fans-apocalyptic-movies-coping-pandemic.html