Our mothers, grandmothers showed us how to manage frightening times

March is Women's History Month and over the years in my role as Women's Initiative Coordinator for Itasca Bank, we've presented portrayals of many different women in history, but who all had a few things in common: strength, resilience and courage.

At an event last year, Women's Initiative members shared stories of their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers and how they coped with and survived trying and frightening times. It was inspiring then, and I've been thinking about those stories again as I face today's trying and frightening time.

Like many people, I've compulsively read story after story about the coronavirus: what are the symptoms, how many diagnosed cases we have in Illinois, what is open and what is closed, etc. I broke my fear cycle when I looked up from my computer and saw an old photo on my bookshelf of my grandparents and a young girl who was my mother, taken just after they arrived in this country. Then I thought about my other grandmother who also crossed the ocean to come to this country and how frightened they must have been, but had the strength and resilience to get through it.

A few years ago, my mother shared her experience as a young bride whose husband was on a warship during World War II. She had taken the train to downtown Chicago to volunteer at a USO event. Afterward, waiting for the train to take her back home, she realized she did not have enough money for the ticket. Another woman, noticing my mother's distress, approached her and when she learned of my mother's problem, put money in my mother's hand and wished her well. The only time I ever saw my mother cry was as she told that story. After 60 years, she was still touched by the kindness of a stranger.

Now is the time to think about our own mothers and grandmothers and other women who inspire us and the courage, strength and resilience they had during the uncertain and frightening times of their lives. Take comfort in small acts of kindness that you give and receive.

Many of you have gone through difficult times in the past and are now facing new worries, and I marvel at your courage, strength and resilience.

Please take care of yourself and be kind to yourself. Follow the guidelines and recommendations from health and government officials to stay healthy and remember to also manage your anxiety and stress.

• Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.

• Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, get as much exercise as you can while at home and get plenty of sleep.

• Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy - writing, reading, gardening, knitting or a maybe take up new craft.

• Connect with others. Technology makes it easier to connect with people you trust to share your concerns and how you are feeling.

These are unprecedented, scary and trying times, but the women I know and have worked with over the past 20 years are as strong as the women who came before us. Together we built a community of thousands of women who have learned from each other, supported each other through life changes, cheered each other on as we started new businesses and at times, mourned and went through failures together. By remembering the resiliency and strength of our mothers and others around us who inspire us, staying connected as a community and supporting each other, we too will come out stronger than before.

• Diane Middlebrooks, of Itasca, is women's initiative coordinator for Itasca Bank & Trust Co.