Finding Peace in the Pandemic with Gord Stevens and Mindfulness

By Kelly Jamieson, MA

We’re now starting the seventh month of life since COVID-19 restrictions were imposed here in North America. Some pieces of our world have been successfully transformed to allow them to fall back into their places, while others may never fit into the puzzle of our new pandemic reality. The global economy has taken an unprecedented hit, commanding businesses and corporations worldwide to essentially “innovate or die.” Organizations large and small—and the humans sustaining them, have been forced to develop  a survivalistic creativity and resilience to persevere through this period of uncertainty, and this has not come without cost.

For the last seven months, virtually every human on this planet has been carrying a greater allostatic load than ever before.  Allostatic load is “the wear and tear on the body” which accumulates as one is exposed to repeated or chronic stress. It comes as no surprise that the pandemic has taken a toll on all of our spirits, weighing heavily on us emotionally in subtle yet significant ways. If you’ve been feeling run-down lately, this is likely the reason why. So, what might the burden of the pandemic mean for your overall health and well-being? It’s a complex issue health experts are warning is only just beginning to surface, one with substantial repercussions that could plague humanity for the next decade and beyond.

While thriving in adversity and finding peace in the pandemic may seem almost impossible, there are a few simple strategies to help improve well-being and strengthen personal resilience. One method is through the practice of Mindfulness. I recently had the opportunity to connect with Gord Stevens, a fellow Air Canada pilot who offers Mindfulness workshops with his partner, Amber. You can learn more about their online wellness courses at www.gordandamber.com. Check out our conversation below.

Kelly: Gord, let’s start at the beginning—how would you define “mindfulness”?

Gord: I describe mindfulness as an experience of being intentionally aware of what is going on in a rolling “real-time” moment. For example: If you and I are in conversation, and as you’re speaking I’m thinking about what I am going to be doing later, I’m not actively listening to your message. That is an example of not being mindful – of not being aware. However, the second I notice I’m distracted, I can let go of whatever is distracting me. I can choose intentionally to listen to you, and be an active part of our conversation. That is being mindful.

Recently, I’ve been exploring mindfulness through being aware of my awareness: awareness of my physical senses, mental activity, and emotions.

Kelly: How can practicing mindfulness help to improve the quality of your life?

Gord: For so much of my life I just reacted to everything. I didn’t realize how exhausting that is! I was a slave to my reactions (i.e. anger outbursts, or holding onto things all day, wanting, striving etc.) The quality of my life improved when I started paying closer attention to how my mind [drags] me around if I let it.

I spend a lot of time in airplanes, where I work closely alongside people I’ve only just met. Every day I am a part of a team, often in a leadership role, and mindfulness has improved how I listen, how I respond, and how I contribute to the team.

I am much more aware of what my values are now, that is, what matters to me most. I feel more connected to myself and to others. This has been the greatest gift influencing all areas of my life.

Kelly: The pandemic has left a lot of people struggling in so many ways. How can mindfulness help us develop the resilience to persevere?

Gord: I’ve learned stress is a part of life. The more I think stress is bad and try to avoid it, the more I will feel stressed and struggle. So, for me, it makes most sense to learn about processing stress in balanced ways. No matter what job I work at or what my life situation is, I am human, and humans are emotional creatures. The overall human experience includes feelings of happiness, as well as feelings of struggle. It’s similar to how the earth’s atmosphere produces warm and calm moments, as well as strong wind and turbulence.

Learning about resilience is why I have taken up this path of living more mindfully with stress. The more mindful and aware I am, the more resilient I am.

Kelly: What role do you think mindfulness can play in the flight deck? What about the aviation industry as a whole?

Gord: Operating airplanes is such a dynamic thing and there are so many fluctuating factors! Pilots are constantly making decisions, adjusting their plans and their courses of action. The qualities of my decisions are a measure of the level of my self-awareness and situational awareness. (Self-awareness is the foundation of mindfulness; everything benefits from it, especially situational awareness.)

The higher my levels of awareness, the clearer my communication is with pilots in a flight deck, on the radio with ATC, with passengers/guests, clients etc..

Everyone’s impact on a flight is influenced by the level of their awareness, including dispatchers, airport agents, ramp workers, pilots. I think anyone’s ability to be mindful, to stay present with what’s going on, absolutely enhances the safety and reliability of any aircraft operation.

Kelly: What led you to begin offering mindfulness workshops? We’d love to hear a bit about your journey and path to broadening your self-awareness.

Gord: In 2007 I went through a nasty breakup and, being a long way away from friends/family, I felt lonely and disconnected. These feelings went on for a long time and I was becoming uncomfortable with how uncomfortable I felt! I was disconnected from myself and noticed my work performance was affected. I looked for ways to support myself and signed up for a week-long intensive retreat based on mindfulness. That week helped me stabilize, and broaden my awareness.

A few years later, I looked for workshops tailored for pilots, and found nothing! I was surprised. Since I have a lot flying experience and life experience, I thought maybe I’ll be the workshop. In 2019, I trained to facilitate a mindfulness based curriculum and then designed my first online course to support pilots in learning mindfulness and emotional intelligence. I was thrilled to have 10 pilots join.

Kelly: If you could go back to give your 20-year-old self some advice, what would it be?

Gord:  I’d remind myself that I am human, and that humans make mistakes. I have a tendency to rush when I am not being mindful of myself, and some wise words were shared with me in 2005 while I was rushing to unload fuel drums from a Twin Otter: “Gord, the best way to go fast is to go slow.” I took those words to heart and have kept them with me. Ever since that day I have been consciously slowing myself down and paying more attention to what is going on for me, accepting the successes and mistakes I make along the way.

Kelly: What message is important for our community of youth in aviation to hear? 

Gord: At the risk of sounding repetitive, I encourage youth in aviation to consider some words I live by: “The best way to go fast is to go slow”. Chasing work, chasing a dream, and constant reacting in an ever-changing economy can feel consuming.. it can BE consuming! Nobody controls the economy or the industry, and trying to “keep up” with it all is what wore me down. Eventually I learned I can only control how I respond to change and stress: I realized the value in slowing down, and that’s a message I’d like to pass on. When I slow down and pause, I actually get much more done, I have more stamina, and most importantly, I feel best about myself.

Something said in most mindfulness communities is that we need to make time to pause and practice awareness as if our life depends on it because the quality of our life certainly does. My hope is that the youth reading this reflection of mine will pause often and savour the moments throughout their path.