Our topics in May

Dear reader
The American physiologist Walter Cannon (1841 - 1945) is considered the founder of the so-called «fight-or-flight» theory. It states that in stressful situations we react either with fight or flight. Both reactions were of the utmost importance in prehistoric times. In modern stress research, a third behavioural option is increasingly being added: «Freeze».When the situation seems hopeless, people stop. Freezes. Resigned.
Hand on heart: what phase are you currently in, dear reader? Are you still in a state of shock («I hope we survive all this, financially and otherwise»)? Are you fleeing from reality and making things up as you go along («With a little imagination, working from home and homeschooling can be a wonderful combination»)? Or do you take matters into your own hands, act actively and - as best you can - calmly?

«What do we learn from the virus? Care. Care. Participation. Participation. Loneliness. Loneliness. Pain. Fear. Love. Life. Everything.»

Igor Levit, Russian-German pianist, in the «Spiegel» magazine

Permanently stressed people are at best bad-tempered, at worst they become ill. Empathy training helps to prevent this from happening. We are a little proud to be able to present the «Empathy» dossier in this issue - we commissioned it last autumn, long before coronavirus. Our author Julia Meyer-Hermann writes: «During the lockdown, I kept asking myself: how well does empathy for others work when you're at the limit yourself? For example, my pre-pubescent daughter bitches at me even though I'm completely exhausted from a night shift at my desk. I reflexively think: How ungrateful, I'm the one keeping the place running. A few minutes of shouting and slamming doors later, I realise that she misses her friends, her everyday life and the regular school routine. Her nerves are suffering from the same lack as mine.» Read our dossier on empathy to find out how empathy helps people to read and empathise with feelings, especially in times of crisis, and why our author advises rituals.

A double thank you at this point! To you, dear subscriber, for staying with us in difficult times. You are helping to ensure that we can continue to report on all topics that are important for our society and our coexistence in the future.
And I would like to thank you, dear reader, for your loyalty. The latest Mach Basic study shows that our magazine has 206,000 readers - that's 2,000 more than in the last survey. Within four years, Switzerland's leading parenting guide has increased its readership by 59,000 readers. This makes Fritz+Fränzi one of the few print titles with a constantly growing readership.
I hope you enjoy reading the May issue. Get through these special times well. Stay confident, stay cheerful.
Yours sincerely - Nik Niethammer