Stay Calm & Wash Your Hands For A Full 20 seconds...It'll Slow You Down!!!

FARAH NAZ
Mar 18, 2020
4 min read

Updated: May 12, 2020

Keeping up with Coronavirus news has been fairly easy these past days. Between the tele news and social media, we can more than keep up with this Trojan microorganism invading not only our bodies but also our spirits. How do we sift through ALL the information, sometimes delivered with an ample amount of melodrama, and not lose our minds and more importantly, our lives?

Most people are falling into two camps. There are the ‘under-moved minimizers’ and then there are the ‘overreacting panickers’. There is a third small crew of folks who are trying to keep a balance in this pandemic environment. In my humble but aware opinion, this is the camp which will overcome the virus the most successfully, on all fronts. The virus is real and we are all involved. So completely ignoring the situation is becoming the ostrich burying his head in the sand and thinking it’s ‘all ok’. Because it's not! But, the virus is also just a virus. It isn’t life. And stopping all of our ‘living’ means the virus has already caught us in its web of paralysis. A web of psychological and emotional contamination and infestation. The key is to stay calm. Think, be educated! Feel, but be free! Act, wash your hands, rest and eat properly! Most importantly, love life, as it is now! Don’t miss out on the healthy breath that is waiting in your lungs to exhale. There is tremendous anxiety roaming freely and attacking our well being. Be alert but don’t let your hearts repeatedly bash against your chests. The negative psychological effects of the virus on our world are growing at a much faster rate than the virus itself. Fight Covid-19 on all fronts of your life! Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Find your balanced space and stay quarantined there until this epidemic blows over. I ran across these words of honed wisdom penned five days ago by a Forbes contributor, Bryan Robinson : ‘Do The Basics, But Don’t Panic’ At this writing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to believe the risk of COVID-19 to the American public remains low. Experts tell us that 80% of the population won’t require any or minimal medical care, and that there is a high transmission rate with a low mortality rate. However, it’s important to remain vigilant, calm and level-headed and follow recommendations from the experts: Today In: Careers - If you’re sick don’t go to work, self-quarantine for 14 days and avoid public places. - Wash your hands often with soap for 10-20 seconds or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from any activity that involves locations where other people have been. - Practice social distancing, at least 6 feet from others. - Refrain from touching your face. - No handshaking. Use a fist bump, slight bow, or elbow bump. - Use your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove. - Open doors with your closed fist or hip—do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door, especially on bathroom post office and commercial doors. - Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts. - Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home's entrances and in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can't immediately wash your hands. - If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. - Be proactive and keep your immune system strong, get ample sleep, exercise and eat well. THANK YOU, Bryan Robinson! I'd like to draw your attention to one last thing. With all the curfews and bans being implemented in cities all across America, families are all of a sudden finding themselves in each others constant and standardized company. Children, parents, husbands and wives, siblings, grandparents and all other combinations of familial relations are unexpectedly sharing the same air within the confines of their four white walled residences. I've added a few more prescriptions to Mr.Robinson's inventory to ease the psychological and emotional muscular pains expeditiously growing in homes throughout the country and the world today. - Even though you can't go to your offices or schools, take time to get dressed and do your work from home. Keep up with your studies. Make your phone calls. Put in your 5-8 hours of work and you will feel productive, useful and satisfied. - Read and watch the news just enough to stay informed, then TURN IT OFF. Most of the news briefs are on repeat. Check the news a few times a day for a set amount of time and then change the channel to watch a little David Attenborough. Constant media is unhealthy for the brain, heart and soul. - Pick up a book, watch an inspiring film, listen to a TED talk, a motivational podcast or music, play board games, go for a walk around your neighborhood or to a park, play with your young ones, talk with your teens and adult kids, cook a healthy meal as a family, etc. - Take time periodically each day to sit in silence and listen to your own heart beat. Give one another space as well. Meditate! Take a siesta each day. Your spirit needs feeding and rest during this distressing season. In conclusion, practice as many of the activities listed above as you can without turning on the 'obsessor' inside you. And don’t forget to be joyful! Smile and laugh as much as you can. Everyone in the house will benefit from it. Remember the basics that truly matter; faith, family and the fullness of life!