Okay, let’s straight-up admit, the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has lead to an air of fear and uncertainty across the world. That’s all the more reason to have clarity, to realize that we’re in this together and to practice compassion and discipline.
Here are 10 ways on how we can be better prepared to deal with this COVID-19.
1. Take a Break:
– We’ve had a barrage of information thrown at us over the past few weeks. It’ll do a world of good to take breaks from consuming news, including social media, from time to time.
2. Know The Facts:
– Make sure you gather verified facts, even the difficult ones, without which it’s easy to fall into the trap of growing anxiety and fantasies.
– A good source for verified news is the WHO website.
– Stay away from WhatsApp University, or from howling news anchors, it’s better to read via trusted news sources. Many dashboards are available online that report on a real-time basis.
3. Know What We’re Dealing With
– COVID-19 is a virus that enters mainly through the respiratory tract. A virus works by infecting the body, creating copies of itself, then releasing to the outside world.
– The symptoms that appear, is the process of the human body cleaning out the virus from the system via mucus, cough, sneeze and so on.
4. Understand How COVID-19 Spreads *Important*
– It takes 5-8 days for the first symptoms to appear, those in the very early stages continue to move through daily life, unaware of the potential risk they pose to others. Recent studies also reveal that some COVID-19 cases might not have any symptoms at all.
– Research also suggests that it mainly spread is via droplets, and less via aerosols (i.e. via air). This means that droplets fall and remain on surfaces, and hence the hand-wash is so important.
5. Act Responsibly
– Once in a country, COVID-19 grows exponentially and the only measure has been effective is extreme social distancing.
– Take every instruction given by our government very seriously. Also, it is very important to learn from other affected countries who are ‘ahead’ of us by a few weeks, especially Italy and South Korea.
– Anxiety can push us to either to under or overreact. Both have their cons. We either engage compulsive hand washing, or we act like we’re invincible. Let us make balanced, informed decisions, and trust in the faculty of our common sense.
6. Reduce Stress in Yourself & Others.
– Share facts about COVID-19 and understand the actual risk, but make sure to flag all forms of misinformation / fake news.
– Make sure everything that you forward to anybody is a verified source of information.
– Refrain from shaming or blaming, especially racially. Also, be careful how you treat someone if you find that they are sick (not just with COVID-19).
7. Connect with Others
– Staying at home doesn’t mean you need to isolate. Connect with your friends and family, whoever matters to you, especially those who induce a sense of calm and clarity.
– Connect with a level headed person whom you trust and ask them what they think about stockpiling food, about that trip you’re still thinking of doing, about schools and offices being closed and so on.
8. Self Care:
– Don’t be too hard on yourself. Fear isn’t fun, but it also signals that we’re human. Take care of your body, eat healthy food, exercise regularly and get plenty of sleep.
– Take this opportunity to slow down, make art, sing, journal or any other form of self-expression. Know that it is important, even if all you do is one small thing.
9. Stay Safe & Keep Others Safe
– No matter where you are, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, sneeze and cough responsibly.
– Along with Social Distancing, make sure your friends, family and every near and dear one has understood factually what we are dealing with here. This is all the more important in India.
10. Don’t let Fear be the Pandemic
– If you dig deeper, the fear is not from the ‘virus’ by itself, but of on-ground realities like overburdening our healthcare facilities or putting the higher-risk categories at substantial risk.
– While it may seem everything being thrown at us is anxiety-inducing, we should not let this fear lead us into more of isolation or to stop us from acting with clarity, compassion and courage.
How we act today shall determine the trajectory of COVID-19. The more seriously we take, the more we’ll ensure that we don’t overburden our healthcare system, and safely pass through the wave.
Scientists all over the world believe that the pandemic will eventually pass. And more importantly, there’s hope. If you look everywhere around you, there is a lot of generosity. People are working hard to make this thing go away, doing their part.
So let us all do our part. Together.
Further Reading:
- More Ways Of Taking Care Of Yourself During Corona Virus
- A video explaining why the confirmed cases in your area are much lower than actual cases present.
- Bulletin Board of Indian Ministry of Health
- How To Slow The Spread In 15 Days
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