COVID-19 is real. It is real and very scary. You are not alone if you feel terrified in this moment. What is going on now is new and something that we have never experienced before. We can see from the reactions of citizens and political officials, we were not prepared for this epidemic. Your feelings are completely valid, but there are some things that you can avoid that increase your fear. One of the very most important things to do is not make yourself vulnerable to a plethora of fear-evoking news, much of which is not accurate.
I am a person who thinks it is important to intentionally control the content I listen to. If the news of the virus is causing stress and anxiety for you, to the point where it is affecting your well being, limit it! I cannot emphasize this enough…limit it! If you are on social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram, then COVID-19 is a daily main topic. Some people are making jokes and others are sharing their panic. Unfortunately, there is another group of people who share conspiracy theories, uneducated medical opinions and even lies. These are the tweets that incite unnecessary fear to the public. There are many people out there who see these tweets and it only makes them feel worse about the current state of the world we are in. I know friends of mine who have muted certain phrases on Twitter to ensure that they maintain control of how much talk of the virus is on their timeline. Some of my friends have only muted enough words where they are still somewhat informed. I do have a few friends that have muted so many words that nothing about the virus shows up on their timelines at all. This is what was best for them, so they did it.
Do not focus on what other people are doing to get through this time. What do you need to do? Figure it out! For me, I do not listen to the advice of people not qualified to give it to me. I stay in my house, muster up the motivation to do what I need to do and wash my hands. I have asthma so the virus is a very serious issue for me. I do not play when it comes to my health, when I say this I mean my mental and physical health. I protect my body by self-isolating. I protect my mind by not watching videos of self-proclaimed health gurus. That is just me. That is what Anthonya needs to do to feel safe and not let this current situation completely ruin her mental health.
Do not believe everything that you see on social media sites. Watch the news to stay informed but do not obsess. Yes, the time we are living in is worrisome and the future is unclear. Many events that people have been looking forward to (i.e. graduations, celebrations) To have been cancelled or postponed. Our stay at home orders have been extended. This problem does not seem to be ending soon. That is unfortunate but real. Be kind to yourself during this time and do not listen to all the content coming your way.
Be safe!
Despite the best efforts of Twitter, and other news outlets to confine us all to fear and panic, there are moments to smile about and celebrate – even in times like these. John Krasinski, also known as Jim from “The Office”, has started a platform called SomeGoodNews on YouTube in an effort to turn attention away from the sickness and hysteria overwhelming our country toward the acts of pure kindness and generosity around the world.
Noticing the lack of news outlets dedicated solely to reporting good news, Krasinski took it upon himself to create such a news outlet in the comfort of his own home. In this unique and unprecedented time of quarantining, a lot of us feel helpless and as if there is little we can do from home to help ourselves. But that is simply not true. In the first episode alone, Krasinski sheds light on a young girl who was welcomed after her final round of therapy by her friends and family creating a path on her street with balloons and posters of love and support for her, a kind man who left personal hand sanitizers and bundles of paper towels for all the delivery drivers who came by, and a man that visits his wife’s window at a nursing home every day because visiting hours are no longer permitted. Needless to say, there is no shortage of kindness, love and community in our world. The next time you want to tune into the news to see what is going on, consider turning to outlets that shed light on the positives in life so you can balance it out with all the hysteria.
