I shared the following in last week’s Love Letter and I wanted to share it here too because it’s on everyone’s minds and yes, it’s on mine too. The Coronavirus. Here’s what I’m doing while this is going on.
I’m NOT watching any news on television but I AM going to my most trusted news source online — The Guardian’s website — to check in once a day. No more than that. I want to be informed and responsible for my own health and the safety of my loved ones, but I don’t need a running news feed stoking the flames of anxiety. I think it’s important to be concerned and informed AND not get ourselves into such a panic that the anxiety is greater than the perceived threat. I work from home, which obviously is very convenient when you want to avoid big crowds of people, and I’m probably gonna avoid going into the centre of London on public transport for a bit.
I haven’t gone nuts buying out the supermarket but I have bought an extra bag of gluten-free porridge and coconut milk just like I would if I have a cold and don’t want to go out or cook. I’m already ridiculously stocked up on cat food — if the apocalypse arrives my cat will not starve (that’s a joke — the apocalypse is not coming! We’re all going to be fine, you guys!)
I’m already very into washing my hands so I’ve no problem with doing that fastidiously. I’m also taking my vitamins and generally trying to look after my health. I’m doing my best to get enough sleep and drinking lots of water (this helps my sinus issues). All things I’d do when it’s regular flu season.
Honestly I’m not too worried about catching the virus. If I do I do and I trust my body to recover. What does concern me is passing it on to the more vulnerable members of my family, so if I get so much as a sniffle I will remain here in Conway Towers, with my cat, waiting it out.
I don’t know if that helps anyone feel a little less anxious, but I hope it does a bit. Do consider only reading the news online* — silently — or in paper format rather than having your nervous system assaulted by the sensationalised TV news. You want information and straightforward facts without the music, drama and rolling updates. It’s helping me keep my head and stay grounded in the here and now.
* And if you allow notifications on your phone now is the time to switch them off from any news apps. Seek out the news when you feel calm and ready for it. Do it with intention.
This is so nice to read amidst the panic that seems to have overtaken us in the US… We live in a remote cabin the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (nearest town’s population is only a couple hundred!). My husband obsessively watches the news, streams it on the laptop and mobile … I tune it all out and pick and choose what and where I get my news from. I’m an RN by trade and nobody in my family is “high risk” for complications even if we were to become infected, so I’m not worried at all (much to my hubby’s dismay). I’m traveling with my two daughters across the country in a few weeks and looking forward to mostly empty airplanes and airports – it will make the HSP in me quite content to not have to deal with massive Spring Break crowds. I will continue to wash my hands – as I always do – and not go out if I’m sick, but other than that … I’ll enjoy my solitude while the rest of the world freaks out in their super-sanitized, toilet-paper-stockpiled homes. :) Take care of yourself and enjoy the quiet – you’re in good company!