As the fear and anxiety of the CoronaVirus outbreak heightens, I wanted to share a few thoughts.
I went to Walmart today to pick up a few things to make my natural hand sanitizer. The place was swarming with people in a panic stocking up on items such as toilet paper, water, and anti-bacterial products. The shelves were completely empty of hand sanitizer and alcohol but I managed to find one bottle of witch hazel, which I snatched up! The panic and worry over this virus is almost worse than the virus itself! I can just see the Devil laughing so hard he’s peeing himself watching all of us stocking up on TP!
Please don’t get me wrong. This virus is a real threat and we should be concerned. It’s really difficult to get a true assessment of the situation as news tends to “hype things up”. However, I’ve read stories about it being worse than the flu and, as a health care worker, I’m a little uneasy about the possibility of my hospital filling up with virus-infected humans and having no protective face masks to use because they have all been bought up by the general population!
Common sense dictates that there are things we can do to protect ourselves or at least lessen our chances of getting sick. Our bodies are amazing at fighting off unwanted predators in and of itself, but effective hand-washing, covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and refraining from eating and drinking after each other can go a long way in keeping us safe and healthy. Strengthening our immune systems will also help keep the virus at bay. There are many natural, safe and effective herbs, such as Elderberry and Garlic to name a few, that have been shown to support immune system health.
Supporting one another during this crisis is also on top of the list. Doing good is good for us! Being kind and supportive to others can help us take the focus off ourselves which, in turn, might reduce the anxiety and fear we are experiencing. Here’s a quote from Stephen G. Post, PhD, author of “The Hidden Gifts of Helping”, from an WebMD article…https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/volunteering-physical-benefits#1
“The science is exploding,” Post says. “We have begun to discover that there is something going on, physiologically, in this process of helping others that makes people not only feel happier but also report greater health.”
Lastly, let’s not be ignorant of the fact that people of Asian descent ARE NOT CAUSING THIS VIRUS! I was appalled when I read the NPR article “When Xenophobia Spreads Like A Virus” (follow link below). We are all human beings, no matter the color of our skin or where we come from. Like a lyric from a song “…We all bleed the same.” This virus doesn’t discriminate and neither should we. We’re all in this together.
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/02/811363404/when-xenophobia-spreads-like-a-virus