It’s Not the End of the World

We are living in what only can be described as crazy times. It felt like we were going along as normal one day and then suddenly ‘boom’, we are in the midst of a global health disaster. How did that happen?

I must admit, I’ve been finding it difficult. I’ve felt down, had a cry and probably not been as productive as I should have over the past week or so. I’ve also been constantly watching the news and spent hours scrolling through social media reading about the virus number tally, death tally, recession, lack of food, toilet rolls, etc (I’ve yet to see anywhere that doesn’t have toilet rolls, all the local shops have them.) It has made me realise a few things, which in itself is quite depressing.

•  We are completely unprepared for any disasters. And by ‘we’ I mean society and the government. It’s unbelievable really, as although this is unprecedented, it’s not the first time there’s been a pandemic, and what about wars, etc? We literally have nothing in place to deal with anything!
• Some people are extremely greedy. I understand there is a lot of fear, but this won’t last forever and there’s no need to sit there with 20 bags of pasta while depriving others. Especially the elderly. It’s shocking. Maybe we need to do without some of our favourite foods for a while, is that really the worst thing to happen?
• The media are loving this, and some people are thriving off the drama. Why the constant tally of cases, do we really need to know? Is it helpful? Fear is deliberately being instilled in us. It’s basically Brexit all over again, although on a much broader scale.

On the flip side, some people are bloody fantastic! Offering to help elderly, free podcasts/resources to help people while they work from home – and all the “low skilled” workers. What would we do without them? We are being asked to sit in our cosy homes for a few weeks. These guys are being put in danger just to help us through this. I don’t think most of us could imagine how difficult it must be for them – and when this is over, they should be given wage rises, holidays and should never, ever be described as “low skilled” again! Most of us couldn’t begin to deal with what these people are being expected to, and I’ve not heard one person within any of these sectors moaning about it on social media.

I’ve decided to take a fresh approach to the situation today, and rather than wallowing in it, I’m going to make the most of the time. Here are some tips I’ve devised for dealing with this situation.

• Stop reading the news – of course, it’s important to keep on top of this situation, particularly government updates (which are once a day) so you know what guidelines to follow, but don’t get too caught up in it all. Most of us can’t do anything to change this situation, apart from looking after ourselves and each other by self-isolating, so there are no positives to giving energy to the media. The media are never going to try and downplay this as it’s giving them plenty of attention!
• Focus on your work – if you can work from home then make sure you keep a routine and work the way you would on a ‘normal’ day. The last thing you want is to come out all of this with no business/work, as you’ve taken your foot off the gas.
•  Support other businesses – this is a difficult situation for everyone. Try your best to support small businesses at this time by sharing/liking their content/pages.
• Check up on people – make sure you check up on friends/family, especially those who are self-isolating or those who may already have been struggling.
• Do your bit – we all need to play a part in trying to curb this virus as soon as possible, especially trying to protect vulnerable people. Protect your loved ones while this is happening.
• Get fresh air – it’s important to go out and get some fresh air, fresh air is not contagious! If you are self-isolating, the last thing you want to do is stay at home for weeks on end, so get out – even if it’s just for a walk.
• Be creative – it will be difficult to stay home if you have your children at home too, but this is the time to be creative. Set up a movie theatre in your living room and sit down and enjoy a movie together, do some arts and crafts, help them learn a language. We’ll probably never get another experience like this, so use it to take care of projects you’ve been putting on the back burner.
• Read – most of us have a pile of books we’ve been looking to get through but haven’t quite managed. This is a good time to get through those books!
• Meditate – your mind is probably going 100 miles per hour just now. Take time out to meditate and focus on relaxation, rather than what is currently happening outside your control.

Lessons to be learned

There are a lot of lessons to be learned about what has happened recently.

• Money doesn’t matter. As long as you can pay your bills and put food on the table, nothing else really matters. We tend to get caught up in trying to earn more and more money. At the end of the day, our relationships are what truly matters.
• We are all the same. Everyone is affected by this, which is a stark reminder that we are all equals. No matter who we are or what we earn. In fact, the most well-known people are probably those who will be most affected by this financially, and the people who have been looked down on, are those who are helping us survive this.
• Health is everything. We’ve heard all the terrible stories about people losing their lives to this virus. There’s never been a more important lesson in taking care of ourselves. If you have good health, you can get through these things relatively unscathed. Exercise and nutrition are not just about how we look, it’s about being able to cope with these kinds of unexpected events. The same applies to mental health. We really need to focus on looking after our mental health. Give your energy to people who raise you up, take time for self-care and rest as much as possible.
• You really don’t know what’s around the corner. Be kind to each other, appreciate every day. We live in a society where people are obsessed with getting older. Be grateful you are here and appreciate those around you.
• Slow the pace. Maybe this is a good lesson that the world doesn’t stop if we take our feet off the gas a bit. There’s no need to go at the pace we’ve been going.
• Spend time outdoors – Many people will only be going out now to visit their local shop or go for a walk. It’s time to appreciate and respect the outdoors and the environment.
• Help vulnerable people – there are so many elderly people who will be severely affected by this. Maybe these people have been forgotten as we go about our daily lives. This could be a good time for us to support elderly/vulnerable people – but on a permanent basis.

Will we come out of this with a healthier outlook on our lives and more appreciation for what we actually have? I would love to hear your thoughts and how you are feeling or any tips which might help others.