On Chapter 18 of the Harness The Pain Podcast, I'm going to invest some time talking about how we need to be mindful, not fearful of COVID-19.
Disclaimer
I’m not a doctor, I don’t play one on TV, and I didn’t stay at a Holliday Inn last night.
I amA practical man with a natural tendency to swim up stream, or to go against the herd mentality
A husband and father that has a responsibility to be mindful of the situation to protect and provide for my family
Not making light but shedding light
I'm not making light of the situation; rather, I'm trying to shed light by taking a tactical pause, a step back, and assessing the situation from a more rational perspective
Mindful not Fearful
Mindfulness Definition: a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique
Fearful Definition: feeling afraid; showing fear or anxiety
It seems to me that there are an increasing number of people that are losing their minds over this, and I would venture to guess that the primary illness they are suffering from is being ill-informed
Diagnosis doesn’t mean death
Are people dying, yes, unfortunately they are, and it’s tragic, but not everyone that is contracting it is dying
At the time of recording, there is a nearly 97% survival rate
Presently in the U.S., there are 1,629 cases out of a population of 331,002,651, or .00000492% of the population
Presently in the U.S. there have unfortunately been 41 deaths out of a population of 331,002,651 or.00000012% of the population
Globally there have been approximately 125,000 cases or .0000162% of the estimated 7,700,000,000 global population and 4,600 deaths or .000000597% of the global population
Ignorance is not bliss, it causes anxiety, and anxiety causes stress
Think about when you’re the most anxious or stressed. For me, it’s when I know something is happening or on the horizon and I’m not as knowledgeable and mentally prepared as I need to be
Stress weakens the immune system
One of the effects of stress is that it can lower your body’s white blood cells that are there to help you fight off infection and viruses
Don’t let your Covid-19 related anxiety and stress become a self-fulfilling prophecy
How to combat stress
Get Active
Any form of exercise can help your body generate endorphins (legal and non-narcotic mood enhancers)
Walking, jogging, gardening, cleaning the house, anything active
Healthy Diet
I stress eat junk food, which is like throwing gas on a fire
Eat healthy to be healthy
Avoid unhealthy habits and people
Including overindulging in the news
Negative Nancy type people
Meditate
Hard to do for some us, but great when you can
Smile and Laugh more
Health issues from loneliness
Natural tendency is to shut ourselves in, but it’s important to connect with others so they can lift you, and you can lift them
Sleep
Writing can be very calming and therapeutic
Be the calm in storm for yourself and others around you
If needed, talk with a professional
Turn off the noisy news
I’m a former news man, so don’t get me wrong, there is still such a thing as people with journalistic integrity, but they’re often overridden by those with editorial and/or bottom line seniority
Don’t forget, their overall objective is to drive ratings, and negative news is being consumed faster than they can generate it
Collateral Damage of Covid-19
Medical professionals are being stretched thin and people are suffering from other illnesses can’t receive needed care because people without symptoms are going to medical facilities to get checked “just to be safe”
People are stealing masks and other things from medical facilities that medical professionals and truly sick patients need
Businesses and the people they employee are suffering, and this is especially true of smaller businesses that have a higher propensity to employee people that are living paycheck to paycheck
Those businesses were built due in large part to meet a need of their local communities, so it’s important that people continue to live their normal lives, and by doing so, continue to support those businesses
Part of the problem or part of the solution
When this ends, and it will end, we’ll look back on how responded individually and as a society. The question will be whether we hang our heads in shame because the ugly self-serving side of human nature prevailed, or we’ll hold our heads high because we were calm, rationale, and we behaved in a way that we can and should be proud of. Either way, generations to come will look back on this brief time in history and learn valuable lessons. Let’s set a good example out of a bad experienc.
Thank you for listening, and God Bless!
Instagram and Twitter @harnessthepain
www.harnessthepain.com
