#ThingsYouCanDo to Gain Some Calm

Photo by Simon Migaj on Pexels

These days are trying for sure, and even during better times, many struggle with anxiety.  So of course being in the middle of a global pandemic, while bringing new worries for some, only adds to the worries of others. And then of course there's the fear to deal with....

So how can we gain at least some measure of calm? (Note I didn't say become calm or get rid of anxiety. 'Cause I tend to think that's promising a bit too much.)

There are many ways; I'll just share a few here. But first I should say that many people need medication to best treat their anxiety, and if you even suspect that you're one of them, please consult a doctor. This post will not give medical advice; the following are just some things that have helped me and that have the potential to help you as well.

• Do some relaxing breathing exercises, like the "4-7-8 Breath."
• Listen to relaxing music. Music is the one thing that most saves my life. I've created a Spotify playlist (see below) of what I call "transcendent" music. It's the kind that if you take a break, perhaps lie down, press play, and close your eyes,...you're almost guaranteed to feel better it's done.
  
  
  
  At least...you are if you enjoy this kind of music. But if this kind of thing isn't your taste, there's no shortage of music designed to calm and soothe. Just type "calming" or "relaxing" into Spotify or your favorite player, and you're sure to have an abundance of choice.
  
  Also, Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, an expert in how sound affects the body, has created many albums' worth of music that includes specific frequencies to have certain effects, many of which include relaxation.
• Do some yoga. Many kinds of yoga are relaxing, and there are myriad yoga resources out there. One of my favorites is Yoga With Adriene. Adriene Mishler has been sharing yoga routines on YouTube for ages, and she has developed quite a following. Here is her Yoga for Anxiety playlist, and I've embedded the first video from it below. Enjoy.
  
  

#ThingsYouCanDo to Stay (Reliably!) Informed About #COVID19

One of the biggest problems in the United States right now, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, was and is the sheer amount of misinformation floating around and the resulting confusion and, even worse, the flat-out denial of the seriousness of this virus and the attendant flouting of orders and other protective measures that are being put in place or recommended.

So how can we learn true facts about the virus and stay updated on what's going on? Well, I think it's important to listen to scientists and especially the ones who specialize in this stuff. I mean...science isn't perfect (it's always learning, after all), but its method is specifically designed to determine what is objectively true. And on the whole, scientists are not out to mislead people.

Fortunately, there's no shortage of science-based coronavirus information out there.

Here are the governmental and NGO sources I trust the most, with a link to each organization's COVID-19 home page:

• The World Health Organization
  
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  
• The Public Health Agency of Canada
  

And here are a couple of specialists I trust:

• Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's Cheif Medical Correspondent, has a new podcast, Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction. (If you want to listen from the very first episode, scroll to the bottom of that page and click "Show more episodes" until you see the one called "Introducing Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction.")
  
  
• Michael Olesen is a personal friend, a fantastic human, and an epidemiologist who works in disaster response preparedness. I trust him implicitly, and clearly, he is in a position to know whereof he speaks on this topic. He blogs at IP/EM/Safety.
  

Listen to the experts, friends. That's what they're there for.

#ThingsYouCanDo to Protect Yourself Against Getting #CoronaVirus

You can read the introduction to this series here.

The following are things everyone should already know and be doing, but I'm starting with the basics.

1. Frequently wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer.
   
   

   Graphic courtesy of the World Health Organization.

   
   
2. When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with a flexed elbow (not your hand), or use a tissue and then immediately discard the tissue into a closed bin.
3. Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever and cough.
4. If you have a fever, a cough, and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early, and be sure to tell your medical providers about any recent travel. If you have only mild respiratory symptoms do 1-3 and stay home until you've recovered.
5. Maintain social distancing--at least 3 feet--between you and anyone coughing or sneezing.
6. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
7. Stay informed and follow any and all advice given by your healthcare providers. (Trustworthy sources of ongoing coronavirus information will be the subject of my next #ThingsYouCanDo post.)

Source: World Health Organization, specifically this page, which also gives they "why" to several of the above.

#ThingsYouCanDo (During #COVID19 Pandemic): A Series

So the thought occurred to me recently that I could perhaps be of help during the #COVID19 #pandemic by sharing what I'll call "Things You Can Do."

Often when times are tough, the crisis in and of itself is bad enough. But what makes it even worse are feelings like fear, anxiety, and helplessness that accompany it. And now we are social distancing, which while necessary, brings its own set of challenges.

However, having concrete things that we can do can help us feel better, which can help us better navigate these challenging times.

So in the spirit of using my skills to help others...I'm pretty good at looking things up online, writing, and using social media, so I thought, why not find and share...things you can do? Things you can do to respond to the pandemic, to take care of yourself and others, to help fill your/others' days if that's now a need. Things like that.

I plan to post at least one thing/set of things per day for the foreseeable future. When I use sources, I will use trustworthy ones and cite/link to them. When I'm sharing opinion or hearsay, I will label it as such.

I'll hashtag all such posts with #ThingsYouCanDo. (So if you ever want to see all the posts so far, just click on the hashtag link.) They'll be public, and you're free to share them.

How does that sound?

First (substantive) post coming soon.