“My husband works for the government. They make stuff for federal buildings, so they aren’t close unless things get rlly bad. Keep his health in your prayers. Rlly scary the idea of him working during this time.”
She has two small kids. One of them has been in and out of the hospital since he was born. Her husband has a steady job, but things are always tight. And so, the message above landed in my inbox. She continued:
“Any idea how to disinfect work boots?”
She is scared. Feeling helpless in a world suddenly changed and filled with invisible danger, possibly even carried by the person who has always been her rock and safe place. How to navigate this? Is living well even possible? What can we do?
The Battle of the Mind
Coronavirus has an affinity for the lungs. But fear attacks the mind and is far more prevalent.
Fear hijacks our emotions and takes out our immune systems. Viruses may attack organs and bodies, but the greater battle is fought in the mind.
Let’s start there, with the mind and how to win this battle.
Your brain is locked up inside your skull, with no direct access to the outside world. All information that comes to the brain must come in through the five senses. The eyes and ears, especially. In other words, eyes and ears are gateways to the brain. Gateways that you have some control over.
The first and most important step in winning the battle of the mind is to take back possession of the gates.
Recognize that fear is an enemy. Facts are friends. Post guards at the gates of the eyes and ears, and refuse access to all fear, even if it masquerades as common sense.
Recognize that mainstream media is fear-driven. Shut it off. Bar the gates. Instead, welcome facts. Here is a short list of online resources that are (mostly) factual, and which I use.
Use with discretion, and don’t be afraid to throw out any that are infected with the virus of fear.
Map hosted by Johns Hopkins, tracks number of active cases, cumulative totals including number recovered.
OurWorldInData provides one of the most meticulously accurate and carefully researched databases, with sufficient attention to the nuances.
World Health Organization Be aware that this is a politicized organization; but still some decent stats and info.
WGAL is the local news station where I live. I prefer to use their app on my phone instead of the website. You can find a comparable station for your area.
Live updates from the White House
And that’s about it.
I use these resources to stay updated, but deliberately avoid spending a lot of time filling my mind with news (even factual news) about tragedy.
Instead, I deliberately fill my mind with inspiration, creativity, and hope. Like this pandemic playlist on YouTube. In fact, go ahead and open it in another tab, and come back to read the rest of this. I’ll wait.
Living Well
But, what can I do?
Humans are hard-wired to fix stuff. Guys, especially, but many women too. And even if we can’t fix the pandemic, it is helpful to have things to do.
And there are many things that aren’t just busywork, things that actually make a difference.
Wash your hands. This is simple and basic. Handwashing is still the single most important and easiest way to prevent infection. You don’t need any sort of fancy soap. Just make sure to wash thoroughly and for at least 20 seconds.
If you know you’ve been exposed (or have a high likelihood), launder your clothes when you return home. Regular laundering is all that is needed. Hang clothes in the sun to dry, if possible. Shower, including a shampoo, before touching family members.
Use a mask. I scoffed a bit at the mask-wearers, at first. But there is more and more evidence that even a simple mask can help protect against flying droplets. Please, please leave the N95 masks for the healthcare workers! Use a homemade cloth mask, if you don’t have any others on hand. Launder and reuse.
There are a multitude of patterns available for making fabric masks. Here is one example, and you can easily find others.
Use Clorox™ wipes to disinfect surfaces. This is the official recommendation for healthcare. Use it in your home too. But remember to protect your skin and wash your hands immediately after using a wipe.
If you can’t find wipes in the store, mix up a solution of ½ to ¾ cup bleach to 1 gallon of cool water. Wipe surfaces with this mixture, let sit for 5 minutes, then rinse and air dry. Again, wash your hands after using to remove the bleach residue from your skin.
Take pure Vitamin C by mouth. There are promising results from using Vitamin C intravenously, at higher doses than can be taken orally. But you may be able to prevent the need for hospitalization if you practice good preventive and supportive care at home. For most people, up to 1,000 mg once or twice daily is well tolerated. If you begin to have loose stools, then you know that you have reached bowel tolerance and need to back down the dosage a little.
Make real food a priority. It is easy to default to comfort food, and some of that is okay, just for mental health. But don’t allow yourself a steady diet of prepackaged and fast food. Eat lots of onions, garlic, ginger, and other spices and herbs, and load up on fresh veggies and greens.
Get out and move. Sunshine is good for you. And it’s an all-natural disinfectant. Fresh air is good for lung health (unless the pollen count is high, so use discretion), improves mood, and helps stave off depression.
Finally, learn about herbal remedies. Red Moon Herbs has put together a very good resource, with lots of alternatives listed. This store is not currently (early April 2020) able to take online orders, but their resource will help you figure out what to find locally, either in health food stores and herbal shops, or by foraging. (A note on foraging: Be very sure that you know what you are harvesting. Only a fool ingests something without 100% certainty. If you aren’t sure, don’t use it!) Herbs are at their best for prevention and early treatment, so don’t wait to start until you are very sick.
THIS LISTING IS NOT A CURE ALL OR A MAGIC BULLET TO PROTECT YOU. These are common sense steps to lower the risk. Please consult your doctor or healthcare professional before taking any product.