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| Health workers in Spain (AP) |
One of the casualties of this disease is our state of mind. There is panic in the air. Which is reflected by the panic buying at grocery stores of things like toilet paper (of all things). That and the fear over the direction of the economy is enough to make just about everyone panic. On top of that there is anxiety over how long this will last!
The mental health of all of us is at stake. It is unhealthy to be in a constant state of anxiety. Which is hard not to do when there is wall to wall coverage of the coronavirus by the entire media establishment. (I have been guilty of that too.) The constant dire warnings from government and public health officials about what’s coming is enough to make perfectly sane people go mad! So I thought some good news is in order.
Yes, the disease can be deadly and is a lot more contagious than the flu. BUT… for the vast majority of those under 60, that are healthy – if you contract the virus the disease is generally pretty mild. It eventually passes without too much suffering. I heard one expert say that in most cases the degree of suffering is even less than that of the flu!
A vaccine has been developed that is now going through human testing. (Although it is still about a year away from being approved.)
The stock market is up (for now).
The stock market is up (for now).
And if there is anything positive about the community panic, it is that most of us are practicing social distancing. That will ‘flatten the curve’. Meaning that there should not be the sudden spike in coronavirus cases that countries like Italy (and more recently Spain ) have experienced. That will make the increase in a lot more manageable and more lives will this be saved.
Perhaps the best news of all is the following form AP:
Perhaps the best news of all is the following form AP:
Just one new case was confirmed in Wuhan, the Hubei provincial capital where the illness was first detected in late December.
They must be doing something right (which If I understand correctly has to do mostly with social distancing). We ought to be following their example. Who knows? Maybe we can get out of this with a lot less damage than everyone is predicting… if we stay the course and remain vigilant about it.
In the meantime we must remain calm in the face of adversity. If for no other reason than to remain sane. While we need to stay informed we also need not over-focus on this issue.
The change in our daily lives and anxiety about the future is real. We need to be distracted. Distraction will help keep us sane. Which means not constantly reading every article or listening to every broadcast on the issue. One or two times per day ought to be enough. Once in the morning and once in the evening. The rest of the time should be spent in other pursuits that are as far away from this issue as possible.
Torah study is perhaps the best distraction. Not to mention the fact that it is a Mitzvah which brings us great merit in the eyes of God. It doesn’t really matter so much these days how knowledgeable one is in order to benefit from Torah study. There are Shiurim galore on the internet for any level of proficiency in a variety of Torah topics.
Spend some quality time with your children - perhaps by playing some board games.
Read a book.
Listen to some music.
Watch a TV drama or comedy.
Listen to some music.
Watch a TV drama or comedy.
Download a movie that does not have inappropriate content. (Such as this year’s Oscar nominated film ‘1917’. Or the one from a couple of years ago, ‘Hidden Figures’.)
Doing any one of these - or any combination of them - will surely leave us with a healthier state of mind. And that will surely contribute to our physical health as well. We need to do it if we are to come out of this not only physically healthy but mentally healthy.
Be vigilant – but stay calm. That is my message, today. Barring any surprises I hope to be changing the subject entirely tomorrow.