Living With Uncertainty and the Coronavirus

I have kept pretty quiet since writing my last blog about my travel to Cuba. The trip I took was four weeks ago and honestly feels like four years ago with how much has changed since I returned.

The trip was invigorating and I had planned to launch my new business upon my return. I had been working on a new website and the legal formation of the business and was excited to begin a new chapter which I have been working towards for quite some time. And then everything came to a screeching halt.

In just one short week, the market has crashed, and working from home has become the norm. Restaurants and stores have closed and most of us are in a form of self-quarantine. I keep feeling like I am in an episode of “24” which is something I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams.

As I reflect on how I feel, I realize there are some eerie similarities to getting diagnosed with cancer. Anyone who has heard the words “you have cancer” knows that life as you know it changes in a nanosecond and you must make adjustments. The hardest part after my diagnosis was dealing with uncertainty.

“Has the cancer spread? Will I need chemotherapy or radiation? Will the treatments make me really sick? Can I still work? What if I catch something when my immune system is suppressed? “Can I go to that wedding next month or even to the movie theater? Will I die? The questions that go through your mind are endless.

You learn you have to put many of life’s activities on hold. You need to readjust constantly based on how your treatments are going and your immune system is responding. I always give advice to people to stay in the present and try as hard as you can to not let your mind go further.

So, back to COVID-19. We are all in that zone of shock, readjustment, uncertainty and fear. It is starting to sink in that we may be in this for the long haul. There may be more surprises along the way and what we do know to be true is life will not be normal next week or even the week after. Given this, it is important to readjust for now and find ways to create a new normal which will help us cope.

Writing this blog often makes me accountable and so this exercise is as much for me as it is for you. Here are some of the strategies I will commit to employing going forward.

Protect my emotional well-being. Nurture my physical self.

Stress can wreak havoc on your body. In addition to the fear of getting sick, many are faced with new economic challenges causing tremendous stress as well. Stress can wreak havoc on your body and make you more susceptible to getting sick. It is important now to stay physically strong.

I have personally found the news cycle to be overwhelming. Newspapers, television, and social media stories of COVID-19 are saturating our lives. Yes, we need to be vigilant about educating ourselves and taking precautions not to contribute to the spread of disease but we have to balance all of that with what we can handle emotionally. For me, it is a bit like passing a horrific car accident. I tell myself not to look, but I find myself looking and not turning away. My day is saturated with news and then before I go to bed I find myself reading my favorite periodical on my iPad. Every story is about COVID-19 and each one is more and more disturbing. I turn off the lights and my mind is racing with questions, causing fear and not being able to fall asleep.

Sleep is critical to our well-being. From now on I will read a book (which has nothing to do with the Coronavirus) before bed. I will intentionally limit my news coverage.

Exercise is not only good for our physical state but also our mental state. Weather permitting I have committed myself to get outside and walking which has always been therapeutic for me.

I can continue my Barre workouts by logging in and taking classes online which many outfits are offering.

Eating well is equally important to supporting our immune system. We all have loaded up on food and now that we are quarantined we may be eating more and eating not as well. It can catch up on you quickly if you aren’t careful. I am focused on healthy eating and trying to stay on course as I had before this epidemic.

Meditation

If you haven’t tried meditation yet there are many apps out there to help guide you. I practice breathing as part of my Barre routine and find it very helpful.

Keep a routine

Admittedly, I have not really been overly productive in the last week. It is easy to get distracted and almost paralyzed by the news. For me, a routine helps keep me on track. I have talked to many people who now have children at home and I can only imagine the challenges they face. Some have found that setting routines with schedules has helped them develop a new sense of normalcy.

Stay connected with friends and family

Technology has really helped us on this front. It is important not to feel isolated during this time. I have seen so many creative ways people are staying connected and it is really cool! Virtual happy hours, yoga sessions and so many other ways to connect face-to-face with technology. Each day I carve out time to connect with my friends near and far.

Facebook can be such a wonderful way to stay connected and I hope we can start sharing items that make us smile, and make us laugh rather than sharing and recycling news stories that cause more angst and fear. Again, it is a balancing act trying to keep our friends informed and safe and causing more anxiety. Anxiety can sneak up on us when we least expect it and I do believe it can be cumulative. Remember, we all react differently. We may feel we can handle all the media coming at us and then physical symptoms can appear indicating maybe it is all too much.

Keep it all in perspective. Keep fear in check.

Yes, these are scary times. We are faced with an intruder none of us has ever seen before. The hardest part is the fear that comes from uncertainty.

I remind myself though of how much I have come through when faced with health challenges. If I do get the virus I may have some uncomfortable days but the likelihood of serious complications is not high. There were times when I was going through chemotherapy treatments when my blood counts were so low and the risk of infection was so high that a simple infection could cause my death. And I made it through. I have been sick many times with the flu, stomach bugs, food poisoning and many, many bad colds that have made me miserable. But I have gotten through.

There are statistics flying all over the place about how many of us will get sick. For now, I look at the overall numbers.

This is not a guarantee I won’t get COVID-19 or that something bad couldn’t happen to me. But it does help me keep things in perspective. What I can control like hand washing, social distancing and taking care of my body are what I will focus on. I will urge my older relatives who are at higher risk to do the same. In the end, there is only so much I can control but I can control the volume button on the news I take in. And overall it is best to take this one day at a time. This is what I know today. As the situation changes I can readjust but jumping to worst-case scenarios, into the unknown causes stress, at least for me.

My new normal has started and I will forge ahead with my plans of launching my new business, even though it may pose some challenges and be a little different than I thought. Stay tuned.

What changes will you make to help you get through this uncertain time?

Stay well, my friends.