5 Steps To Dethrone COVID-19
Hold A House Meeting
Many businesses have successfully transferred to online with employees who had not previously worked remotely. This is because they had a plan of action to make it work. You can do the same for your own home. Fear leads to paralysis. Hold a house meeting with everyone in your household. During the meeting assign roles and write out everyone’s “job description” with clear expectations. We feel better when we can contribute. Determining how you as a household can get through this difficult time will relieve anxiety. This is a great time to unify together and with a proper plan of execution you will be much more successful.
Strengthen Your Immune System
Those who are most at risk from COVID-19 have a weakened immune system. They may have a complex medical history that has weakened their immune system and they are unable to fight off the infection. Those who are older or develop lung complications from the infection may succumb to the disease. You can do your part to help protect yourself and improve your immune system function.
Start taking Vitamin D3 5,000IU daily with food. Vitamin D receptors are on every cell in your body and an important part of a good immune defense system.
Take a probiotic to keep your gut flora balanced which improves your immune function, aids in digestion and improves optimal brain function.
Increase your prebiotic foods. Since we are eating all our meals at home now, incorporate these foods to help support immune function: apples, garlic, asparagus, leeks, bananas (slightly unripe), Jerusalem artichoke, dandelion greens, chicory root, onions and jicama root.
Protect Your Sanctuary
Stay Home!!! This should be obvious by now but, it isn’t being followed by everyone. So many times, I had the urge to go out and just do something, anything! Then I think about all the people I could possibly be in contact with and surfaces that I would touch and knew that I have to stay home. Obviously, the government and CDC have issued several statements urging people to stay home, but many still are not following them. Many justify their outings based on their own needs, despite not fully knowing how their selfishness can impact one of their neighbors. For many of us this us a huge inconvenience and are worried about our financial security. For others they just lost a loved one and are planning a funeral. One family in NJ has lost three family members in less than 48 hours due to the Coronavirus. Find ways to deal with your boredom and STAY HOME!
Plan Your Must Do Outings- Make a plan of who will do the shopping to limit multiple people leaving the house unnecessarily.
Don’t bring germs inside- If you must leave the house for food or medication, have a protocol for when you get home. Leave your shoes outside and once inside immediately go to the bathroom, remove your clothes and shower. Put your clothes in the washing machine and wash with hot water.
Sanitize for safety- when you do bring groceries inside have a designated place to put them on your counter, clean the containers before placing them in the fridge, sanitize the counters and remove the bags from your home.
Mail- the mail will continue to be delivered and all the post offices are following very strict protocols. You can do your part to not increase the rate of infection by not bringing any junk mail into the house. Look at it before you walk back inside, place any unwanted mail items in a bag and dispose of in the recycle or garbage. You can even take all the mail out of the envelopes that you do want and place in a separate bag to bring in the house. Wash your hand immediately when you get back inside.
Realize that you may be in mourning
The most challenging thing about the situation was how quickly it progressed from cancelling sporting events to schools being closed, bars and nightclubs closing for 30 days and restaurants only being able to provide take out. Some states are experiencing their cities in full lock down. In less than a week we went from our daily normal routines to everything being uprooted.
I woke up in the morning yesterday and said to myself “Is this really my reality”? It was a complete shock to my system and it took a toll on my emotional state at first. I can’t see my friends, go to my gym, meet people out for dinner, volunteer or work remotely at my favorite Kava place down the street. I can’t hug anyone or shake hands; I miss those connections deeply and I am unsure when it will return back to normal. Just acknowledging this was a huge step in coming to terms with my new reality and identifying ways I can thrive. The shock began to wear off and I started recognizing that there are several things I can control and to focus on that, rather than live in fear.
Don’t Panic (and Know Where Your Towel Is)
You will reflect back on this time in your life years later. What is the story that you want to share? I was in panic mode for weeks, I binged ate and gained 20lbs? Or I took my power back and made some changes to my lifestyle that I still do today? So many Americans feel that they lack the time to do the things they want to improve their life. They want to cook more, be more active, spend more time with family, learn to meditate. This is the perfect time to start those things. This is the proverbial “rainy day.” Start a morning routine that gets you in the right mindset for the day. Make a schedule for yourself and leave some room to just think. No distractions, TV or social media. This is an unprecedented time and there is no doubt going to be some amazing inventions, ideas and movements that come from it. Will you be one of those leaders? Do you know where your towel is?
