Raise your hand if you would like to hit the reset button on 2020…*raises hand.* As if the death of Kobe wasn’t enough, we are currently facing an unprecedented time in the US and the world. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last few weeks, you’ve heard of the COVID-19 virus that has caused a pandemic we haven’t seen since the early 1900s when the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic killed 50 million people. With all the information on the internet, it can be hard to find a reliable source that paints an accurate picture of just what we’re facing now and the immediate future. If you have 30 minutes, I found this article to be both informative and honest about what we can expect. It shows that this thing is going to have exponential growth based on the cases we’ve seen in China and Italy. Since we have limited testing in the US today, the true number of cases is much higher than the reported cases we’re seeing in the news. I don’t mean to scare you, but when you hear a confirmed number of cases, you can multiply that number by a 25-30x factor to estimate the true number of cases. For example, LA county currently has 55 confirmed cases which put the true number anywhere between 1,375-1,650 cases. That might not seem like a lot, but the vast majority of those cases are going undetected and who knows how many people are being infected from there; see how we get to exponential growth…? I’ve been thinking about what we can do both as a community and country as well as individually to help curb the growth of this crisis we’re entering.

What we can do as a community

Stay calm and exercise common sense

Hearing the stories of people flocking to the market and department stores to stock up on of all things, toilet paper…? I don’t know where this came from but it just seems ridiculous if you ask me. I didn’t know people cared so much about having a clean butt but now I know. Maybe people are seeing empty shelves and thinking that they need that item to survive this crisis. I understand we’re living in a very unstable and uncertain time but at the same time, we also need to take a step back and exercise some common sense. Be proactive but practical, please.

Follow the advice from authorities to prevent the spread of this virus

Sports, schools, group events have all been put on hold for the time being as we try to navigate this pandemic. We must work together as a community and country to put a pause on life temporarily to prevent lives from being lost. The precautions and proactive steps we take today can help save hundreds, if not thousands of lives. We need to take this crisis seriously to get things back to ‘normal’ as soon as we can.

What we can do individually

Take care of ourselves by staying active and connected to loved ones

It’s imperative that we keep our physical and mental health a top priority during these uncertain times. The more negative stress we experience, the weaker our immune system becomes, which in turn can increase the chances of contracting the virus. It’s easier said than done but try to find things that help you relax and relieve stress. Connect with loved ones, have face to face conversations and let them express how they’re feeling without judgment. We need each other more than ever and we can do this by showing each other a little kindness and compassionate.

Find productive ways to learn, grow, and be a better person         

Forcing us to stay home and enjoy our own company can be different for a lot of people, especially if you’re used to being out and about on the weekends. We can take this opportunity to catch up on some reading, reflect on where you are in your life and where you want to be after we get out of this crisis, or learn a new skill/language (my plan). Although most of us don’t want to be forced to stay home, we can see this as an opportunity to do some work on ourselves.

What we can learn from this pandemic

What really matters in life

Without your health, both mental and physical, what do you have? We have to come together to help each other to get through this. Helping your fellow human in any possible way will help alleviate the anxiety we are all feeling right now. We need to put our pride, ego, and status aside to work together not only as a country but as a human race. Working with countries around the world to learn from what worked and didn’t work can go a long way in saving lives here in the US.

Overreacting to public health crisis like these is better than waiting before it’s too late

The somber news from one of the top doctors in the country recommends that we enter a 2-week mandatory shut down for the entire country and from everything I’ve read, I believe this is the best and smartest decision to quell this crisis and save thousands of lives. The discomfort and inconvenience those two weeks would far outweigh the damage that would be done if we continue to live as though this crisis isn’t serious. The leadership from the White House is not doing the country any favors as the POTUS is downplaying the severity of the situation and taking no responsibility for any of this. I will stop here because of the anger that boils up when I think about our ‘president.’

A lot of things going on now are out of our control. There are a few things that we are always in control of that can help us through this.

Our attitude

It can be hard to keep a positive and optimistic outlook with all the news but keeping a positive and optimistic attitude will only help us through this crisis.

How we treat others (ourselves included)

More than ever, we need to show kindness and compassion to others if we want to get through this and back to our normal lives.

The next 3-4 months are going to be different with constant change as we learn more about this virus. Change is hard for everyone, especially when it affects every aspect of our lives. The only thing we can do is control what we can and make sure we are contributing to the solution and not adding to the problem. My prayers and thoughts are with those affected by this pandemic and I hope for a speedy recovery. Peace, love, and health! ❤

QOTP: “A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.” -Joyce Meyer