We thought long and hard about our communication this week. Does anyone want to hear another thing about coronavirus? Does anyone really want to hear about how bad the market is and what they shoulda, woulda, coulda done? Do we have suggestions, advice, and solutions for keeping your money safe? Yes, we do, but we can talk about that in another post. We settled on talking about what is on everyone’s mind, even though we are already overwhelmed by the constant newsfeed – the coronavirus.
With this threat we are facing – there is so much misinformation that is causing confusion, panic, and distrust. There is uncertainty, fear, and concern for our personal and professional lives, our communities, our country, and our world. No one knows how long the coronavirus will be a risk, so how do we go about our daily lives when this invisible menace is lurking?
Here’s what we are doing – we are choosing to be cautious, informed, and prepared. We are keeping in contact with our clients, friends, and family, and we are talking about, seeking, and sharing best practices. We have added new routines. We don’t know if our new methods will help keep us healthy, but taking actions feels good, and it’s important not to be paralyzed by fear.
Here are some of the things we are or will be doing. We hope you pick up some new ideas and encourage you to share what you are doing with us!
- The obvious and number one thing we can do, and every expert agrees – hand washing, hand washing, hand washing! Our hands may be chapped, but boy, are they clean! We have always known the importance of washing our hands, but we think about it differently now – washing hands or using sanitizer when we get to a restaurant before eating and when we leave. Using hand sanitizer before and after shopping, getting gas, picking up food, you get the idea; basically every single time we touch something! We have Hand sanitizer everywhere – car, office, home, purse, bag, etc.
- Boosting our immune system – Taking an extra dose of Vitamin C daily, getting plenty of sleep, eating extra servings of fruits and vegetables (including mushrooms and garlic!). Avoiding stress, sipping on herbal tea with honey. Reducing alcohol consumption. Keeping Zinc on hand to take if we feel the first inkling of a cold. Getting regular exercise.
- Speaking of exercise – if you are going to the gym, wipe down machines and weights BEFORE and after working out
- Drinking water regularly – we have read and been told by medical professionals that by sipping on water throughout the day, the virus can’t build up in our esophagus, and it washes into our gut, preventing it from getting into our lungs.
- Before we go to bed, we wash our face, hands, and inside our nose. Yes, inside – again, anything to eliminate any lingering germs or viruses we may pick up during the day. Do a quick gargle – A ½ teaspoon of salt in a cup of water reduces swelling, loosen mucus and helps flush out irritants and bacteria.
- We are making hard decisions about where we go and with whom.
- No handshaking – fist bumping is in!
- We are doing the grocery shopping for Mom and encouraging her not to be out in public until we know more.
- Picking up extra food and toiletries. If you are exposed and must self-quarantine, or are choosing to social distance, it’s good to have at least a few weeks of food on hand. Think things like frozen meals, pasta, canned fruits and vegetable, peanut butter, shelf-stable dairy or milk alternative, nuts, popcorn, crackers, and cheese.
If you are in a higher risk group – over age 60, have diabetes, lupus, heart disease or are a transplant recipient take extra precautions – avoid large gatherings (malls, movie theaters, church, gyms, etc.) Keep your distance from others when out (6ft or more if possible), cancel non-essential travel, avoid public transportation.
This is not a partisan issue, and we cannot allow it to become one. We all want the same thing – which is for our families, communities, and the world to be safe and healthy. We may not agree on some of the approaches, actions, and comments being made by those in charge, and that’s why it is so important to stay informed and make our own choices and decisions. We cannot rely on someone else to tell us what we need to do.
What we do know is that we can each reduce exposure and the spread of the virus by being responsible individuals. We can help protect our communities by self-regulating our behavior, taking extra steps, and not pretending it doesn’t or won’t affect us or someone we know. We are in this together, we will face it together, and we will get through this – together.
