In every challenge lies an opportunity to grow. As we face the spread of Corona Virus, we each need to decide how we will cope with this deadly disease.

We can ignore it.
To ignore this pandemic is to callously decide to endanger not only our own health, but the health of everyone with whom we come into contact.

We can worry, escalate our fear to paranoid proportions, and hoard.
When we choose this option, the stress makes our bodies much more open and vulnerable to not only corona virus, but to other bacterial and viral infections. We also become more susceptible to depression. Racing out to stores and buying up more of everything or anything than we need, we then force others to do without while we increase our own stress by spending money we can’t afford to spend for things we don’t really need or don’t really need that much of. (NOTE: Toilet paper doesn’t keep you from getting corona virus. Although, the hoarding of toilet paper seems to be a worldwide obsession.)

Or:
We can evaluate our personal position with regards to money, food, other necessities, and income. After an evaluation, we can then make lists of what we need to do to address our personal issues and prioritize that list.
Some of the things that need evaluation are:
–Medical issues/prescriptions
–Money–what we have on hand, in accounts, and income that may be affected by the virus, such as our jobs. What bills are coming due? Can we pay less on those bills and thereby keep more money on hand for other necessities?
–Food. What food do we have on hand, what foods do we need that will keep for indefinite periods of time? What kind of meals can we prepare that are healthy and tasty? Have we also stocked up on a FEW treats? Comfort food has been found to help people during times of stress. Just don’t overdo it! Or you could negatively impact your health.
–If we have children, what can we do to entertain them while they are housebound? How can we continue their education while the system is disrupted?
–If we have elders that are not living with us, how can we insure that they continue to have enough to eat? That they can pay for necessary things such as prescriptions, food, heat, and so forth? How can we check up on them to be certain that they are not in need of medical interventions? This is especially true of elders who are not connected via social media.
–Because we are human, we are also social creatures. How can we continue making necessary social connections during this time of social distancing? Can we phone? Email? Facebook? When we network, we lessen our feelings of isolation and often relieved depression. We can kick ideas back and forth.
–Others also need us. What can we do to reach out, safely, to others in our community that may need physical assistance; who may be living alone and feeling the pinch of isolation?
Facebook is wonderful. We can share thoughts, ideas, and encouragement. Reach out to others to let them know we are all in this together. Use it wisely! Do not spread rumors. Fact check what you put out there.

Once we make these lists, we can make and prioritize our actions. One of our actions may be to write up a menu for the next week. Begin that project you’ve been putting off because you’ve been too busy. Start a garden. Phone an elder to do a health and wellness check.
Of course, no list is going to help us make it through these troubled times if we don’t take action. Action increases our feelings of control and well being. So ask yourself—what actions am I going to take today in response to the CoVid-19 Challenge?

Some more things to do:

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