Right now, things are weird. I have learned so many things about people in the last week and I feel that some of it needs to be put into writing. If not for documentation purposes in our current situation and how the COVID 19 pandemic is being handled, than for my own thoughts to gather up and understand.

Here are some of the truths about the human existence in this pandemic:

Fear fuels more fear

Fear can grow and with fear people tend to react. When you tell someone not to panic or to calm down, that makes it worse. This might be your own projections of what is happening which fertilizes more panic. There are so many frantic misinformed posts and slices of information about the pandemic that may or may not be true which also feeds fear. Please make sure all information is from a reputable source or maybe let people inform themselves. Our days of social media, false information and rumors are huge impediments to keeping people informed correctly. If you want to stay informed, go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html or https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Sharing your opinion is not necessary or productive

All people are going to handle our current situation in their own way. Even though you may think people should take precautions like you are taking precautions, no matter what you say, they will make their own personal decisions. Weighing in on their protocol or how they are taking care of their village when you are not in their circumstance brings on personal anxiety for everyone.

Give everyone ample slack, we are all going through emotions

Whether you are putting out fires at work because of the pandemic or getting all of your events cancelled, emotions are high for everyone. All people are trying to get through this. Give people space (literally) and slack. Be kind and please, for everyone’s sake, try to understand that we are all in this together. Maybe allow yourself about 20 minutes everyday to feel the angry, scared, sad, frustrated and then … go clean something or do schoolwork, take a walk, workout, something positive and productive. It will help.

Maybe give social media and news a time-out?

A major piece of this puzzle I have learned for myself and one of the main ways I am keeping my thoughts, opinions, and actions in check is to trust myself and find the correct information to make an informed decision. The amount of incorrect news, rumors and social media posts that are out there will affect my emotions and make the anxiety spike to an all time high. I try to give myself some breathing room and not believe all of the information out there. Staying off platforms where people tend to rant, has helped.

Support your local economy if you can

Small businesses will suffer and our economy needs us to try to stay as healthy as possible while we weather this storm. If you can, buy local. A little support goes a long way.

Be honest about your own current health

This is paramount to the flattening of the curve. If you are sick, call your doctor, and get tested. Stay home.

This too, shall pass

I remember when President Ronald Reagan was shot. I was eight. The challenger explosion, they wheeled out the television cart in my high school commons. My wedding. The birth of both of my daughters, etched in my brain. Diana’s death. OJ Simpson in the white blazer. 9/11, My sister called me at work and we watched everything unfold and collapse over the phone. There are many instances that shape who we are. It is how we handle them that makes us human. We will get through this. We will learn from this. This too, shall pass, and we will survive it. Maybe changed for the better. Yes, changed forever.

We will remember

This one will be hard to forget. It will be one for the history books and will, on a positive note, bring about some unprecedented change to our health care, economic, alert, and travel systems. Most of all humans will prevail.