Back when Covid-19 was still more commonly called the Corona Virus and there were no cases in the United States, I got in the habit of reading every news update with my morning coffee after I dropped the kids off at school.
Once it hit the U.S., my “morning read everything” routine had escalated at a similar rate to the virus and I found myself hitting refresh on the NY Times interactive map a hundred times a day. I would leave the table from dinner and check the map before I loaded the dishwasher.
Once the virus hit my hometown and two schools (not mine, yet) closed for cleaning… well, I knew I needed an intervention.
I had been keeping my phone in my pocket, panicking when I switched laundry and realized it was on the counter downstairs and WHAT IF THE SCHOOLS CLOSED RIGHT NOW AND I FORGET TO LOOK!?. It became a constant fear that I would be away from my phone and miss THE call.
But I’ve found a solution – I’m wearing my Garmin running watch all day. I inherited the fancy pants Forerunner 735XT from Greg when he upgraded his for one that was even better at counting indoor swimming laps. I was thrilled to have my heartbeat on my wrist for workouts, and it was kind of neat that I could see text messages or incoming calls I received while running without digging my phone out.
“Kind of neat” has become “essential for keeping my cool” because now I can wear my watch and know that it doesn’t matter if my phone is on the counter downstairs or tucked into a jacket pocket at the grocery store, my wrist will vibrate if I have an incoming call. If school is canceled, I won’t miss it.
No more checking the phone every time I walk back into the room.
This has lightened my mental load considerably. I can even wear it in the shower. If I need to get a kid from school, I will know.
Now for tackling my desire to refresh the US Covid-19 map every three minutes. First of all, the map doesn’t update every three minutes. So I figured out that my state updates their Covid-19 case report at 4:00 p.m. every day. My town sends out a Covid-19 policy announcement update at 5:00 p.m. I now check all the news at 5:30 to see what’s happening for the day, knowing that if it involves school closings, I’ll most likely get an automated phone call on my watch before it even hits the news.
Other things I’ve done to stay calm are to focus on my sphere of influence, what I can vs. what I cannot control, and to get news and medical advice from reputable sources like the CDC.
I can wash my hands regularly and try not to touch my face. I can keep my kids and myself home if we display any signs of illness. I can stock my pantry with staples that would allow us to self-quarantine.
I can reach out to people in a more vulnerable demographic and make sure they know I’m willing to run errands for them if they want to avoid public spaces or pick up their grandchildren from school.
I can cancel non-essential gatherings and make jokes about drinking alone that get quoted by my local news source.
I cannot change the president’s response to the crisis or people’s statements on social media that either veer callously toward disregard and endangerment of our vulnerable population or the other way toward panic and hysteria.
But I can limit my social media time and take long breaks from it.
Exercise has helped there, too. You can’t Facebook or Tweet while you’re Zwifting!
I’m lucky to have a bike trainer and a treadmill set up at home so I can avoid the gym. But if you’re in an area where social distancing could help prevent the spread of the virus, you can use youtube or one of the many great fitness apps out there to do your yoga or workout at home. I use Aaptiv for their core workouts and yoga, but find one you like, and don’t forget that the great outdoors is the original gym.
Wherever you are, I hope you stay well and find ways to balance your desire to remain up-to-date with information without immersing yourself full time in obsessive clicking on Covid maps or scrolling through people’s Facebook posts on whether the schools should close or why they should even worry since they’re only 45.
Have a cup of tea, do what’s in your power to help yourself and your community prepare, and get your news from reliable sources like the CDC and not viral posts “from a doctor”. Limit your alcohol intake and boost your immunity with lots of leafy greens and whole, plant-based foods.
Buy enough toilet paper for a few weeks, not a few years, so you’re contributing to preparedness and not creating shortages.
Be the awesome, motivated, thoughtful person runners so often are.
Wishing you the best. Stay well!
Kelly
I love your take on all of this! Thanks for the humor and common sense.