144. Self Care during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

Why I choose to stay calm during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Amidst all of the anxiety and stress with the coronavirus I decided to discuss what I am doing to keep my sanity.  First, I follow the WHO and CDC recommendations for preparedness and health protocols.   Second, I do not watch the news cycle.  I listen to a couple of podcasts with updates in the morning (The Daily, Up First) and then see if there are any updates for my county.  This takes a maximum of 20 minutes.  I do not watch or listen to any other news all day.  Occasionally I will check towards the end of the day for an update from the Florida government. Not surprisingly, I have never missed any major update by limiting my news intake.  What I do avoid is extra stress, high blood pressure, headaches, anxiety, and frustration. I do not need any extra stress in my life.  I am very fortunate to live the life I do.  I wake up and do what I love (mostly).  I teach kung fu at night and in the day I work on keeping the Wah Lum System going.  On occasion, I record podcasts too.  😉 This is definitively a pandemic that will continue to effect the world.  I am not denying that this is a bad situation.  I am not denying that we are all at risk.  What I am denying, is allowing this crisis to affect my mental health. Ryan Holiday’s  book on Stoicism,  The Daily Stoic, has really helped me with my mindfulness and thought process.   My takeaway from this book was that the only thing we can control is how we react to our thoughts.  We can’t even control our thoughts at times, but the way we react to them is what we can control.  Do I feel anxious, frustrated, afraid, and crazy right now?  Sure? The world is practically on fire! In December, amidst the COVID-19 outbreak in China, we foresaw that this was going to be a worldwide issue.  I have friends who traveled to Asia and returned to the US with no checks at the airport… when they told me that, I knew – that’s it, it’s already here.   Yes, I’ve been upset at how slowly and ill prepared the US government has been in response to this outbreak.  Should the US have started more aggressive testing earlier?  Should we have started awareness campaigns about social distancing and safety earlier?  Yes… What can I do about it?  Only my part.  Prepare my school, support my family, and focus on my mental health.  If I can’t keep it together, how will I be able to help anyone around me? These past few weeks have escalated in unprecedented ways.  Everyone will react in their own way, and everyone has a right to react in their own way.  I’ve learned through teaching that everyone has their own outlets and ways of dealing with conflict, and I respect that.