Due to the Coronavirus disease they try to minimize the contact between people in my part of Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia) now. The result is a temporary closure of a variety of institutions, cultural and otherwise (for example museums, cinemas and theatres, bars and night clubs). Schools and universities are closed, too. Supermarkets, pharmacies and everything you really need are open.
It’s a logical step and I’d be at home most of the time anyway, since the term hasn’t started yet (and won’t until the 21 th April). So, I’m wondering why all these measures are making me so anxious. Even with the restrains my actual life isn’t drastically constraint. Yet I’ve been sitting here the whole day (even before the temporary closures were published), snapping at everyone and – to be honest – crying a bit now and then.
Even at the best of times I’m not the most relaxed person on earth. Knowing this, I made a plan. Don’t panic, get the necessary information from the WHO or the RKI (Robert-Koch Institute), follow the advises to avoid infection and you’ll be fine. The WHO has even a leaflet how you can cope with your worries in this situation (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public). One of the advises was to talk about the whole thing with people who are close to you.
Well, there the problems start. My mom panics because she is worried about me and my sister, and my sister sucks in every information she can get and worries about me and my mom. My worries are that I might infect one of them. Whenever we talk about the situation it ends in a catastrophe, there are a lot of misunderstandings and I’m even more nervous than before.
Meanwhile outside, there is the whole panic buying thing (though I guess the worst of it is over and we have enough TP) and some people are acting strange and mean. In my city were several thefts of disinfectant in hospitals. There were even threats against Chinese restaurants. These incidents were – at least in my opinion – scarier than the real virus.
Even if you restrict yourself to the side of the WHO you can’t avoid the bunch of “news” which aren’t news (e.g. the ones that pop up when you open the site of your e-mail provider) or the ads for overpriced face masks and protective suits (at least when you don’t have an ad blocker).
So, what to do now?
Well, after writing all this down I feel a lot better already. Tomorrow I’ll start the master plan I developed today, which covers things that are useful and necessary like tidying up and perhaps even renovating (I already have the paint and everything I need) and things for fun like reading, writing or just watching Netflix, hoping it will help me to relax a bit.
I’ll keep an eye on the site of the WHO and other sites which provide real information, but I’ll stay away from sites and newspapers, where the “information” is based on speculation. In my opinion the media have a responsibility especially in difficult times, and articles written by authors who sacrifice this responsibility for a sensational headline, aren’t helpful.
And finally, that I can’t do a couple of things I might or might not have done under different circumstances is one thing. But whether I really feel restricted (in a bad and scary way) is another story.
Hope this makes any sense. Anyway, thanks for reading, good night and take care!
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