Getting something off my chest

By love to read · Mar 15, 2020 · ·
  1. 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!

Comments

  1. jannert
    Well, it's scary times, for sure. And it affects everybody, whether they admit it or not. Not only the virus itself, but all the economic and social repercussions as well. Life as we knew it is well and truly over.

    However, I reckon society, in general, does need a good shake-up. Complacency is a destructive force, when it turns away from trouble and allows it to build up behind the scenes. This might well be the wake-up call we needed.

    Rest assured that there is nothing you can do that you're not already doing. Find news sources (like WHO) that you trust. Stick to them, and ignore the others. By ignore, I mean don't take on board what the others are saying. Obviously you won't want to cut off your social media (if you have it) at this time. But just don't let anybody else's panic or skewed advice throw you off beam. Do what you can to help others without compromising your own safety. And wait for the wheel.

    Meantime ...there is renovation to be done. Maybe reading. And even writing? And when we emerge from this, I assume we will be a bit sadder maybe, but a lot wiser.

    Take care and all the best. Feel free to talk to us here on the forum at any time. You can PM me if you want, at any time. I'll certainly be around. :) Twiddling my thumbs....
      GrahamLewis and love to read like this.
  2. GrahamLewis
    Driving my wife to work this morning (she works in public health) the streets were so eerily quiet, like the Friday after a Thursday Christmas, not a Monday morning. The buses that we saw were almost empty. Stores around here have been very busy, but I haven't seen any crowd issues or arguments. Just this odd new world. Good to have this site.
  3. love to read
    Thank you very much for your kind words! I‘m also glad that I‘ve found this forum. Best wishes and take care!
      Richach and jannert like this.
  4. flawed personality
    I can relate to the adverse effect on mood. I've been low lately, and my last trip outside ruffled my feathers. But despite that, I haven't done any stockpiling or bought masks and such.
      love to read likes this.
  5. Richach
    We should all be mindful of one another. You have made this point very clearly. While we cannot escape the news and facts that we face, we can only do our utmost to keep family, friends and even strangers safe. Take care and remain positive for one another.
      love to read likes this.
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