When the whole world comes to a halt – calm yourself down with some self-care.

Coronavirus is rapidly spreading across the Western hemisphere. More and more public places started closing down for the time being. Moreover, the governments of various European countries are asking their citizens to stay home and isolate themselves. Is this starting to sound like a sci-fi horror movie? 

Don’t panic

And stop hoarding toilet paper. Before we start falling into the depths of despair, let’s remind ourselves that anxiety is a strange beast. Described by feelings of tension and worry, we are typically anxious about an imminent event with an uncertain outcome. Therefore it’s easy for our brains to spin stories of panic and dread without accurate information. In order to get out of this vicious frenzy of fear – let’s focus on what we know and, most importantly, what we can do to help.

Get informed

People are spreading panic and misinformation through social media outlets, WhatsApp specifically, and world leaders are urging them to stop. To help you check your facts, this is what we know for now:

  • Covid-19 is a new strain of coronavirus that can be transferred between people drop-wise.
  • The symptoms resemble those of the flu or a common cold but range from mild to severe.
  • People over the age of 60 and immunocompromised individuals typically experience more serious symptoms.
  • In addition, there are confirmed cases of people carrying the virus but showing no symptoms at all.

To help fight the panic, avoid spreading any news you haven’t received from a reputable source (we recommend following World Health Organization & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In other words, do not spread rumors.

Go big and stay home

The goal is to slow down the spread of the virus. We want to make sure hospitals and their staff aren’t overrun. That can easily happen when the virus spreads itself too quickly across the country like it did in Italy. We also want to buy more time for scientists to develop a vaccine. Taking basic precautions like washing your hands regularly and avoiding crowded places will protect you and help slow down the spread. A great idea is to work from home if possible. Finally, staying home and chilling seems like the right thing to do. 

The world is on pause anyway

Introverts are thriving. On the other hand, a quarantine might seem like a drastic change of lifestyle to all of our extroverts out there. Turns out they both don’t have much choice. As a result of the pandemic shops, restaurants, factories, cinemas, theatres, schools, parks and malls are closing across countries. Concerts, sport events and festivals are being cancelled.

Major retailers are taking cautionary measures and temporarily closing up shops to prevent the spread of the disease. Did you know that all urban outfitters stores are closed – hipsters must be shaking.

Time for some me-time

Calm down. You can still order stuff online. Online shopping is just one of the ways to unwind and relax after a long day at home. In the wake of the virus major players are here to help you through the self-quarantine. The Metropolitan Opera is streaming operas for free and NBC Universal is renting newly released movies online.

Above all, use this opportunity to nourish your mind and body with some self-care. It could be anything from binging your favourite tv show to reorganizing your closet. For instance you could clean your fridge. Even visit museums. Write poetry. Meditate. Redecorate your apartment. Draw yourself a bath. Read a book. Dye your hair. The only limit is your imagination. Certainly don’t forget to do your skincare routine! All this end-of-the-world stress is wreaking havoc on your skin. 

Welcome to a rendition of Netflix and chill, it’s called self-quarantine and self-care.