When news stories started to emerge about this virus, at first I was not overly concerned. I like to get the facts , look at the bigger picture and decide how I will react to this. However, when governments started to lock down everything, I began to realize there is more to this than meets the eye. Governments do not usually do this, but something was very different about his situation and we needed to take it seriously. When all populations, irregardless of country are being restricted this is not good. Now I know all about conspiracy theorists and people are still doubting to this day the serious nature of this virus. However until we can accurately and easily diagnose and treat this we are still in danger. Yes, we have flu epidemics every year but this time it is a totally different strain, not easily identified.

Laboratories are working overtime, to get proper testing and vaccines in place. Situations like this take time to develop and get a handle on. We have to face the reality that it may be many months, if not longer before we go back to the way it was.

Human populations are used to their freedom and this is testing all boundaries, relationships and families in an unprecedented way.

Personally, I am always there for my friends, but now its not just text messaging, its phone calls lasting hours, as many of my personal friends are having a hard time dealing with the isolation, lonliness, and fear of what is going to happen in the future. Many people I know may lose their livlihood, jobs and security. It is the reality.

COPING SUGGESTIONS

In order to balance this situation and try and cope I recommend limiting time online.

Start sharing how you feel, if you have someone at home. Talk to them.

If you are alone, I encourage you to write in a notebook, just write it down, get it out of your mind. Share your feelings.

Do try and do as much walking or any exercise that will keep you busy as your body needs to move more.

Put music on and dance.

Clean out the cupboards and get them organized. Make sure the foods stored in you kitchen have the proper dates on them. Discard if they have expired.

This is an opportunity to do the things you have been putting off to do in your house. Get it done.

If you have books in your house reread them. Decide if you wish to keep them or donate them when you are able to .

Clean through those closets and drawers.

If you have hobbies work on them.

Breathe. Learn to meditate. It takes practice and there are lots of great meditation videos online that will help you learn to relax.

Push away all negative thoughts.

Phone your friends, put the addictive screens away.

Most importantly, share your love, say the words to those you love. Give more hugs and be more patient.

**If you want to share, reach out to your community to see if there is an online group you could join.**

Think positively, you are still living, be grateful.

UPDATE

We are still in lock down, 9 months of global lock downs. Are things seeming a bit weird to you? I am not a rocket scientist, but something just doesn’t seem logical here? When you look around and small businesses and stores that have been around for years are starting to go out of business. Something is just not adding up. Never in 7 decades since the end of World War II have things been this restrictive… it just spells conspiracy to me, many are calling it genocide. Businesses are closing, our large chain stores are gradually disappearing. It seems everything is going online. When maybe a few thousand people hold all the wealth in the world, hmm. does that say something to me? Who is holding a gun to the head of our governments as we continue to lose businesses and no one seems to care? The government only has so much money and its easy for them to say oh, we will help you out but in the end are we the people not the ones who will pay? How many more people will have no where to go to live? People are losing jobs, livelihoods and maybe their homes. There are not enough places for people to live now that they can afford so are we looking at an even larger population of homeless people? I am a saddened by a world suddenly in the grip of madness. I understand precautions are in order but we have become a population paralyzed in fear, but are the numbers just smokescreen for something more sinister?