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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.

My way may not be the right way for everyone, but it is the right way for me.  

I choose to continue to work on my mental health.  This includes: daily meditation, eating well, ‘trying’ to get enough sleep, exercising, limiting social media, trying to mitigate those around me that want to panic, and practicing daily gratitude.

That is my routine.  Routine helps me keep balance.  I am not successful all the time.  I struggle like everyone else, but the act of trying to keep that balance (like meditation) helps keeps me sane. 

I get angry.  I get frustrated.  Meditation doesn’t always work…but constantly working on these areas of improvement has allowed me to take a step back and observe the crazy around me versus participate in it.

At the end of the day, It all depends on who you want to be.  If you prefer to be anxious and afraid, that is your choice.  I would kindly ask that you do not spread it to others, just like the virus, it is contagious.  

I choose to be calm.  Does it always work?  No.  As a control freak, I am the first to tell you that I do not like things out of my control!  So what do I do?  Focus on what I can control.

Last Friday my sister had to go to the hospital for recurring complications related to her condition (no, she didn’t have coronavirus).  I had to stay there for a week – which meant I did not sleep.  I noticed that my anxiety about COVID-19 was at its height during that time.  Why?  Because I didn’t get sleep!

As soon as one of the most important things for self care is broken down, it allows for negativity to slip in.  I noticed this, and made it a point to sleep for 2 days straight when she was better (not really).

Three simple steps to combat anxiety:

1. Acknowledge that I was anxious
2. Slowed down my breathing
3. Decided to take that anxiety and give it to the hospital, and made the decision to leave it at the hospital when I left.

There are different ways to approach anxiety.  Oscar did a post recently on giving that anxiety/negative thought/frustration to someone else – not literally… but if you are religious – perhaps give it to your patron to hold for you and allow them to take care of you.  If you are not religious,  write it on a paper and throw it away, put it in a box, or tear it up.  You would be surprised – these things do help.

The main thing is to find what works for you.  It can vary.  Different methods work for different people.  However, the act of trying to stay calm and taking care of your self is more important now than ever.

I never saw myself as an optimist.  However, focusing on what good can come out of adversity has been enlightening.  The world is fighting against something together. People are respecting one another in different ways. (check out our Wah Lum Bow on fattening the curve!)   People are practicing better hygiene!  As a germaphobe, this is a positive that I have to point out. 😉

We all have to do our part.  Whatever that may be.  However, it all starts with self care.  Take care of yourself!

We are in a crisis.  We are not alone.  We are all in this together.

IF you enjoyed this conversation, my favor as usual is to please continue to share this podcast with others. It would mean so much if you also rate it and leave me feedback. If you would like to help keep this podcast going and support the work I do, visit my website or Patreon.com. For comments or suggestions reach out on social media @sifumimichan.

CULTURE CHAT CREDITS
Host: Mimi Chan
Intro Music: Mike Relm

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Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be.  Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

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