By Tommy Acosta
Sedona AZ (March 23, 2020) – It’s not about getting it. It’s about surviving it.
Face it. Sooner or later there will be contact. Some of us won’t feel a thing. Some of us will just get sick and some of us will die. That’s the Tao of a pandemic.
Assuming there is no hiding from the virus, surviving it is the next best option.
Me? The first thing I did when I heard the shocking news was disconnect the emotional impact of the fearful thoughts that came, like “I’m Going To Die,” “I’m Going to starve” and “I have no toilet paper!”
Thoughts like those will cloud your judgment and compromise your immune system.
So when you hear those kinds of thoughts rumbling replace them with “I’m going survive. It’s nothing. I am healthy and strong. Shoo, go away virus!”
Next, is to make sure your immune system is up to snuff. That means drinking water, using vitamin A & D, eating as healthy as possible and getting sunlight.
There’s some really good advice on that in this video below.
Also, ask your doctor to off-label prescribe a hefty supply of Plaquenil, a generic anti-malaria drug said to fight the virus. Check it out.
Be aware and conscious of those around you who are driven by fear. Avoid the crowds.
And don’t touch physical money, coins or bills. Use your card or wash your hands immediately after touching cash. DO NOT touch your face before doing so.
Then there is the strength of gratitude.
Chances are if you are reading this you are home and are not laying in a makeshift hospital bed tubed to the max and gasping for air like a flopping fish.
If you are home with loved ones, give gratitude for the lives you love, the roof over your head and food to eat.
If you have no one and are alone, give thanks for your phone, computer and television. Imagine how much worse it could be if they suddenly stopped working?
If you are fortunate to be young with children, take this time to truly enjoy them.
Visualize that money in your hands coming in the mail. Fantasize hearing a news flash that a simple pill stops and cures it and they made enough of them to treat everyone in the world.
If you are fortunate enough to have a roof over your head there are ignored endeavors you now might pursue.
Learn to cook. Clean the house. Write a song. Read a book. Write a journal about what you are going through.
Then there is the hardest thing you could ever learn not to do. And that is touching your face with your fingers or hand.
If you can avoid doing that, even if you touched a surface and the virus got on you, if you didn’t touch your face, especially your nose, and you washed your hands thoroughly at first opportunity, science says you stand a much less chance of catching it than someone similarly exposed.
My training since the virus hit the U.S. is catching myself when I am about to unconsciously do so and stopping it right then and there.
If I’m lucky I can catch myself in the act but if I miss it and I touch my face I’ll try recreating the event by memory to see why my hand began its journey to my face in the first place.
You need to do the same. By not carrying the virus to your nostrils, you deny its proliferation. You destroy its future.
Most of us unconsciously scratch those itches or pick or touch our mouth, our nose, to the tune of unseen thoughts in our head. It’s a reaction spurred by an itch or a nervous thought.
But you need to find out why and stop it. And that is only through constant vigilance and observation.
Is it physical because you itch? Wash your hands and face.
Is it a nervous habit? Catch it and stop it.
Regardless, this is the arduous task. It’s like training to become a Kung-Fu monk and a sadistic fly lands on your nose while you are being tested and your task is to not flinch or blink.
That’s how hard it is. But you can do it, as long as you hone your mind-watch skills and apply them with precision. The virus can’t get to you unless you transport it to your face; or another person does.
Oh. And if someone coughs or sneezes near you, hold your breath and put some distance between you before you inhale. No hard feelings.
Be aware. Be wary. Concentrate on surviving.
Keep your eyes open when shopping or putting gas in the car. A lot of people will be unhinged by fear and you need watch for them on the road. Know where you stand in relation to your surroundings. Be prepared. Things could get desperate and you need to be ready to deal with situations.
Yes. I’ll say it again — the most important thing we can do is watch our thoughts; watch your thoughts and let fear pass.
Take action when needed and avoid reaction.
Love profusely. Hold on tight. It’s going to be one heck of a ride.
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3 Comments
Good article. You forgot to mention one thing. Give thanks to God.
For the virus?
Interesting article …
If television, aka Idiot’s Lantern, should cease working, I don’t care. Don’t have one of those. Dumped that forty years ago. So you see, this self-isolation gig is nothing new.
Agree, gotta be wary of others. Not all are paragons of virtue like what we are. There are some who would steal, or attempt to steal, our toilet paper.
Ah, yes, toilet paper. It’s not really a necessity. People should be told. If they knew, it’d save a lot of bother. Also, may I suggest folks use less of it? Could start by tearing each sheet in half then they’d have twice as many sheets and then, if they were to use both sides of each sheet, the usefulness of each roll would be quadrupled. Not only would they save money but they’d reduce their carbon footprint and save trees at the same time.
Washing hands is, of course, of utmost importance. Especially before taking a pee. Don’t want to get it dirty, do we?
So long as hands are reasonably clean I see no problem touching one’s face. Or another’s face. So long as the face is clean. I mean, some faces are decidedly filthy, especially the mouth area. It’s amazing what comes out of some of ’em. Mind you, it’s pretty amazing what goes into some of ’em as well! But then, it’s all a matter of taste, I guess. Each to their own. Or someone else’s, if you are into that sort of thing.
Also agree re watching thoughts and reaction about which I have something to say.
Thought: it does not matter what we think about so much as how we think about what we think about.
Reaction: people could usefully learn to respond rather than react. Could be more peaceful world if that were to happen.
And finally, yep, Love is all. It’s the very essence of what we are.
But that’s another subject …
Keep up the good work Tommy and why not get a mandolinist in that band?