In the Face of the Corona Virus

I am not in qaurantine, and I do not have the virus. However like many, I am going out of my mind with boredom. Normally I am doing therapy for my mental health outdoors, but all the places I use including leisure centers are shut. I also have a condition that means I have to socially distance myself. This is really difficult, because in the thrall of severe mental health problems many years ago, it took me a long time to socialize again, and isolation became my best friend until I learned that my world was safe to go outside again. Recently I was restricting myself to visiting shops and going shopping in the car, but now I find myself bound to my home and my garden for quite some time so that I can protect myself from the Corona Virus. In fact it is crucially important as I am in the early stages of pregnancy and I have a health problem which makes me vulnerable. It was Mothersday yesterday, and my Mum is distancing herself because of her own condition. Its not where any of us chose to be, but it is really important to protect ourselves and others, particularly those who are vulnerable from the virus, which as we know, kills people too. However, it doesn't mean that we all become hermits, it means we stay safe and protect others who may be extremely vulnerable too.

My other half works in nursing, and there is not a day go by when I don't worry whether he will contract the virus. One thing I learned about nurses, care assistants and other professionals, is not only do they save lives but at this time they are risking their lives to help others. My other half often comes home really tired and sometimes stressed out from work, and this to me is understandable, he looks after very vulnerable people, and doing that during a stressful time like this on top of my own condition must be exhausting and worrying for him.

Many nurses and vulnerable people are struggling due to 'panic buying.' Before I stopped going out, we went to the shops, painkillers, bread, tins, nappies, babywipes, and even some disinfectants were all sold out. It literally looked like the shops had been raided. That makes me feel sad, because when this happens our most vulnerable people are made more vulnerable by not being able to meet their needs, and our nurses are also struggling to buy food for themselves. Supermarkets have opened earlier and restricted certain times as a way to allow vulnerable people and nurses to shop for their needs, however others are still taking advantage of this, by panic buying earlier in a bid to get their needs met. Some medical supplies are also selling out fast, leaving nurses unable to protect themselves and leaving people without the medications they need. This puts stress on those people, and we really do need to think about them, because nurses cannot save lives without supplies and many more will go hungry.

Home can be a lonely world, especially for those with the virus and for those protecting themselves due to vulnerabilities, but there are things you can do as stated below:

1. LOOK AFTER YOUR HYGEINE: Wash your hands using NHS guidance, and ensure your towels, cutlery and everything you use is clean, including baths, showers, sinks, bedding. Baths and showers are good for overall cleaning, and a tip is to use something that relaxes you, my favourite range for this is Imperial Leather or Radox.

2. CLEAN YOUR HOUSE: Most of us think cleaning is boring! However aswell as protecting you from a variety of illnesses and infections, when your alone and isolating, it can pass the time. Play some music, vaccum, disinfect, polish, do laundry, clean the dishes and those important worktops. Whatever it takes to clean your home!

3. STUDY: I was doing this before the virus, and I still am. Learning new things can be fun and educative. I find it occupys my mind and enables me to forget the world for a little while. I study with The British School of Yoga, but I also study with www.ALISON.com. who provide some free online learning, and recently included courses on the Corona Virus.

4. COLOURING: Colouring can be lots of fun. I have a Buffy the Vampire Slayer coloring book which can be challenging, but gives me hours of good entertainment while I am alone.

5: WRITE: You could start writing a book. I am writing a book aswell as writing on the web. Writing takes me away from the world, gets me feeling creative, and is a fantastic way to release those pent up emotions we hold onto.

6: CHECK ON YOUR LOVED ONES: You may be home-bound, but your loved ones may be unwell and isolated. Use your phone and use social media to chat with your loved ones. Video-calling can be a good way to see each other without having to be with each other in person. You can safely send hugs and kisses via a video-link with no contact, and that could make a persons day. Yesterday was Mothers day, and I couldn't contact my mum in person, so I sent her a message using messenger and called her on the phone which made her day.

7: COOK: I love cooking and baking. However getting flour can be a nightmare, so I bought cake mix at the time of writing this, and decided to bake cakes. Look for ideas on the web, get creative and you'll be amazed at what you can produce with very little in your food cupboards.

8. INVOLVE THE CHILDREN: At this time when schools are shut and everything else is shut, the children may well be distressed. Sit with them, read with them, play games with them, help them with education, encourage them to look after themselves, get them into fitness, cook with them and if you can, play games in the garden. It will help the children if they have things to keep their mind at bay.

9: HAVE MOVIE TIME AT HOME: The Cinema's are shut and normal television can be boring sometimes. However there are some great dvd's out there and some good stuff on Netflix for familes. Make a 'homemade takeaway' turn out the lights, get with the children if you can and watch a movie. If your isolation means you can't be with your children and they are old enough, encourage them to cook and send movie ideas to them through social media or your phone.

10: IF YOU AND YOUR PARTNER ARE ISOLATING SEPARATELY: Get some flirty fun through your phone and social media, just keep it clean! Send 'I love you,' kisses, hearts and fun messages to each other. Facetime each other, and be sure you are both there for each other.

This is the hardest time I have ever known us face in our lifetime. However we can follow the guidelines set and make it fun. We can also be caring and loving towards each other and ourselves. In order to do this, we have to think about each other and every single person out there, this means being caring and ensuring we only buy what we need so that everyone can get their needs met.

I want to end this story by thanking all health professionals in both the NHS and private sectors who have a hard job to do helping us through this. Please remember these people are important, overworked, tired and are not immune from the effects of the virus. So appreciate them today too by making sure they can also get their needs met.