How to Do Your Part During a Pandemic

Right now, it almost feels like the world is ending.

The coronavirus is officially a pandemic, and it's become serious enough that it's interfering in our daily lives. People are stuck at home, restaurants and schools are shut down and the virus is basically the only thing anyone is talking about.

As scary as it might feel, the world isn't ending. All these measures are in place to keep people safe, and to stop the spread of the virus. While it's frustrating to make adjustments to your day-to-day, every individual has to do their part to end this social distancing period as quickly as possible.

Keep scrolling to find out everything you should be doing during this pandemic.

Wash Your Hands

First and foremost, everyone should be washing their hands. And not just after you go to the bathroom or before you cook. Hand-washing should be a pretty integral part of your day, especially if you head outside of the house. Washing your hands for 20 seconds helps rid your skin of contaminants that can make you sick. If you wash your hands regularly, you're lessening the chance that you'll contract the virus. And at this point, don't we all want to just stay healthy?

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Don't Touch Your Face or Mouth

In addition to washing your hands, experts are suggesting that you do your best to avoid touching your face and mouth. If you can't manage to get all the virus-causing ick off when you wash your hands, touching your face and mouth will spread the infection to the inside of your body. It's better to just avoid touching them altogether, just to be safe.

 

Stay Home

Many of these measures are in place to ensure that you don't get the virus. And that makes sense. I mean, who really wants to be sick? But beyond avoiding sickness yourself, other measures are focused on stopping the spread of the virus. You might get sick and recover quickly, but you can also spread the disease to sensitive groups who won't make the same recovery.

That's why staying home is so crucially important. People infected with the virus can be contagious for weeks without showing any symptoms. During that time, everywhere they go, everyone they talk to, everything they breathe on the becomes a breeding ground for the sickness. They can easily infect hundreds of people without even knowing. Until this whole thing blows over, it's so important for you to stay home, especially since this social distancing process doesn't really work unless everyone follows the guidelines.

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Distance Yourself From Fragile Groups

While staying home keeps you separated from the larger population, some people have sensitive groups living in their own house. If you live with your grandparents or another person considered fragile during this time, do your best to create a little distance between yourself and them. That doesn't mean you should ignore them completely or hide away in your room and never come out. But making an effort not to get too close to them and to make sure your hands are always clean around them can be the best way to keep them safe. Don't get overly paranoid—if you're all quarantining together you should be okay—but try to remember that they're a little more sensitive if they do happen to contract the virus.

 

Manage Your Own Schedule

This is a scary, somewhat overwhelming time. It's difficult to stay on top of everything, especially if your parents or guardians are worried about their own work on top of being worried about you. One of the best things you can do with this time is to be responsible for yourself and try to make things a little easier on them. As much as you're capable, try to manage your own schedule and avoid putting undue pressure on the people who look out for you. Of course, you'll still need help and guidance here and there. But trying to stay on top of things on your own will lessen some of the tension in your household, help your parents to relax and end unnecessary fights before they start.

(via Unsplash)

 

Stay Calm

As uncomfortable as things might feel right now, it's so important to stay calm. Panic doesn't help anything. It won't keep you from getting sick, and it will only make your time in isolation that much worse. If you can stay calm, your attitude might have a calming effect on others who struggle to deal with all these changes. It can also help you look at everything with a clear head and determine what you can do to help. We're all in this together and this will pass eventually. Try to keep that in mind when you start to get overwhelmed.

 

Looking for more tips on how to stay calm and centered? Click HERE for how to calm down when you're super angry.