Covid-19 Frustrations, anxiety, fears and hopes

You’ll have to forgive my lack of absolute concern to the Covid-19 outbreak.

If I’m completely honest the whole thing frustrates the life out of me.

Not for the potential disruption in our day to day lives. Not for the pros and cons of how our leaders have or haven’t reacted or the ridiculousness of mass media and their constant panels of ‘experts’. I’m pissed because of the sheer amount of publicity and insane reactions from everyone.

Oh look here’s an illness that will likely affect you and your loved ones. Oh, so now you care? Now suddenly you give a shit about it? Now you are terrified and want cures and answers?

For the record, this anxiety some of you are feeling. This stress and fear of the unknown. It’s nothing new to families like us.

It’s almost two years to the day since was lost Hannah. You know what frustrates me the most about the fact that we are suddenly two years down the line? It’s if another Hannah is diagnosed today – and many will be – the treatment would still be EXACTLY THE SAME. Which means the outcome would be EXACTLY THE SAME.

So you’re going to have to forgive my frustrations and I make no apologies for them.

Imagine if we had wall to wall coverage of Childhood Cancer? Or suddenly there were unlimited funds available for finding treatments and cures? By the way you can change childhood cancer for Alzheimer’s, ALS, CHD and many other critical illnesses, often with grim out looks and little hope.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know this is a bit of a biased over reaction. So what? Go try and buy a toilet roll right now. Good luck with that. So spare me that comment hey? My over reaction trumps everyone else's.

It’s not that I don’t care people are getting desperately sick or peoples loved ones are dying. I do, it’s utterly heartbreaking what is happening in Italy and likely in the US and UK in the coming weeks.

I just wish you all cared before ‘all of a sudden you might be affected’ by something.

Once all this is done we are all going to have to take a long hard look at ourselves and what we call our society. Access to health care and what is or isn’t a human right for example.

During the more simpler times of Brexit I constantly heard comments about how the British would be fine because we managed two world wars and we would garner the ‘Spirit of the Blitz’. Well buying all the bloody toilet rolls and biscuits and chips for yourself is a bit of a massive contradiction to that. Not to mention a kick in the teeth to those of that time. Remember, while you are sat on your home made toilet roll throne and antibacterial foot stool that someone vulnerable might actually need those things. If that's you, then you figure out what to call yourself.

I’m not sure where many of us lost our sense of community or our ability to emphasize with others, but somewhere along the way it’s gone walk about.

It drives me crazy because I know we can be better.

I’ve written many times about how kindness was the single best thing we received during Hannah’s treatment. I know how powerful that is. I know what it feels like to have a community and friends rally around you and give you everything they can.

I know how in times of crisis kindness soothes the soul and how it lays a foundation for recovery.

Perhaps if the media spent more time promoting stories of kindness and compassion, we might all act a little different and people would be able to see a little more hope in the current situation.

Feed our hopes rather than fears maybe.

Anyway, in the interest in community spirit and for those suffering from anxiety and fear around this situation. I have a few bits of advice I learned along the way and these are things I would go back and tell myself if I could. All of these are very obviously easier said than done.

1. Take care of yourself first and foremost. Eat well, drink water, exercise when you can. Get a good nights sleep. Switch off from the 24 hour media – they know how to capture and keep your attention. I wasted too much time absorbing myself into every detail I could find. Listen to music, read a book, take a bath. Do something you love. I guarantee you will feel better for it.

2. Educate yourself but don’t overload. Keep to facts. You don’t have to search too hard for absorbing conspiracies and bull shit. Stay away from crazy talk.

3. Let go of things you simply can not control. You can not control how your leaders react or what they do or don’t do. You can not control what is happening outside of you. You can though control how you react and how you function. Look after yourself and others. Max number one and limit number two.

4. Time is the only constant. Genuinely, everything will change except time. It’s the only guarantee you have. Its going to move forward and so are you. Numbers one through three will help your journey.

Finally, if things do progress and get worse. For crying out loud. Please put being a good human. Look after you and your loved ones but also your communities too. These are the people we live with. These are the people that educate our children, that repair our cars. That feed us, that serve us at restaurants. They are the Doctors and nurses we will rely on if we get sick. If things get worse before they get better we are all going to have to help each other.

With hope in your heart.