How to Be Proactive During COVID-19

During these tough times in our world, it may be stressful dealing with COVID-19 and thinking about the challenges in the weeks to come. Instead of stressing and dying of boredom, take this time to become educated and use your time in a healthy, fun manner. Here are some tips to stay proactive during COVID-19. First, as medical professionals, we feel obligated to review some facts about the virus 🙂

Facts about COVID-19

• The Coronavirus is family of zoonotic (animal to human virus) infectious disease has been around for millions of years
• There have been 3 known human coronavirus strands – SARS-CoV (2002), MERS-CoV (2012), & SARS-CoV-2 aka COVID-19 (2019)
• The virus is transmitted from animals to humans
• COVID-19 is thought to have originated from a wild animal market in Wuhan, China
• Symptoms range from mild respiratory (cough, sore throat, fever, body aches) to shortness of breath
• Symptoms can appear 2-14 days after exposure to virus (average 5-7 days)
• Exposure is from respiratory droplet transmission:
  • Infected person within 6 feet coughs or sneezes towards/on you
  • Infected person coughs or sneezes into hand, touches surface, then you touch surface and touch face (eyes, nose, mouth)
• Exposure can be from airborne transmission during aerosolizing procedures (e.g. bronchoscopy, EGD, tracheal intubation, CPAP/BiPAP use, etc.)
  • This is important for healthcare workers
• It is more important for an infected individual to wear a face mask to prevent droplets from spreading
• The most contagious period of time is when the person is symptomatic
• COVID-19 differs from seasonal influenza because:
  • It is a new virus that has no vaccine or cure
  • Influenza has many different strands
  • The virus is thought to stay on surfaces for a significant period of time (a couple hours vs. days)
  • COVID might spread through airborne transmission
  • A person can be infected for several days before showing symptoms
• Rate of transmission is not accurate due to large deficiency in testing
• Elderly persons (>65) and those with diseases are at highest risk for severe illness and/or hospitalization
• 2-4% of persons ages 20-44 have required intensive unit care treatment

How to Stay Healthy

• Wash your hands for 20 seconds as often as possible
• Avoid touching face, eyes, nose, or mouth
• Maintain social distancing (Stay within 6 ft of others when possible, keep groups smaller than 10 people, avoid going to unnecessary, high-traffic places (malls, restaurants, bars, beaches, etc.)
• Sneeze/cough into arm, not hands
• It is more important for an infected individual to wear a face mask (we have a shortage of N95 masks, please use the surgical masks and save the N95 for healthcare providers) to prevent droplets from spreading to others
• For a non-infected individual, wearing a N95 mask and/or face shield is the best protection (especially for healthcare workers)
• Wearing a normal face mask may not protect you from being exposed, but it will prevent you from spreading your germs to others

How to Stay Busy

Stay Active

It has been a little bit of a challenge staying active and getting our daily exercise in at home. We are normally gym rats and love going to our workout classes. Due to the shortage of dumbbells and workout equipment, we have been forced to find other ways to stay healthy. I personally love Boho Beautiful’s yoga videos on YouTube. Most of them are 20 minutes long and have been a great way to start my mornings. She films the videos in scenic destinations worldwide (curbs our wanderlust!) Instagram is full of fitness models and instructors who have been sharing at-home workouts during this crisis. One of my favorites is Michele Lewin, but you can type in #homeworkouts and find a million.

Going back to the basics of bodyweight squats, pushups, and planks are always great. If you have some type of equipment, even better! Getting cardio in is easy. Running, walking, biking outside are great ways to get some vitamin D and get out of the house. Not to mention, they’re excellent forms of cardio.

Whatever you do, make it fun! This is a chance to get your summer body right. Take advantage of the time off and make it count! Exercising is not only a positive influence on your body, but also your mind.

Go Outdoors

Get some sunshine! Staying in the house all day is depressing and boring. Even 20 minutes of being outside is enough to give your mind a rest. Seasonal affective disorder is a real thing. You can compare this to being stuck indoors all day. Take a break and get some sun for a little while. You won’t regret the fresh air and feeling of freedom.

Read a Book

Always wanted to pick up that fiction novel, but you never have time with your crazy schedule? Now is your chance! Personally, we have gotten to catch up on some reading. It is a nice break from listening to the crazy news and negative vibes of the world. It’s great to stay informed, but dwelling on that negativity isn’ t healthy for your mind. Take a break and read that book! I have indulged in Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It has encouraged me to be more productive and it has forced me to start organizing not only our home, but our lives.

Clean/Organize

Take the opportunity to clean out your closet (not like Eminem), organize that god-awful pantry, throw away clutter than no longer serves you. We have taken advantage of this quarantine time to de-clutter our home. Especially in times like now when you are stuck at home the majority of the day, the last thing you need is to feel stressed out. This applies for every day. Coming home after a long day of work should be relaxing. You come home to wind down, not stress out. If you’re like us, coming home to dirty dishes, unfolded laundry, or messy drawers brings a sense of stress. Use this time to make your home a place of serenity. Donate items that you no longer need, throw away things that don’t work, and remove those that don’t bring you joy. We have adopted the KonMari method and are loving it! Try it for yourself.

Call or FaceTime Loved Ones

Gregg and I have had the opportunity to catch up with loved ones whom we may not get the time to converse with frequently. Give your grandparents a call! They are probably more stressed out than you are. FaceTime that friend who you haven’t gotten to BS with for a long time. Use this extra time to reconnect with those close to you. Who knows when we will get this much free time again in our lives.

Virtual Happy Hour

This one seems to be a popular option, especially among millennials. Start a group FaceTime happy hour sesh with your buds! Something you may never get to do normally, now you can. You can still have a good time while still social distancing yourselves.

Tackle To-Do List

This pretty much only applies to at-home To-Do lists, but nevertheless, get it done! Any work that needs to be done to your home, start that project now. Planned on start a scrapbook? Want to organize photos? Need to deep clean? Now is your time to shine!

Watch Your Netflix

For most of us, relaxing and enjoying our TV’s shows and movies is the best way to cope. Nothing wrong with unwinding this way. We are guilty too! Just try not to spend all day on the couch doing this 🙂 PS – Love Is Blind is our new obsession!

---

Most importantly, there is no need for panic. Do your due diligence, stay at home as much as possible, keep yourself safe, and enjoy this free time. Remember that this too shall pass. Stay educated and informed, but try not to dwell on the negativity. We all need to stick together during these times and get through this. Enjoy your time staying proactive during COVID-19. Stay safe friends!