Sadly, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit us all. The government has asked its people to stay at home as they try to manage the further spread of the virus. Although some people still must work during this time, our thoughts and prayers are with you all. We also commend every health worker doing their best to curb this outbreak.
Knowing how important it is, I have been protecting myself and others by safely quarantining at home. I was one of the many happy employees that was glad we could work from home.
For the first few days, I slept more than I normally would, ate a lot, and eventually became extremely bored. Soon, I decided I’ve had enough of unproductive days and tried to think of ways to add value to myself during this period.
It is a known fact that lots of content about the virus on the internet aim to breed fear rather than keep us informed. I saw a video on where a man went into the restroom to wash his hands and after scooping from the handwash, he realised the handwash bottle could be infected with the virus.
He then used soap from the bottle to wash it and opened the tap. After washing the bottle, he realised that an infected person could have touched the tap, so he decided to wash it. Later, he washed his hands and stopped the tap from running. As he was about to leave, he remembered he made another contact with the tap and started washing again. The video went on and on until the man became frustrated and began to cry.
While the video made me laugh, it occurred to me that it had the capacity to breed fear into people. Don’t get me wrong, you are supposed to wash your hands thoroughly as often as possible, but don’t be afraid. Fear can kill faster than the virus.
I remember a story my chemistry teacher told in class when we were learning organic chemistry which was tough for us. She said, “There was once a town who heard that the devil had come to kill people. Whilst they tried to find safety and look for a solution, it was observed that there were more deaths than should have been. Afterwards, they came to realise that more than one-third of the people had died from fear of the devil, not his acts.”
This story made more sense to me now. Fear is a killer and we should do everything in our power to fight it. One of the ways we can do this is by keeping ourselves busy. There are several things we can do to take our minds off fear. Let’s talk about them.
READ BOOKS
Presently, we have enough time on our hands, so why not read books to feed our minds? I am yet to find a disadvantage of reading good quality books. If you have, I’ll be glad to listen. Reading books enrich our minds, broaden our scope of life, and takes our minds off unnecessary things. We can even lessen our stay on social platforms and do more of studying than chatting or watching scary videos online. Protect your heart, it’s yours!
TRY OUT NEW RECIPES
As a kitchen and food lover, this is the perfect time to try out different smoothies and drinks with our fruit of the month, and other recipes you have not had time to prepare. Remember when you were saying it was work intruding? Now, working from home has enabled you to try out novel recipes. A friend put on her status that she was enjoying this period by making new foods she had not tried out before. You should enjoy each day by looking forward to trying out new recipes. And oh, I would love to see your new recipes here.
BOND MORE WITH YOUR FAMILY
Do you remember when there was no time to relate with your family members because of work pressure? Now is the time to bond more by playing games together, praying, reading and talking with one another. Don’t let this time waste! Invest in the things that matter to you of which your family is inclusive.
LEARN A NEW SKILL
Thankfully, Udemy, YouTube, Pinterest and the likes are not on lockdown. This is a time where you can add a new skill to yourself, be it baking, coding, sewing or drawing, the internet is your plug. To check out the top skills of 2020, visit here. It is interesting to also note that while some people are losing money during this period, a lot more are making it. So, I advise that you learn a skill that would profit you!
Please stay safe wherever you are.
Love,
Ayobambo