Sunday, March 1, 2020

It's hard not to worry

Two of the community cases are in our neighborhood (within a few miles), & at the hospital down the street from us. That means people in our local area are worried about quarantines & are stocking up. Costco, as mentioned yesterday, was out of 1/2 of the items on our list. The stores are packed, people are stressed & worried.

I'm worried for the international team I manage (Japan, Korea, United Kingdom, India), with many team members having family members all around the world, given the diverse nature of our roles. I'm also worried about my in-laws in Iran. 

I'm not sure what we can do, other than be prepared to have to self quarantine, should that be a requirement. That said, because of the stress & anxiety, I've found myself with just that overall heaviness of worry. I need to figure out how to better manage that anxiety. I meditated yesterday, which I rarely do on weekends. It was useful. I'll also be going out for a walk in the sunshine today. I'm going to avoid the gym. They have a fabulous yoga/pilates class, but the gym shares a parking lot with the hospital where several COVID/Corona patients are based. The staff uses the gym. I think it's best to skip for now. 

So, with all of that, how will we spend our day today? Being productive, relaxing where we can, and just generally living:

  • Figure out what to do with the rotisserie chicken M bought at Costco yesterday. Which is funny, because they were out of fresh chicken, so he substituted. The recipe I was originally planning won't work with a rotisserie chicken. I'm thinking of this keto recipe
  • I'll also prep & make taco meat for the freezer, as it's already defrosted
  • Once I'm done with the rotisserie chicken, I'll make broth out of the bones
  • If I can find the right ingredients (will do everything I can to avoid the stores today, due to crowds & lines), I'll prep some muffins for the freezer
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Walk in the sunshine
  • Laundry
  • Create schedule for the week
  • Organize my work calendar
  • Journal
  • See if I can find anything new to list on eBay
  • M will take Sam to & from math tutoring
What about you? How is everything going where you live? Any plans today?

16 comments:

  1. I think it is best to be prepared, but not panic and you seem to be doing that. Granted, you have much more direct connection with those parts of the world that have had impact, and I understand your worry completely. This is not the time for anyone to be political-in any party, but really just buckle up and learn facts, prepare, and be supportive of our global community.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I meant "you seem to be doing that" was for you being prepared-not panicking. Sorry for my poor wording that probably sounded critical, when I meant you're doing great balancing preparing ahead, daily life, while literally having people to genuinely worry for.

      Delete
    2. Sam, I didn't read it as critical - no worries! :-)

      Delete
    3. Good-I'm relieved. I know you have had snarky people before, and I sure didn't want your friends to come off that way!

      Delete
  2. I also understand your concerns and worry. Read as much of the common sense about this issue that you can find, which is what I've been doing. Several drs are saying the media is creating this panic. It is worrying though, my heart goes out to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We've read plenty of new sources, and have several friends who work at the hospital where patients currently have COVID. It's a lot to worry about for sure.

      Delete
  3. I think the same too, being prepared with some extra food and refilling meds. Mine is a global company but we don't depend on inventory but it will definitely affect the bottom line. I am also watching the economy and markets, my saving strategy is the same and automated, in time things will recover and I have time to wait it out. A lot of families will be affected financially and if the virus spreads it will strain the healthcare system, I have more worries around that too. Soccer tournaments my son was really looking forward to might be cancelled. We stay informed as much as we can.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the economy will struggle for sure after that. My son has a class trip to Yosemite next week, but I have a suspicion it might be cancelled. They have just confirmed more cases near us. We shall see.

      Delete
  4. the province i live in, Ontario has under 10 confirmed cases. the most recent ones are travelers from Iran. I am not too worried, and i work in a hospital setting. we did stock up on some stuff, but as you said supplies are running low everywhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have community spread cases here (in my neighborhood),which is concerning. But, yes, agree, all you can do is take precautions with your own health & be prepared in the event you need to self quarantine.

      Delete
    2. Literally after I typed this out, I see that it has gone up to 15 cases in Ontario. I can see how it is more concerning when the cases are in your community, so I hope you guys continue to be safe.

      Delete
    3. JiCaLu, yes, the situation is evolving so much that it's hard to know what to expect from one day to the next. Likewise, do stay safe & take precautions on your side as well, given your work in a hospital setting.

      Delete
  5. We're not close enough to be more than generally worried for ourselves, so I'm just proactively stocking up just a little bit at a time. I don't want to add fuel to the panic that's clearly out there - I've never seen the shelves at TJ's and Costco look so empty! I do want to be semi-prepared in case we have any minor self quarantine situation come up. I'm thinking through what variety of items we want to freeze and canned items to stock up on at a steady clip in our usual shopping trips and where we'd store it. We don't have *that* much extra space around here. My immune system is already fairly compromised so I have to be even more careful than I usually am with the handwashing and my exposure to other people as we work through whatever this season is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are *close*. I'm not worried for us, as the other three in my family are all at very low risk, and my lupus is well contained. However, we live in an area with lots of elderly, & I would hate to become a carrier that infects others. We stocked up on basics, and could certainly make meals for weeks out of what we have on hand. We did get extras of coffee, almond milk, & wine. Because, there is no replacement option for an of those! ;-)

      Delete
  6. While there have been no confirmed cases in Ohio, I am not taking this likely. I am looking at scenarios for our family. Best case scenario is nothing will be out the ordinary. Worst case scenario, hubby's job will close for a while and/or the schools will close down for a while/ and/or one of us will get sick. So with that in mind, I did a stock up trip for groceries this weekend. I am trying to keep with the CDC recommendation of having at least 2 weeks of food on hand. We eat a lot of fresh stuff, so I bought cans of fruit and veggies, cereal, etc. Our freezer and pantry are full to the brim and we could probably survive at least 4-6 weeks under quarantine if needed. I am trying to be cautious and also am trying to limit how much I go out in public (also just got over being sick for basically a month so don't want to get the flu or strep throat which is running rampant in our community). Not panicking, but just being cautious. Also reminding the kids to wash their hands more and gave them hand sanitizers to keep in their backpacks and to use at school.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think being cautious & prepared is a good approach. We've really dialed up our discussion & reminders around hand washing with the kids. They are not always super diligent. :-)

      Delete