At this point it’s hard to know what to write, the last few weeks have been a completely new experience. Planet earth is experiencing a pandemic, that’s spreading faster than we know how to deal with. Countries are shutting their borders and normal every day life has come to a standstill with schools and offices being closed, along with public transport and gatherings of large numbers of people.
It’s spread from country to country at an alarming rate, it’s barely contained and they say it’s only going to get worse, this isn’t even the storm… it’s the calm before the storm. Confirmed cases are on the rise, and medical professionals and resources are reaching their limit. There’s mass panic buying globally; toilet roll, hand sanitiser, surface wipes and dried pasta are getting harder and harder to find.
I’ve done my fair share of research, I’ve looked at endless amounts of stats and numbers and graphs, trying to find some kind of positive outlook on the whole situation but it’s proving very difficult.
In this digital age it’s getting harder and harder to form objective and realistic opinions, especially when there are so many articles floating around and there’s so much fear mongering going on on Social Media. People are spreading fake news and unconfirmed “facts” around faster than the virus itself.
Things like that can and do have a huge effect on those who are more vulnerable; whether they’re those who are at risk, those who are most impressionable or those who suffer from anxiety. Panic attacks and hypochondria are real and part of everyday life for some, and seeing nothing but negative headlines day in day out can really take it’s tole on a persons mental well-being.
It’s a huge part of our daily lives now, we’re hyper focused on making sure everyone has the support available to them when they need it. Media outlets continue to publish self help articles assuring people that there’s a light at the end of the dark tunnels. Yet they are the ones that keep publishing these stories filled with scare tactics.
It’s things like that that have caused people to start panic buying essential items, hoarding things in such large quantities that shops have actually imposed limits on things, ‘two packs of toilet roll per customer’ signs have started appearing nationwide. Aisles that once contained soap, hand wash, wipes and sanitiser now lay bare and it begs the question… did people not have these things in their houses before all of this started?
I’m still trying to have an optimistic outlook on the world, so that hopefully it not only helps to keep me grounded in these uncertain times, but that it keeps my anxiety at bay. It’s difficult to say the least, especially when there’s no shelter from it all.
But hey… on a positive note, even though we’re throwing around the word pandemic we haven’t yet entered the realm The Walking Dead… yet.
Llama Symphony 