Saturday, March 21, 2020

Living on Lock Down in California

Starting two days ago, all of Sonoma County has been issued a 'Shelter in Place' order to help slow and possibly prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. I've been thinking a lot about what this means for each of us, including families with young children. Just exactly how do you work from home, take care of your kids, keep your parents who live with you also isolated from the virus, process this crazy time, and try to mitigate your own exposure as a person with a chronic condition?

Well - let me know if you figure it out. In the meantime, I'll share with you the little things I am learning and doing to help make it through this time, keep ourselves and the rest of the community safe, and not lose hope.

First, a few things to consider if you have diabetes:
- One study in China indicated that people with diabetes (whether type 1 or 2) have approximately a 7% mortality rate. Not so good
- Another yet to be peer-reviewed medical study looked at the people in China who had come down with the Coronavirus and estimated that people in blood group A have a higher risk for contracting the virus. The research has yet to be reviewed by peers.

Now, how are we going to get through these times together, and keep our sanity in place, and our hope as well?

1. If you can, I highly recommend exercise. I'm hoping to hold an afternoon run with my son around the neighborhood, so he can start to run with me more and a yoga class for my soon to be 79 year old mom. Keep moving if you can!
2. Garden - early on, one of the first things I did was to get my hands in the dirt, dig up some beds, plant, and spend time in the garden. It was very very grounding, and made me feel like I could so something still.
3. Clean up the garage - this is just an idea, hasn't been done yet, but soon hopefully. Or maybe not
4. Keep the same work schedule as much as you can. I know this can be very hard, but maintaining routines is key in times of stress.
5. Visit the parks near you. They are still open, and many of them are offering free admission. Follow social distancing rules when you are there, but go!
6. Listen to music and read books. Most book stores may be closed, but pick up some good ones, settle down, and read
7. Take it as an opportunity to pause in a big way and reflect on things in your life that normally  you are too busy to stop and think about. I've been really trying to stay still and look at the big picture without getting overwhelmed

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