{"id":2932,"date":"2020-03-25T08:57:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T08:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/?p=2932"},"modified":"2020-04-03T07:27:10","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T07:27:10","slug":"what-to-do-in-times-of-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/minding-corona\/what-to-do-in-times-of-covid","title":{"rendered":"5. What To Do in Times of Covid"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Nothing worse than a false sense of security. Please, take every measure of precaution. Then, read on.<\/h3>\n<p>March 30, 2020<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This article can be read on its own. For more background, kindly follow this trail:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=2831\">Covid-19: Pandemia or Global Hysteria?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=2835\">Mind and Corona<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=2845\">The Message in the Virus<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=2907\">Covid and Attention<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>[Recommendation: if they\u2019re not your thing, then keep away from comments.]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With a little attentional effort, I start feeling a slight irritation in my bronchi, a little shortness of breath, a little pressure in the chest. It\u2019s confusing. I can let myself go into this and feel the symptoms even more. Should I consult a physician? That would be me. Well, this does not mean that any symptoms are fake. It just shows how influential the mind can be on bodily symptoms. Research shows again and again that this can also be relevant to (objective) signs, not only to (subjective) symptoms. This indicates that when in acute respiratory distress, it is always important <u>how<\/u> you orient attention to the symptoms. Likewise, in the following points of advice, what to do lies equally in how you do it. Mechanically following these points is not going to provide their full potential. You have to really mean it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>In general<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Follow guidelines from trusted sources. Don\u2019t let any of the ones in this document make you not follow the other ones. I would say: And vice versa as well.<\/li>\n<li>Note again that <em>every<\/em> infection is mind-body related. Science is unequivocal in this. It\u2019s dependent on many circumstances, but mind-body relatedness is always there. Moreover, your immune system is only part of your defense. It\u2019s altogether very complex, and your mind is related to it in many complex ways.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>If you don\u2019t have any symptoms<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Think of the whirlpool image (related to multicausality). It\u2019s better to stay out of the whirlpool. [see: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog?p=2845\">The Message in the Virus<\/a>\u201d]<\/li>\n<li>With little effort, you may be doing just the right thing that saves you from being drawn into the whirlpool. Eventually, this small effort may save your life even while it doesn\u2019t look so.<\/li>\n<li>If the news grabs you by the throat, then try to keep yourself emotionally clean. That doesn\u2019t mean that you should be emotionless. You may practice the feeling of being sensitive while not being vulnerable. These are two distinct entities. Stated differently: You may care for others while caring for yourself.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid attention-killers. Too much thumb-scrolling social media may have a negative influence. If you feel it does, restrict yourself to a timeframe.<\/li>\n<li>Especially avoid feeling panicky while or through being immersed in social media country. If you do, then see yourself as being manipulated by social media mechanisms. It is better to pull yourself out of it and find your inner strength.<\/li>\n<li>Take care of your body as an integral part of your body-mind. There is only one <em>you<\/em>. You know what to do!<\/li>\n<li>Take care of your mind. One meditation or guided meditation each day may already be very salutary even while it doesn\u2019t look so.<\/li>\n<li>Smile at everyone you meet outside and, if the occasion arises, practice a little bit of friendly communication from a physical distance. You might compensate for the distance by more social togetherness.<\/li>\n<li>Stop smoking for a while. Even a few days of non-smoking has a positive effect on your lungs.<\/li>\n<li>Get enough sleep or deep rest. This by itself also strengthens your immune system at the cellular level, as science shows.<\/li>\n<li>Contemplate your reasons to be alive and healthy. Even if you \u2018know\u2019 them, your deeper mind likes to be reminded regularly.<\/li>\n<li>If you get a positive corona-test, remind yourself that this is the time to take it positively and practice what you\u2019ve just read.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>If you have symptoms to a small degree<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Always take them seriously. Do not forego medical consultation.<\/li>\n<li>Giving deep attention to your symptoms should, at least after a short while, result in a diminishment, small or large. If only a bit, no problem. You are practicing.<\/li>\n<li>Superficial attention to them may more readily become infested with panicky thoughts (even as non-conscious pre-thoughts) and a heightening of the symptoms.<\/li>\n<li>Regularly put yourself in an upright position in body and mind as a sign of respect for yourself. If possible, try to stay relaxed. Then try to let yourself become even more relaxed. This is your groundwork upon which you can build further in a better way.<\/li>\n<li>Practice <em>slow breathing<\/em>. This is not necessarily slow in time. It\u2019s more a kind of breathing with attention. Try to follow your breath in its natural flow, even when it\u2019s more difficult than otherwise. This way, you \u2018relax your lungs\u2019 and make them more resistant, less vulnerable.<\/li>\n<li>Picture yourself in a whirlpool, turning around and not getting deeper into it. Try staying relaxed in your imagination. As much as possible, feel your strength. Don\u2019t fool yourself. Search <em>your <\/em>strength.<\/li>\n<li>All in all: relax. Your outlook is brighter when you do so. The more you practice, the more so. It is self-fulfilling to some degree.<\/li>\n<li>Every symptom, if present to a slight degree, is a defense of your body against the virus. If it doesn\u2019t derail, your symptom is your friend.<\/li>\n<li>Prepare yourself for the eventuality that your symptoms may get worse. Practice the following guidelines, preferably before they are necessary. Rehearse them in order to give to yourself the best you\u2019ve got inside. Your rehearsals are a sign of your inner strength.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>If you have severe symptoms<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>This means you are in the whirlpool.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t feel guilty about this. You are not. Moreover, we know that guilt is bad for health in many ways, including immunology.<\/li>\n<li>At the same time, keep your responsibility for doing the best you can right now.<\/li>\n<li>Use everything you\u2019ve got, every second, to also defend yourself mentally.<\/li>\n<li>You may let yourself be drawn towards a future of health, by that future of health. You can see it as a lifeline to get you out of the present situation. This is especially important at the level of deeper meaning.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t see the virus by itself as the enemy to combat. Your adversary is the whirlpool. The virus is only part of that.<\/li>\n<li>No matter how deep you\u2019re into it, you can get out of it. Never give up. Promise that to yourself. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to others. You owe it to me.<\/li>\n<li>Every minute you survive, you heighten your chances to get beyond.<\/li>\n<li>Keep feeling powerful. You may find in yourself a strength that you didn\u2019t know before.<\/li>\n<li>Getting beyond, you may use that power \u2013 inner strength \u2013 for the rest of your life. You may use it to do something great.<\/li>\n<li>Deep inside, every person has an \u2018ocean of deep motivation\u2019 to stay alive and accomplish things. It is an infinite ocean. Deep motivation is \u2018human energy.\u2019<\/li>\n<li>Your mantra: Stay alive now to accomplish things later.<\/li>\n<li>You may picture your guardian angel. (S)he is not here to keep you alive but to support you in doing so yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>For caregivers<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>All the above, of course, are important to you.<\/li>\n<li>Try to give no less attention to the ones you care for, but indeed less <em>superficial<\/em> attention. Many caregivers (but not all) already know what deep attention means. Now is the time to practice it as much as possible.<\/li>\n<li>Let your heart be warmed by a smile or a blink of an eye.<\/li>\n<li>Respect your emotions. Don\u2019t let yourself be carried away by them.<\/li>\n<li>If a patient dies and you have given your deep attention even only during the last few minutes of consciousness, then you have done a very good thing.<\/li>\n<li>You mean a lot by being you and by doing what you do.<\/li>\n<li>Give, but don\u2019t give yourself away.<\/li>\n<li>Never give up. Also, never give up another person. A person may slip away but should, especially then, never be \u2018given up.\u2019 This is also crucial for the caregiver\u2019s sake.<\/li>\n<li>It is best to be exceptionally nice to other caregivers and to ask them to be exceptionally nice to you.<\/li>\n<li>Due to your contacts, you may be especially prone to \u2018psychological contamination\u2019 on the level of profound meaningfulness. You should now and then take special care for this, such as while washing your hands. Relax and also cleanse your \u2018deeper mind and body.\u2019<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div data-object_id=\"2932\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkwrap cbxwpbkmarkwrap_no_cat cbxwpbkmarkwrap-post \"><a  data-redirect-url=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2932\"  data-display-label=\"0\" data-show-count=\"0\" data-bookmark-label=\" \"  data-bookmarked-label=\" \"  data-loggedin=\"0\" data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"2932\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig  cbxwpbkmarktrig-button-addto\" title=\"Bookmark This\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig-label\"  style=\"display:none;\" > <\/span><\/a> <div  data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"2932\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap\" id=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap-2932\"><div class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguest-message\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguesttrig_close\"><\/a><h3 class=\"cbxwpbookmark-title cbxwpbookmark-title-login\">Please login to bookmark<\/h3>\n\t\t<form name=\"loginform\" id=\"loginform\" action=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-login.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-username\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_login\">Username or Email Address<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"log\" id=\"user_login\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-password\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_pass\">Password<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"password\" name=\"pwd\" id=\"user_pass\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-remember\"><label><input name=\"rememberme\" type=\"checkbox\" id=\"rememberme\" value=\"forever\" \/> Remember Me<\/label><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-submit\">\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" name=\"wp-submit\" id=\"wp-submit\" class=\"button button-primary\" value=\"Log In\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_to\" value=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2932\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/form><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nothing worse than a false sense of security. Please, take every measure of precaution. Then, read on. March 30, 2020 &nbsp; This article can be read on its own. For more background, kindly follow this trail: Covid-19: Pandemia or Global Hysteria? Mind and Corona The Message in the Virus Covid and Attention &nbsp; [Recommendation: if <a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/minding-corona\/what-to-do-in-times-of-covid\">Read the full article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-object_id=\"2932\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkwrap cbxwpbkmarkwrap_no_cat cbxwpbkmarkwrap-post \"><a  data-redirect-url=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2932\"  data-display-label=\"0\" data-show-count=\"0\" data-bookmark-label=\" \"  data-bookmarked-label=\" \"  data-loggedin=\"0\" data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"2932\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig  cbxwpbkmarktrig-button-addto\" title=\"Bookmark This\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig-label\"  style=\"display:none;\" > <\/span><\/a> <div  data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"2932\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap\" id=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap-2932\"><div class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguest-message\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguesttrig_close\"><\/a><h3 class=\"cbxwpbookmark-title cbxwpbookmark-title-login\">Please login to bookmark<\/h3>\n\t\t<form name=\"loginform\" id=\"loginform\" action=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-login.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-username\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_login\">Username or Email Address<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"log\" id=\"user_login\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-password\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_pass\">Password<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"password\" name=\"pwd\" id=\"user_pass\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-remember\"><label><input name=\"rememberme\" type=\"checkbox\" id=\"rememberme\" value=\"forever\" \/> Remember Me<\/label><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-submit\">\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" name=\"wp-submit\" id=\"wp-submit\" class=\"button button-primary\" value=\"Log In\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_to\" value=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2932\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/form><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/443.jpg?fit=960%2C587&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Fdiq-Li","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2932"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2932"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2946,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2932\/revisions\/2946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}