Coronavirus and Anxiety

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I’ve been struggling with anxiety, too. I went way overboard getting medicines that my son uses when he gets a runny nose or fever. Now I want to go out tomorrow and get even more food and another big package of TP. I’m struggling with the idea of not being able to get food, but not knowing where I would put 2-3 weeks’ worth of food.

 

[goofy4prez]

My anxiety is that I’m a day late and a dollar short. I missed the opportunity to load up on cans of Spagettios, frozen pizza, bottles of water and toilet paper. Looks like I’m stuck with Raman Noodles, cans of chicken broth, and having to wash my heinie over the faucet in the bath tub.

 

[mikehn]

I sneezed today. Out of courtesy to my colleagues, I think Im going to call in sick tomorrow.

 

[Kittyblue]

I'm shocked at some of the extreme measures - conferences getting cancelled/rescheduled, universities going on remote learning, etc. It's starting to feel like overkill. I'm worried about my senior mom contracting it, but otherwise it doesn't seem that so much caution is necessary.

 

[hellow]

I have a family member who is dealing with the same level of anxiety. I can feel my level of anxiety increase rapidly by reading comments on articles or social media--so I deleted my facebook account (and so did my relative) and I limit my news time. I was hoping the Dis would be a nice escape...

 

[Sweet T n Me]

I have a family member who is dealing with the same level of anxiety. I can feel my level of anxiety increase rapidly by reading comments on articles or social media--so I deleted my facebook account (and so did my relative) and I limit my news time. I was hoping the Dis would be a nice escape...

I'll try.

We go to WDW every other month and very seldom do the four of us come home healthy.
Usually sporting some kind of leg rash, gastro upset, allergy from the flowers, or flu like symptoms.
Being AP holders, we're hooked. Fight or flight.
We took meds for allergies, brought our own snacks, bottled water, etc. Walked 2 miles everyday to build up for walking at WDW. Everyone came back healthy.
A week later I came down with a stomach ailment that after 4 months of barely leaving my bathroom, put me in the hospital for 4 days.
I never found out what made me sick and I had every test that 3 different specialist could give.

Mayo Clinic was my only option if I didn't get better.
I did get better. I lost 40 lbs. from being sick.
After that, I am careful with everything I eat and only drink bottled water.

Now, did I get this at Disney? Maybe, can't say for sure.

If I did get sick at WDW, would it keep me from it? No.

In 2 hrs we will be heading to WDW.
This will be our first stay (2 nights) at our home resort of SSR.
I was shocked that it was available 2 weeks ago. All the resort studios were wait listed. The preferred studios remodels at SSR opened up, and I jumped on it. FL school spring break is this week.

I need to keep reminding myself, just live one day at a time. Breathe.
Be kind to the fellow travelers at Disney who are afraid of getting sick. It may be their first time.
I'm sad for those who won't be able to "make a wish" for their only time.
Thanks to all who posted. I love the Dis family.

BTW my favorite thing to do at WDW ~ our 7yr granddaughter talking to people. She's enchanting!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I'm shocked at some of the extreme measures - conferences getting cancelled/rescheduled, universities going on remote learning, etc. It's starting to feel like overkill. I'm worried about my senior mom contracting it, but otherwise it doesn't seem that so much caution is necessary.

I was thinking the same thing...until Harvard announced their closure yesterday. That caused an immediate heaviness/sense of dread in my chest. They have an extremely well respected graduate program in Public Health, a top notch medical school, as well as top scientists teaching and researching there, who are connected with other scientists/researchers globally. I went from thinking that what is happening in China and Italy can’t happen here (at least not to the same degree). But if Harvard feels it’s necessary to close, I’m afraid it’s going to be just as bad here in the USA. That scares me.

 

[DisneyOma]

My anxiety started as soon as I walked into the store and saw cases of water being thrown into carts and pallets where they aren’t usually located. I also had a slight raised amount from hearing about it all over the news. I didn’t think the store would be completely out. I had a weeks worth left but I needed my usual stock.

I feel like you were blaming me for not stocking up soon enough. I wasn’t following their behavior. I was simply trying to buy toilet paper that I need to function and use. I deal with ibs so it’s very important. I didn’t start hoarding other items they were all bulk buying.

Weren't you blaming others for doing the same thing though? That's my point - don't put it on others, try to find out what you are doing that is making you anxious. In order to handle anxiety, you have to figure out what you can do to change your processing, because you can't change anyone else's behavior. You have to say to yourself "oh, so what if there are water bottles over there, makes it handy for people to get it, glad the store cares", etc. It's not about blaming anyone - it's about recognizing a sensation and nipping it in the bud before it overwhelms you. You might have made a mistake not getting TP sooner, but it's not the end of the world if you run out. Buy tissues, paper towels, or use old towels or facecloths. Remember, people used to use old catalogs!

 

[erc]

I was thinking the same thing...until Harvard announced their closure yesterday. That caused an immediate heaviness/sense of dread in my chest. They have an extremely well respected graduate program in Public Health, a top notch medical school, as well as top scientists teaching and researching there, who are connected with other scientists/researchers globally. I went from thinking that what is happening in China and Italy can’t happen here (at least not to the same degree). But if Harvard feels it’s necessary to close, I’m afraid it’s going to be just as bad here in the USA. That scares me.

It is all about flattening the curve. That graphic that has been widely shared. It is not necessarily about healthy people getting sick, it is those healthy people spreading it to other less healthy or older people. If we just want to rid the weakest of our species then we should just all continue to live as if nothing is happening. Otherwise it is our responsibility to be part of not spreading the contagion. TBH, postponing a trip to a large gathering spot is part of that. I would not go if our trip were now or in a week. I am constantly monitoring the situation. If it does not improve I will cancel our April trip. I do not want to be one of the vectors causing the death and suffering of thousands of our weakest cousins all so I could ride RotR 3 times. JMHO.

 

[HeatherC]

The point is no longer to stop it, but to stop the speed of spread to avoid overwhelming our medical facilities. Most people will be fine - even those who get a very bad case, but only so long as there are beds and ventilators available to treat them.

ETA - that is not an argument to ban cruises, but just a statement. It is probably here to stay, but we need to avoid tsunamis of sick people.

I'm shocked at some of the extreme measures - conferences getting cancelled/rescheduled, universities going on remote learning, etc. It's starting to feel like overkill. I'm worried about my senior mom contracting it, but otherwise it doesn't seem that so much caution is necessary.

I think part of the reasoning behind this is to both slow the progression and kind of contain it a bit so everyone doesn’t come down with it at once and flood the hospitals and clinics, etc.. If that were to happen, the people who really did need the most help might then have trouble getting the help they need.

Maybe some of it is overkill, but a lot of times after some sort of emergency(hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, etc), we wind up saying “they should have done this or that”. A little foresight in this case can’t hurt.

 

[Farro]

I'm actually fine with cancellations of mass gatherings to reduce spread, I understand school closures, but i also understand the need to keep them open. What the heck will all the parents here in Chicago do if schools close? Not everyone can work from home.

And here I am, taking CTA everyday to come to work to sit at my desk and do the same thing I can do from home. We even work from home one day a week.

But we are told if we stay home, needs to be sick time. Which our sick time is one PTO bank of 23 days (sick, personal, vacation - all same PTO).
So god forbid someone needs to be quarantined. Even though they may be well enough to work from home, they will have to use all sick time, which would be losing at least 10 vacation days.
I wouldn't call in at this point unless they make me (or obviously with fever). The lack of foresight here is astounding.

 

[erc]

And here I am, taking CTA everyday to come to work to sit at my desk and do the same thing I can do from home. We even work from home one day a week.

But we are told if we stay home, needs to be sick time. Which our sick time is one PTO bank of 23 days (sick, personal, vacation - all same PTO).
So god forbid someone needs to be quarantined. Even though they may be well enough to work from home, they will have to use all sick time, which would be losing at least 10 vacation days.
I wouldn't call in at this point unless they make me (or obviously with fever). The lack of foresight here is astounding.

Someone needs to start an Employer web site of shame that points out the worst responses from an employer to the Coronavirus. Telling people that if they work from home they have to use a sick day, puts your employer up near the top for now.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I'm shocked at some of the extreme measures - conferences getting cancelled/rescheduled, universities going on remote learning, etc. It's starting to feel like overkill. I'm worried about my senior mom contracting it, but otherwise it doesn't seem that so much caution is necessary.

I think it's really being covered very differently by various media, so depending on the media you consume, yes, you might be shocked that people are taking this very seriously. In my opinion, the difference in coverage is keeping quite in line with the rise in institutional distrust that one side seems to align with.

 

[Kitty 34]

I do wonder with all these various cancellations; how long do we do this for. How long do people work from home, how long do schools stay closed, etc??

 

[Christine]

I do wonder with all these various cancellations; how long do we do this for. How long do people work from home, how long do schools stay closed, etc??

It's hard to say. I think we'll need data to determine that. The goal of cancelling and closing things down is to mitigate/control the spread of the virus so as not to overwhelm our health system. It can only take so much. I read an op-ed piece just yesterday stating that, even though children are hardly affected by this, they are huge vectors for community spread. The writer felt that the single most effective means of slowing community spread was to close schools (including colleges) for about an 8 week period. This doesn't make the virus go away, it just slows the transmission. During that time, hospitals can care for the severely ill, they can also prepare to ramp up, AND we can start to gather data on infection rates. We apparently need to do enough things to mirror what South Korea and Singapore (??, I think it was Singapore) have done to cause a linear, flat rate of infection versus an exponentially accelerating rate. So far, we have not done that, and it may be too late and we will match Italy.

So, yeah, it seems about 8 weeks of precautions.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

It's hard to say. I think we'll need data to determine that. The goal of cancelling and closing things down is to mitigate/control the spread of the virus so as not to overwhelm our health system. It can only take so much. I read an op-ed piece just yesterday stating that, even though children are hardly affected by this, they are huge vectors for community spread. The writer felt that the single most effective means of slowing community spread was to close schools (including colleges) for about an 8 week period. This doesn't make the virus go away, it just slows the transmission. During that time, hospitals can care for the severely ill, they can also prepare to ramp up, AND we can start to gather data on infection rates. We apparently need to do enough things to mirror what South Korea and Singapore (??, I think it was Singapore) have done to cause a linear, flat rate of infection versus an exponentially accelerating rate. So far, we have not done that, and it may be too late and we will match Italy.

So, yeah, it seems about 8 weeks of precautions.

The Harvard experts I watched in recent forum said that China bought the world time (about a month) when they shut down their borders. The USA unfortunately moved too slowly and squandered most of that lead time. We need to make up for that lost time quickly in order to temper the spread and save our hospitals and hospital staff (and our sick citizens who need them) from getting overwhelmed.

 

[gillep]

I do wonder with all these various cancellations; how long do we do this for. How long do people work from home, how long do schools stay closed, etc??

Right now, we don't know. My husband's company is on recommended work from home until April 10th and will continuously review this date to determine if it will need to be extended.

 

[wgeo]

Copying this from an article from CNN (Bossert is the former Homeland Security Advisor to Trump)

"Officials must pull the trigger on aggressive interventions. Time matters. Two weeks of delay can mean the difference between success and failure. Public health experts learned this in 1918 when the Spanish flu killed 50 million to 100 million people around the globe. If we fail to take action, we will watch our health-care system be overwhelmed."
He compared the lax early actions in Italy, which is now under national lockdown, with the more strict and invasive early actions in Singapore and Hong Kong. (Read this for a taste of what the first day of containment was like in Italy.)

Bossert also said Americans have to prepare to be out of their daily rhythms for weeks:
"How long? Epidemiologists suggest eight weeks might be needed to arrest this outbreak. Administrators, students, teachers and parents need to get busy figuring out how to continue the education of our children while contributing to this community-wide public health effort."

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I was simply trying to buy toilet paper that I need to function and use. I deal with ibs so it’s very important.

Others could have been doing the same.

There's always people just buying what they need for their household.

I was telling my husband and my mother-in-law last night that toilet paper sounds odd to up and grab but it's a comfort item most of us are so used to having that the thought of not having something to you know clean ourselves if we're stuck inside OR run out of and the stores don't have is something that causes people to want to get just one more package. Or they weren't that close to running out maybe they would have restocked normally in a week but the stores are slim pickins' so they get one of the last ones there.

There are for sure people who do panic buy, people who do actually hoard but the bulk of people I like to think have good intentions at heart..the unfortunate side effect is it all leads into a circle. People buy toilet paper (or whatever) more quickly than normal which then causes low inventory or bare shelves people then exclaim "the hoarders the hoarders the panic buyers" without necessarily taking into consideration that it's not all due to that.

I didn’t start hoarding other items they were all bulk buying.

Well with all due respect you could have looked like that to someone else who saw you had xyz items in your cart. Lots of people make snap judgements about what is in people's carts.

Times like this you may find not necessarily hoarding, though like I said there are people who do do that, but also people who are buying for others. If I'm at a store and I know so and so needs X item and I know it's a hot ticket item right now I may purchase it for them. Haven't you ever had someone say "hey if you're going to be at ___ can you get me?" or someone mention "ya know I'm out of or in low supply of ___ I need to get more".

My step-father-in-law is having his last chemo treatment today and you bet your butt (no pun intended) if I knew they needed some supply and I was out and about I wouldn't hestiate getting it for them. If that was toilet paper and I also needed toilet paper seeing 2 packages of toilet paper may make you think I'm panic buying..but nope that wouldn't be the case.

I do feel for you on anxiety; it's not easy in day to day life but when things like this happen and involve so many people I'm sure it amps up.

 

[hellow]

The Harvard experts I watched in recent forum said that China bought the world time (about a month) when they shut down their borders. The USA unfortunately moved too slowly and squandered most of that lead time. We need to make up for that lost time quickly in order to temper the spread and save our hospitals and hospital staff (and our sick citizens who need them) from getting overwhelmed.

These comments do not help anyone who is dealing with anxiety. Harvard is a university, well known for being ultra liberal. There is no proof that the USA "moved too slowly and squandered most of the lead time". In fact, I believe it was the misinformation coming from China regarding the seriousness of the virus (Like muting the doctor who discovered it and tried to make it known) that hindered the world's ability to work on this issue. Hysteria helps NO ONE.