Panic

PANIC

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COVID-19 BRINGS IT, PANIC.  PANIC IS ALMOST A PART OF WHAT WE ARE ALL EXPERIENCING TO ONE DEGREE WITH THE CURRENT WORLD SITUATION DEALING WITH THE CURRENT PANDEMIC.  IT IS STRANGE HOW NAIVE I WAS AS RECENTLY AS TWO MONTHS AGO.  I REMEMBER THE DATE, MARCH 7TH.  I KNOW THIS BECAUSE I REMEMBER THE DATE OF OUR TICKETS DEPARTING FROM DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO BOISE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.  WE WERE ON A PLANE TO IDAHO GOING TO VISIT OUR DAUGHTER.  NEWS WAS JUST STARTING TO INFILTRATE THE NETWORKS ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS  NOW MOST OFTEN REFERRED TO AS COVID-19.  I REMEMBER MY DAUGHTER BEING A FAIRLY NEW MOTHER, WARNING US OF THIS VIRUS SHE HAD BEEN RECENTLY HEARING ABOUT THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SERIOUS AND ME THINKING TO MYSELF SHE WAS WORRYING WAY TOO MUCH DUE TO THE LACK OF INFORMATION WE HAD YET TO FIND OUT AND HOW SHE WAS PROCESSING IT DUE TO HER BEING NEW AT MOTHERHOOD. 

BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER, LET US TAKE A LOOK AT THE DEFINITION OF PANIC AND WHAT IT MEANS NOT ONLY IN THE WEBSTER DICTIONARY AND OUR DAILY WISDOM WORDS DEFINITION.  

WEBSTER DEFINITION OF PANIC-SUDDEN UNCONTROLLABLE FEAR OF ANXIETY, OFTEN CAUSING WILDLY UNTHINKING BEHAVIOR.  2.  A FRENZIED, HURRY TO DO SOMETHING

DAILY WISDOM WORD DEFINITION OF PANIC-FEELING OUT OF CONTROL OF OURSELVES OR CIRCUMSTANCES OUT OF OUR CONTROL AS WE PERCEIVE THEM. 

PANIC NOW SEEMS TO RULE THE WORLD.  I AM A PERSON WHO HAS A HIGH ANXIETY LEVEL ANYWAY WITHOUT ANYTHING TO BE ANXIOUS ABOUT.  UP UNTIL ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO, I USED TO WORK OUT FOUR TO SIX DAYS A WEEK TO MANAGE THIS.  I ALSO HAVE TAKEN AN ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICINE AT NIGHT TO HELP ME SLEEP SINCE I WAS APPROXIMATELY 20 YEARS OLD.  FEAR, WHEN EXPERIENCED WITH A FEELING OF NO CONTROL, LEADS TO PANIC.  PANIC CAN EVEN LEAD TO AN EVENTUAL “PANIC ATTACK” WHEN EXPERIENCED WHEN ONE LOSES CONTROL OVER THEIR FEELING.  PANIC ATTACKS CAN ALSO OCCUR FOR NO APPARENT REASON AND INCLUDE A WIDE VARIETY OF PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS INCLUDING RACING HEARTBEAT, UNEVEN FAST BREATHING, AND PERSPIRING PROFUSELY.  MENTAL CONDITIONS INCLUDE INTIMACY DISTANCING, RACING PULSE.  

I FIND MYSELF FEELING PANIC COME ON WORSE THAN EVER.  I HAVE HAD PANICKY FEELINGS BEFORE, BUT NOW, I REALIZE IT IS EASIER TO TURN EVERYTHING OFF AND STAY INDOORS THAN IT WILL EVER BE TO START THINGS UP AGAIN.  WE CAN NEVER FORGET WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH THIS PANDEMIC.  WE ARE MUCH CLOSER TO THE NEXT ONE THAN WE KNOW.  THE GOOD NEWS IS WE CAN. BE PREPARED FOR IT, IF WE PLAN FOR IT, NOW.  PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET US KNOW IF YOUR FEELING THIS WAY AS WELL WHERE IS SAYS JOIN THE DISCUSSION BELOW.  

SAMANTHA LEBOEUF/DWW

 

 

 

HYSTERIA

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Our Daily Wisdom Word today is hysteria.  What does it mean to suffer from hysteria?  at one point in history, it was considered to be a controversial mental disease more prominent in women versus men.  Now, we define hysteria with a broader definition, a psychological disorder.  Let us take a look at the Webster definition of hysteria, and the daily wisdom words definition.

Webster Definition of Hysteria-1.  exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitemen/panic, especially among a group of people also known as mass-hysteria.

Daily Wisdom Words Definition-Fear, exaggerated, especially with a group of people who heighten the perception of something, otherwise known as “mass hysteria”.

I chose this Daily Wisdom Word today due to our newscasts and the fear we all are feeling about the Coronavirus.  Do not mistake my article as a way to play down the facts of this terrible virus that continues to spread and take the life of many elderly individuals, now classified as a pandemic. The Coronavirus-19 is also spread from animal to human.  The Coronavirus-19 is causing fear and sometimes, panic. Many store shelves are empty with limited supplies of toilet paper, meats, hand sanitizer and cold remedies.  Individuals, such as my daughter, daughter-in-law to be, and son-in-law/son are either guaranteed to stay home, or limited to how often they can go to their workplace.  All teachers are being asked to do their teaching remotely, or classes are canceled.  We are being told by our own President and leaders that we should self-isolate, getting out as little as possible.

If I am honest, my greatest fear is that we do not seem to be close to a cure.  Viruses mutate easily, and my second greatest fear is the “New Coronavirus-20, as it is being called, has no reported cases, but logic tells us there will be.  All I am asking from us is we focus only on the facts of this pandemic.  The major loss of life occurs in elderly individuals, but still, the death rate from this horrible virus is less than 3% when calculated from the number of reported cases.  I feel 97% well rate after getting this virus is something positive we can focus on.  

Hysteria in one person can be dealt with.  However, when hysteria becomes mass-hysteria spreading faster than the virus itself, we know we are possibly exaggerating the facts of this.  It does not help that the news and media seem intent on focusing on it.  Fear and Panic is spreading, as we see hand sanitizers sold out, and mass buying of certain necessary products.  This is a necessary precaution to keep hand sanitizers on hand.  More effectively however is simply washing your hands as much as possible for at least 20 seconds at home or in a public place or high-risk environment. Another unique thing about this particular virus is it lives on the surface of anything including countertops and floors temporarily.  The incubation period before symptoms begin to show is as long as 14 days.  Some individuals, NOT in the high risk group are not showing symptoms or disguised as a common cold, still test positive for this virus.  We do NOT have enough test kits for the illness which means only patients exhibiting symptoms are getting tested.  Logic tells us from this that our numbers of people having the virus may not be correct.  These are the FACTS.  My acronym for F-A-C-T -sis F-ocus A-bout C-entering on T-ruth 

Am I scared?  ABSOLUTELY!  I think this is normal.  As borders close around the world, with my daughter and husband and son and fiancee planning to head to Jamaica next weekend, I worry for them.  My mother, who is 80 years old is out every day either going to appointments or going to the grocery store or shopping.  I fear for her.  I find myself fearful to fly and fearful to go to the public gym.  I worry that my partner, who is around the public every day will develop the virus.  I feel also, this will get worse before it gets better.  Don’t misunderstand this post.  There is a reason to be scared.  However, we cannot allow FEAR to be the ruling factor in our life.  We must continue to live.  I am weak sometimes with fear, and my words are then only in my wisdom, not in my actions.  I find myself being more terrified of fear and panic than the virus itself.  

Educate yourself about the facts.  Control monitoring the news every second of the day and articles about this should be read as a way to educate, more so than produce fear or dwell on the virus.  Focus on 97%. get-well ratio.  Remember:  We cannot control this virus.  All we DO control is managing realism versus hysteria.  We can control the moderation of education when we find ourselves obsessing over this terrible illness.  Thanks so much for reading today.  To “get the facts”  visit WHO’s Website at https://www.who-int.  Also visit:  The Center for Disease Control, https://www.cdc.gov.

Thank you for reading today.  I hope we all follow the best path towards containment, precautions and knowledge.  Knowledge is power.  Fear is weakness.  We get to choose which road to go down.

Samantha Leboeuf/Daily Wisdom Words