Should I be tested for COVID-19?
Testing is for people with symptoms of infection (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) AND travel to a place with known widespread infection OR close contact with someone with confirmed COVID-19. Close contact means being within 6 feet for a long period of time such as while living together, caring for, visiting or sharing a room…
Q. My level of concern about COVID-19 is so high I am afraid to go to a variety of doctors. What can you suggest for moderating this concern and being able to make it to the doctor? Can I take a supportive person with me?
A: If you feel comfortable that your condition can be managed well with telemedicine, this option can provide you…
Q: What have been some of your personal challenges during COVID-19?
A: Not being able to see loved ones has been very difficult. I haven’t been able to see my daughters. One is in Canada, the other one is homeless and using. I can’t put myself and my family here at risk. We need to keep safe. And then having to deal personally with working outside of the home, as a front-line worker, and essential staff. Trying to do everything possible to keep myself healthy, to take proper precautions. Wearing the mask, sanitizing, washing my hands…
When we perceive a threat to our wellbeing, our bodies activate the acute stress response, also known as the “fight or flight” response. This is designed to give us a burst of strength and energy, and impacts systems in our bodies. For example:
Our heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing increase, to deliver oxygenated blood to our muscles…
Living through a pandemic has forced me to take a new look at coping, particularly since my life has been spared many of the things fate can throw at you: wars, loss of a career, severe illness. I was not really prepared mentally for living through a pandemic, but I have always looked at philosophy to help me live better – by reading and extracting interesting ideas that I can try out. Let me introduce you to a few practical points that I gleaned from Stoicism as a way of coping with our current pandemic…
As we surpass the 6-month mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, some people’s lives are affected to a small degree while others are facing serious social, emotional, and/or health challenges. For all of us, there is uncertainty with no clear “end date.” A key task during the pandemic has been, and will continue to be, minimizing distress and maximizing resilience. Resilience refers to the ability to mentally and emotionally cope with a crisis, such as COVID-19. With this in mind, people have started to ask: “What can we do to build and maintain resilience over the long-term?”…
So here we are, over 200 days into experiencing COVID-19. In some ways, it is true that we are all in this together, yet we are also painfully aware of the uneven community level impact of COVID-19 depending on social factors—the neighborhood you live in, your race/ethnicity, and your socioeconomic status. We know that people of color are at higher risk of becoming infected and dying of the virus. Vulnerable communities are experiencing proportionally greater…
