It wasn’t until late December, when an unknown virus was identified in the city of Wuhan in China that spread rapidly like a bushfire reaching countries like South Korea, Italy, and now in more than 100 countries.
This coronavirus has been recognized as a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization, which is a word that is not casually used until it really is of grave danger to humanity. As of now, COVID-19 has affected the lives of more than 124,000 people, taking the lives of 7,714 people.
This virus, ever since it has been declared as a global crisis and international health emergency, has spread a wave of terror and people all around the globe are panicking, scared and anxious than ever before.
Of course, everyone is reacting to this stressful situation very differently, but one thing that’s common is stress. What we must understand is that fear and anxiety about a disease can indeed overwhelm you, but one should know that it would only end up creating more chaos and more stress for you and no one wants that on the plate right now. How you cope up with the stress and how you combat this nerve-racking situation, is what will help you come out of it stronger than ever.
Instead of panicking yourself and the ones around you, the most important thing you could do is to “Be Kind”, that’s how you can play your part and contribute to the community.
Be Kind to the ones around you, the elderly, the young, and everyone. Remember, being kind costs no penny but the difference it could make is worth every penny. There are tremendous ways to practice kindness and now is the time to practice most of them. One way to be kind is to open your eyes and offer your help when the people around you need it. Be it as little as passing a smile to someone, holding a door for the old woman, giving honest compliments to someone or helping carry a heavy load can all be acts of kindness. You never know how much, these little things could mean to the other person and make them forget their worries for a while. Another way to be helpful is that you could offer to homeschool the small children of your family and prepare fun activities for them. Donate to the hospitals working tirelessly for the COVID-19 patients.
There’s this phenomenal state of euphoria that was identified by psychologists called “Helper’s high”, it is the name for that positive emotional state that people experience when they offer help to others. So it’s a win-win situation. Give kindness, get kindness!
Last but not the least, kindness also includes being kind to yourself. Give yourself a break, treat yourself to that donut, read a book, unwind and get that extra sleep and let go of negativity. One thing that the world needs in situations like these is nothing but kindness, love, and warmth. Be the reason someone smiles today!
