The 'Positive Mental Health' Corona virus thread

[RapidRainbow]

There are a lot of posts of people worrying. I thought it could be helpful to share positive and assuring information in one thread.

For me, the most reassuring thing so far is the fact that of approx. 1500 people in the UK suspected to have and tested for CV have come back as negative.

Keynote1
How do I hide the other thread, I keep looking when I know I shouldn't and terrifying myself. Latest thing mild symptoms not mild !! Need to keep out of there so if anyone can tell me how to hide.

I don;t know what device you're on Mumsnet on, but on this one, at thetop of each page of a thread there are a lot of things across the top which read
Start new thread in this topic | Watch this thread | Flip this thread |Hide this thread | Refresh the display

I think if you go into the thread you don't want and click on "Hide this thread" the thread in question will simply go away. I have just tried it with a thread in AIBU that I was not at all interested in, and that thread doesn't appear when I refresh AIBU.

I've only just discovered how to hide threads on Mumsnet. I'd never noticed before. It's incredibly liberating - like a weight off my mind. I didn't want to delete the whole app but was getting close to feeling I needed to.

Thanks for this thread - I'll be keeping this one!

I hid the entire AIBU topic about 2 years ago, my MN experience is much improved as a result. I haven't hidden the CV topic as there are some useful threads but I'm hiding a lot of individual threads.

@Keynote1 do you know what helped me when I felt like this? It was an exercise my therapist gave me. Sounds trite but when you feel really panicky and overwhelmed close your eyes take a deep breath and focus on what is around you in that moment.
Talk yourself through it in your head
So “in this moment I can hear the clock ticking. I can feel the carpet beneath my feet. I can hear the sound of the traffic”
Focus on the things you know for sure, that ARE. Not uncertainties no what ifs.

And when the what ifs cycle starts, answer it back - so “what if we all die from this disease?” Well, what if we don’t?

It doesn’t always help but sometimes it helps to centre you a little and not be so all consumed.

And don’t forget this is all hyper vigilance, it’s a method of trying to control a situation through your anxiety. To protect and prepare for the worst, it’s essentially our survival instinct gone into overdrive. It’s not abnormal but you can’t let it consume you otherwise you’re going to make yourself ill and that’s without even getting coronavirus! Try to focus on keeping yourself as healthy as possible. Taking your vitamins, eating healthily. Only checking the thread once a day etc.

I hope you start feeling better soon!

@Keynote1 I also find it helpful to recognise that the little voice of panic isn’t actually my rational self. I name it. I call it the Head of Drama. It’s the voice that tells me that I should stop running as soon as I get a little twinge, or that DS will never make friends and will have an awful time at school because he’s different. Or that I’ll never, ever get another job. Or that the economy will collapse and we’ll loose our home. Or that we’ll go to London and get caught up in a terror attack. It’s not sensible me, it’s the silly side of me! So I call it the Head of Drama, roll my eyes at it and tell it to shut up, for goodness sake. I find it helps.

People slate Trump and alot of what he comes out with at times can be very bizzare... However 2 of the things he has come out with are very true...

The virus will like struggled in the spring and summer when the temperatures increase I read a report somewhere that it struggles to survive about 28 degrees.. Hense why there are so little cases in places like Africa and also why Australia has seen very minimal community transmission.

Secondly the death rate will be so much lower that it shows right now... As the symptoms for most will be mild hundreds of thousands have like had this but got over it in a few days so not have bothered to go to the doctors. Even in China with the way they were treating their people... If I thought I had a mild case of it there I wouldnt call the doctor I would just self isolate and ride it out.

@Dennisreynoldsduster, thank you I will try those things. I came off of medication for depression and anxiety after 20 odd years last year, have been doing so well and feeling better than ever for the last 6 months, this has thrown me totally but after all the efforts coming off of the tablets I don't want to go back on. The silly thing that has tilted me over is spending time last week with people who had been returned from Tenerife a week before I saw them (not the affected hotel), they didn't have to do anything and had checked 111 etc and told no issues where they were, I had been brewing this cold that husband had had the few days before that really came out the day after I saw them and have totally panicked which is madness.
Taking your words totally on board and trying to relax and distance myself a bit today, all a control thing.
Thanks again.

I clicked on the latest preppers thread, read one page and saw someone commenting they were now in debt by stockpiling.
Also the irony, preppers apparently help consumers by always being prepared, no need for panic buying. Please tell me why they are still at the shops, buying yet more of the same stuff their houses are full of? Thus, adding to the hysteria?

@Spudlet I like the idea of Head of Drama. I shall now give my anxiety that official title. 😀

Hi all. Wish me luck i have to go to an assembly at my sons school and to the hospital for a growth scan today.. Two places i do not want to go after barely leaving the house for a week!! Although i am looking forward to seeing my son read a poem.
Can anyone help me understand something? I watched this yesterday

And found it calming. However, they suggest 20% of hubei were reported to be infected?! Where on earth have they got that percentage? I thought it had over 50 million people. Am i missing something?? X

Its aboit 20 mins in x

Lots of scary videos doing the rounds on Facebook, mainly from Iran. Showing some not very nice things. People dropping down in the street etc. I don’t know what to believe, help!

A lot of those videos are made up for click bait.

There are some absolutely terrible Facebook groups at the moment.

There is so much misinformation on them that it is genuinely scaring people. Most of them need to be removed.

Very good that @Spudlet, I like it. I think we all have a head of drama that needs keeping under control.

@Keynote1 i think that's totally understandable at the moment and I think a lot of us would second guess any symptoms we had. There's a good article from a young guy who experienced the virus and although he had a few sneezes, what he describes is very different to a cold (after the initial couple of days, by now you'd really know about it).
Anxiety is such a bastard, once that brain worm is in there everything seems to feed it and it totally takes over life. It's sunny where I am today - is it where you are? Pop some gloves on, sunglasses too, wrap and take yourself off for a walk somewhere. If you've got somewhere where you're not likely to run into many people, that might be good as a first step.
Do you listen to podcasts or anything? Listen to one of those while you're out, on a totally different subject, or perhaps an audiobook? If you don't have an audible account I really recommend it as it's such a great distraction from anxiety. It will help to focus your thoughts rather than let them hurtle through the constant what if cycle which is terrifying and, quite frankly, exhausting.

Also would just like to echo that a lot of the videos doing the rounds are nothing to do with coronavirus, just like a load of the videos coming out of China were later debunked and shown to be taken at another time in totally different circumstances.

I can heartily recommend a long walk. It is beautiful here, the sun is shining, the air is so fresh, I've just been 3 miles and feel that nothing can touch me.

Some of the links around are totally and utterly irresponsible. I'm on a niche forum to do with a hobby, and an American on there told everyone that Hyde Park in London is closed and the bodies are piling up. Bollocks! I swiftly corrected him.
A stupid MP said something on the lines of closing Hyde Park if it came to it... he had no authority to say it, and it was immediately discounted by Dept of Health.
What a scaremongering thing to say. The MP concerned should be held to account.

I’ve only seen one paper this morning but the news is really encouraging. Fatality rates if you’re under 50 are minuscule and diminish the younger you are, confirmed mild cases are no longer being hospitalised and common sense appears to be prevailing.

Completely second the idea of going for a walk. It’s a glorious, good to be alive morning.

Hear hear! I'm working from home (Friday 🙂)... and going to go for a run at lunchtime and enjoy the sunshine! Hello ☀️- long time no see!

I think the focus on "numbers" isn't healthy either. I ventured onto the main threads yesterday and people are sitting on their laptop pressing refresh repeatedly to get the latest figures. Why? It's just feeling their anxiety. I also think there's a ghoulish "told you so" mentality and some people will feel cheated if the world doesn't grind to a halt and they don't see riots in the streets. Perverse thinking.

I really think it would be more helpful for the government to split the figures - total cases includes people who have recovered. And people who aren't ill enough to be in hospital. And people who were in hospital as a precaution, but have been discharged. I would imagine though there's privacy concerns for the individuals involved but raw numbers aren't helpful. People hear "115 cases diagnosed" and imagine 115 previously fit and healthy people lying seriously ill in hospital, on ventilators and hooked up to monitors. I don't think that's the case AT ALL.

I went out for a walk this morning too, not sunny here but dry at least. Currently 7.7 miles into my virtual Appalachian Trail app. Only 2192 miles to go.

that's ridiculous @Roussette
the papers did enjoy taking that choice soundbite and making it sound like it was happening RIGHT NOW this last week.

I'm not disputing the fact that the virus IS a concern, and that having information is helpful, but this scaremongering and spreading of rumour is not helping. There are some great posters on the other thread who just share the facts but too many people are linking to unverified videos as 'proof' of the effects of the virus and making out like it's the zombie apocalypse.

Professor Whitty is a good one to watch because although he doesn't undermine the seriousness of the situation, he's very calm, factual and measured and gives a better picture of things than these sensationalist headlines do.

Hope you're feeling better today @Keynote1 and anyone else who is feeling really anxious

ooh i like the sound of that app @PineappleDanish is that what it's called?

Yup, Whitty’s great.

@Dennis - it's called Walk the Distance. First couple of stages are free but it's only £3 to unlock the whole thing. And there are pretty pictures and it tells you when you're passing hiking shelters and things. I have learned today that Georgia has mountains high enough for snow in winter! Who knew??

@tud41 I agree with those points too, let's hope its a very hot and long spring and summer. I can't believe I agree with what Trump says.