Sometimes it is difficult to define happiness as there might be different definitions of happiness depending upon countries, ethnicity, locations, cultural back ground, etc. Many of us perhaps dont believe we need a formal definition of happiness as we define it according to our own perspectives. The term happiness is used in the context of mental or emotional states, including positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.

According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions. According to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Dale Carnegie noted that happiness doesnt depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude. Now we can understand that there are different perspectives when it comes to happiness.

It is interesting and important for us to know that there is a day marked as the International Day of Happiness. Its a day to be happy, of course! Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. In 2015, the UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness. The United Nations invites each person of any age, plus every classroom, business and government to join in the celebration of the International Day of Happiness.

The General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 66/281 of 12 July 2012 proclaimed 20th March the International Day of Happiness, recognising the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives. It also recognised the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all peoples.

The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, a country which recognised the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product. It also hosted a High-Level Meeting on Happiness and Well-Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm during the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly.

The World Happiness Report 2020 will be released on March 20th on International Day of Happiness. The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. The first was released in April 2012 in support of a UN High-level meeting on Wellbeing and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm.

The day reminds us important of happiness and how countries are also ranked according to happiness. Let us all try to be happy and also makes others happy as it is simple and cost nothing to be happy and make others happy. Let us all be happy always and spread happiness amongst all.

Ranjan K Baruah (With direct inputs from UN publication and feedback can be send to bkranjan@gmail.com)

More:
Be Happy and Spread Happiness - Eastern Mirror

For some it is the opportunity to finally tackle that stack of weighty volumes by their bed, for others a chance to indulge a passion for bird watching or baking. So what are you and some of Britains famous self-isolators doing to keep their spirits up?

I think you need to try to avoid your day meandering aimlessly and so Ive started work on my self-isolation schedule, laying out activities and things I want to do.

I want to continue setting aside time for exercise and going for walks, without going too near other people of course. And Im starting to cook again, to learn new recipes. Just last night a neighbour from across the road came to my door and left me a lovely curry. We have a system where well call each other and see if we fancy something.

Until now Ive never really had the time to bird watch before and so Im looking forward to that. You dont need a garden to do this. You can just as easily hang a feeder above a balcony. I also have several volumes by Hilary Mantel and Philip Pullman to get through.

I decided to self isolate, I dont have any symptoms but like to try for a week first. Today is the 3rd day. I did lots of gardening, painting and done some pebble craft.

My husband and I have stopped going to the gym so Ive been running in the morning and working out in the garage instead. We overlook the golf course and Ive had a few lessons so weve both been out on the course, staying a long distance away from others. There is a farm shop nearby and weve been able to get fresh stuff from them together with other items from the local supermarket.

Luckily we dont work but my 21 year old student son has a part time job in retail and lives with us. Were taking as many precautions as x possible to minimise our risks. Our other daughters are not visiting regularly and when they do theres no hugging!

Im a few pages into the latest John Le Carre novel, Agent Running in the Field, and The Cunning Man by the Canadian writer Robertson Davies, about a holistic doctor.

The internet is a real boon in this situation. We often complain about social media, but this is the moment it comes into its own in breaking down isolation. Im Face Timing relatives and friends and its a wonderful thing to do to stay in touch, face to face.

I live on a narrow boat bought basic meat and veg enough for 3/4 weeks have prescription drugs enough for 2 months, our biggest problem is disposal of effluent waste, however we have disposal points, because toilet blocks will be cut, diesal for heating could be a potential problem as down to 1/4 of a tank, wind a bit strong to move to filling point at 74 its getting tougher

Being grateful for the opportunity to rest. Walking, phoning people, listening to sacred music. Knowing we are going to be stronger as a nation. Looking out at my beautiful view

Martin Bell, the 81-year-old former television reporter and MP, has - inspired by the very events that have forced him to isolate himself from wider society - has already written 2,000 words of a study of Daniel Defoes A Journal of the Plague Year, his account of the devastation the bubonic plague wrought on London in 1665.

If you can spend your time profitably, writing the books youve always wanted to write, then make the most of it. What I urge people not to do is glue themselves to the news. Ration your consumption of television, or youll be overwhelmed by anxiety.

Conley has been forced to cancel her twice weekly diet and exercise classes at a golf club near her home in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire because among her many devotees at least 10 are in their70s and four are over 80.

For those not getting out, spend more time doing the gardening and cooking healthy meals. Well all have beautiful gardens by the end and be better cooks!

Its about having the right mental attitude. Do the little jobs youve been meaning to do but never get round to like clearing out the kitchen drawer or freezer. It will make you feel better!

Take up a hobby or home based course, start painting, write letters to your friends - do something youve never had time to do before and use the time to reorganise your life and look at yourself.

For 83-year old actor Brian Blessed salvation comes in the form of his shed in Lightwater, Surrey. Its all rigged up so I sit there and I can record voice overs for various things, or just potter in and out, taking care of our garden. Much of my life has been about exploration so Im pretty used to hardship. Im a war baby and us war babies are pretty resilient.

This is an opportunity for people to reappraise the way they live. I look around and young people are helping out the elderly with food and supplies because of this.

See the original post here:
How Telegraph readers and famous self-isolators are coping with staying in - Telegraph.co.uk

Less than two weeks ago, everything still seemed pretty normal.

On March 6, I was returning home from a short business trip; my flight was full, and the airport was full. My phones newsfeed, however, was far from normal: We were, health experts said, on the cusp of a global pandemic caused by COVID-19.

I research generational differences and cultural trends essentially, how cultural events impact people. That early March evening in the airport, I suddenly realized that this was the last time things were going to feel normal. I was reminded of Sept. 10, 2001 the day before everything changed the last time.

Except: In many ways, the coronavirus outbreak is bigger than 9/11. It might also be bigger than the Great Recession.

We dont know yet how this will play out, but the coronavirus outbreak could become the biggest and most impactful cultural event of our lifetime. Neither 9/11 nor the Great Recession so profoundly altered as many aspects of day-to-day life in such a short period of time the way the coronavirus has affected schools, work, travel, entertainment and shopping. Plus, 9/11 and the recession didnt have as direct an impact on so many people around the world. The outbreak and our reactions to it are not a lone event they intersect with the trends of the past and will have an impact on the future of many people, especially the generation I call iGen those born after 1995.

The outbreak is already having deep psychological effects on many people anxiety, fear and worry are rampant. As we cut ourselves off from social interaction, anxiety may turn into depression.

That may be especially true for iGen, also known as GenZ. Social interaction with peers is paramount for young people, and with schools closed, working at home encouraged, and larger gatherings canceled, that is all but over. Texting, social media and video chat can help fill the void but virtual communication is just not as good as actual face-to-face contact.

This situation is especially concerning because this generation was already vulnerable. Between 2011 and 2018 the most recent data available rates of depression, self-harm and suicide soared among teens. 2020 might well make things even worse especially if mental health resources are more difficult to obtain as the pandemic worsens.

Some crises, like the aftermath of a hurricane, lend themselves to action. We can clean up; we can volunteer. Taking meaningful action boosts mental health; it feels good to help others and to change things.

But, at least so far, pandemic prep has discouraged big communal actions. While health care providers and grocery store workers rise to new challenges, most Americans have been forced to focus on passive tasks that increase anxiety rather than purpose worrying every time we cough, standing in line for toilet paper, and reading articles about using hand sanitizer when hand sanitizer has been sold out for weeks. I fear the pandemic will cement an attitude Ive found was already prevalent among iGen: The world is not a kind or fair place.

Despite the clear warnings of disease specialists reported in the media, until fairly recently many Americans believed that the threat of the coronavirus was overblown. Thats somewhat understandable: In an age of social media hype and political polarization, its sometimes difficult to understand whats worth our concern and whats not.

But it goes deeper. The last few decades have seen a long, steady decline in Americans trust in large institutions. In the General Social Survey, a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, trust in the media fell from 85.4% in 1973 to 54.4% in 2018. Trust in Congress fell from 84.3% to 54.2%. Even doctors were not immune: While a whopping 94.1% trusted medical experts in 1973, that slid to 86.9% by 2018. This decline has been fairly similar across age groups and includes every generation.

Trust in institutions and experts is critical in times like these and fewer of us have it. When trust is low and political polarization is high, we are less prepared to agree on basic facts and less prepared to work together. If you dont trust the government, youre less likely to listen when the government tells you to stay home.

Now that the scope of the challenge is clear, were going to have to trust each other more and listen when public health experts tell us: No, this is not a good time to visit an older relative. No, its not a good idea to go ahead with your spring break as if nothing has changed. Its becoming clear that distrust kills.

Heres the possible upside: Big cultural events can lead to big changes in attitudes. Perhaps this crisis will renew our faith in the media, in doctors and public health experts, and in government. That will be the most likely to happen if we work together not just Republicans and Democrats, but millennials and boomers, GenXers and iGeners.

Boomers know that there is life on the other side of cataclysmic events, a good lesson for younger generations to hear. But that might also be why many Boomers, most of whom are in their 60s and 70s, stubbornly kept going out and risked getting sick. Some millennials and iGen'ers have also flouted the advice to stay in, saying Im young Ill be fine, which risks spreading the virus to vulnerable people. GenX'ers are caught in the middle between aging parents and iGen children, just trying to hold it together.

Decades from now, well still be talking about the pandemic of 2020. What will you say when someone asks what you did for the greater good?

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter.]

More here:
The coronavirus could be Generation Z's 9/11 - The Conversation US

News

MUMBAI: Testing one's mental and physical strength, the tasks of the current season of COLORS Khatron Ke Khiladi seems to be intensifying with every. This week, reptiles and creepy crawlies will take prominence as the contestants will fight their fears. Popular television actor Karan Patel who is known for his daredevil attitude has so far performed every stunt with vigor and dedication and will be seen taking up the challenge with great spirit. So far, Karan has been fortunate to not face any animals in the tasks but this time around, he wont be spared. A new task will be introduced wherein Karan has to get into a tank full of snakes while being tied down with chains. One by one, he is required to unlock the chains and tackle the reptiles. His phobia is encountered with the right attitude and all the co-contestants cheer him up as he performs the task to the best of his abilities. Commenting on this Karan Patel said, I have always been afraid of reptiles and I knew someday I will have to face my fears. Khatron Ke Khiladi has been the most exciting and enriching adventure of my life and I had a great yet thrilling time performing the task. I was nervous and scared before the task was performed but as I starting performing it, everything fell in place and I gave my 100%. Rohit sir and my co-contestants were my biggest supports and I thank them for instilling confidence in me.

Originally posted here:
Karan Patels first-ever animal stunt on Khatron Ke Khiladi will give you chills - Tellychakkar

Troy football coach Chip Lindsey quipped that if the current COVID-19 situation would have happened last year, I would probably be pulling whatever hair I have left out.

Lindsey, now in his second spring with the Trojans, in no way was making light on the deadly virus that grips the world. His coaching efforts right now are first and foremost concentrated on the well-being of his players emotionally, academically and physically.

But still, Lindsey is certainly thankful his team was able to get in five days of spring football practice before the players departed for spring break on March 5. As it turned out due to the Coronavirus, all athletic activities were canceled for the rest of the spring.

Getting five practices was a bonus, Lindsey said. With us, a lot of newcomers on defense and then the quarterback position those are two areas we really tried to focus on in recruiting, and I think we did for sure on defense.

Obviously with quarterback were going to have a new starter, and those guys need all the reps they can get.

Gunnar Watson, Parker McNeil and Jacob Free were considered to be the frontrunners battling for the starting quarterback job during spring. Freshman Kyle Toole will join the mix whenever summer work is able to begin.

What Lindsey seems most excited about after evaluating a weeks worth of practices is what he saw on the defensive side of the football.

I just think each team has a different personality and Ive got an idea weve really addressed our needs in recruiting, especially on defense, Lindsey said. Youre going see seven new bodies in the secondary that we didnt even have last year, which we needed.

We have a couple of new D-tackles that Im excited about. Our linebackers, obviously with Carlton (Martial) and K.J. (Robertson), who played really well for us toward the end of last year, I feel pretty good about that.

Then you throw in a couple of new guys like Jayden McDonald, who is a linebacker transfer from Iowa, and Richard Jibunor (defensive end), the kid who came from Auburn. Both of those kids sat out last year, so I think our defense will have a whole new look about them and Im excited about that.

A number of players also appear to have stepped into leadership roles during the short time period of practice sessions.

I think Khalil McClain, one of our wideouts, I think hes a guy that really stepped in that positive, leadership role, Lindsey said. Dylan Bradshaw, our center, is another guy that creates a lot of leadership on offense.

Defensively, Will Choloh (tackle) is a guy who stands out to me. Richard Jibunor is going to be a big leader for us. Hes a new guy, but hes actually been here a year sitting out, so the players have a lot of respect for his work ethic. And Carlton Martial.

Another guy that we got back is Terence Dunlap (cornerback who was out last year). I think youll see is one of our best leaders on the entire team.

As much as anything, Lindsey was pleased with the effort he saw on the field.

The thing I noticed the most, I think, was just the positive energy, Lindsey said. Our motto this year is going to be Trojan Tough and I felt like we needed to emphasize that. I think our players bought into that.

We also have a new strength coach (Rusty Whitt) that I think has made a huge difference. Hes kind of helped me set that mindset in the winter program.

Though the players are now away from campus and having to take classes online due to COVID-19, Lindsey said he and his assistants have been in daily contact.

Weve been in communication with them via text and FaceTime with their position coach and making sure we talk to them every single day and put eyes on them with FaceTime, Lindsey said.

Because you want to check on their mental health as well as make sure they dont have the virus and kind of look them in the eye. Were just trying to make sure we keep them focused, especially on school and academics.

We need to make sure theyre making great social decisions, and that somehow they stay in shape. Not being able to go to the gym youve got to have creative ways of getting that done. Really just trying to create a positive attitude and understand that everybody is dealing with the same issues.

When we get back together, well move forward and make the best out of this situation.

Once the team is allowed to return to the practice field this summer, Lindsey knows the players will have a lot of catching up to do.

I think this summer is going to be huge for us getting these guys back in shape and ready to practice, Lindsey said. We cant not have them in shape and hurt in practice. Weve got to make sure we do a great job of training them and I know Rusty (Whitt) has a great plan for that.

Obviously now weve got this bump in the road with the Coronavirus, but I think our guys will be fine. Weve just got to make sure we stay on task and complete all the academic work.

For more of the latest news on the coronavirus, click here: http://www.dothaneagle.com/coronavirus

More:
Troy football coach Chip Lindsey thankful team was able to get in five spring practices - Dothan Eagle

Maddie Glover hopes that William Byrd High Schools scrimmage on March 10 wasnt the last high school tennis match she ever plays.

Joe Francis landed the leading role of Quasimodo in Patrick Henry High Schools performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, only to see the play close after opening night.

The curtain is being held for William Fleming High School Colonel Theatre Companys spring play, Jesus Chris Superstar, which was supposed to debut next week, but wont.

Medical experts have determined that children are perhaps the least-affected population during the coronavirus outbreak. Thats great news, but just because theyre healthy doesnt mean theyre not affected in other ways. The cancellations and postponements of significant life events plays, sports seasons, proms and possibly even graduations are weighing on their minds. The mental and emotional impacts of those cancellations are difficult to quantify. But trust me, impacts are real.

As I write this column, no school system in Southwest Virginia has canceled a graduation. Still, the possibility is on the minds of many high school seniors.

Im a planner, so I have definitely thought about it, said Maddie, an 18-year-old senior at William Byrd.

Shes also an athlete, and she doesnt know if her last year of high school tennis will be played, a season when she could be the top-seeded player on the Terriers team.

Was my last game a scrimmage and I didnt know it? she wondered.

Sure, the health of children is more important than whether sports are played or a spring concert is held. That doesnt mean the loss of those events doesnt hurt. It hurts a lot. Some of these events are the only times a child will get to participate, or they are the last chance to be on a team with your pals. Grown-ups should think back to their own final baseball seasons or school plays, and imagine what the loss would have felt like had the rug been pulled out at the last possible minute.

It hurts.

This is going to be a real life-event that these kids will remember, said Kat Mills, a Blacksburg mother whose 12-year-old daughter, Ida, is slowly coming to terms with the fact that her all-county band concert has been canceled, as has her Governors School math competition. Not to mention her dance lessons, her class trip to Richmond, her National History Day presentation and the band trip to Carowinds.

Mills knows that all those events are not nearly as important as the health of her family. If canceling concerts means her child stays safe and disease-free, so be it.

Still, to a child, the emotions elicited by the loss of exciting, anticipated activities can feel like grief.

My 12-year-old seems to be going through Kubler-Ross Stages of Grief, Mills said. Weve had denial, anger, today some sadness.

Thats how emotions have unfolded at my house, where my eighth-grade daughter wonders if her softball season will happen. First, everything was postponed for two weeks, which isnt too bad, really. Then, the experts started talking about shutting things down for two months or even longer. Acceptance of the bad news has come incrementally.

How will kids handle more bad news if it comes their way? Probably the same way their parents will, said Tara Mitchell, a licensed clinical psychiatrist for pediatric and behavioral health at Carilion Childrens Pediatric Behavioral Medicine.

The hard part, and this matters a lot, is how parents respond, Mitchell said. If parents get upset or really angry, their kids will follow suit.

Anger and bitterness, like a virus, can spread.

Parents must avoid just fueling anger and frustration, Mitchell said. If [children] hear parents vent, then these kids talk to other kids and spread the agitation.

As with everything else that involves parents, children and tense situations, a teachable moment exists.

This is a good opportunity to work on the fact that we cant control everything and focus on the things we have control over, said Mitchell, a mother of two who is also dealing with cancellations of gymnastic meets and baseball tournaments. Try to reduce anxiety and work on our flexible thinking.

Parents are learning, too.

We need to find out what kind of life skills can we teach kids from a life-event that none of us have ever had to cope with, Mitchell said.

I have seen some fellow parents lash out on social media over the cancellations of their childrens big days ball games, shows, spelling bees and more. I understand the frustration. Its not helpful, though. The focus needs to be on what families can do once the worst of the pandemic has passed. Can some events be rescheduled? Can some sports seasons be extended or replaced by joining summer leagues?

Joe, the Patrick Henry ninth-grader who got to play Quasimodo all of one night, holds out hope that his schools show will go on, eventually. Three more performances were scheduled.

Im grateful we got to do it once, Joe said. William Fleming hasnt gotten to perform their show at all. I wish we could have done it more. But its out of my control at this point.

Thats the proper and mature response.

Joe also laments that his band couldnt perform in the annual Noteworthy Music Festival, which would have been this weekend.

Maddie wonders about the William Byrd prom, which has already been moved from March 28 to April 18. Shes also a mentor to a fifth-grader at a local elementary school. Has she spent her last day working with that child? What about the seniors-versus-faculty games or Senior Day or the annual Burrito Run, when students and teachers run a 1-mile race after devouring Chipotle burritos?

Will any of it happen?

Like Joe, she has the wise reaction.

In some ways, its comforting to know its out of my control, she said. It kind of stinks, but theres nothing we can do.

If your children miss any of the big events they have been looking forward to, nows the time to start thinking about how to replace those events, or hold them in a different, if reduced, way.

Value all the work they put into something, Mitchell said. Parents are frustrated and concerned, too. Kids mimic how we respond. Maintain hope so as not to get too discouraged.

Kids are resilient. They will get through this like most of us will. Kids might even have a better attitude about their predicament than their parents do.

Its a perfect time to get some spring cleaning done, Joe said.

Follow this link:
Dadline: Children might need help dealing with emotions over the possible losses of sports, proms and more. - Roanoke Times

As the events surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak unfold, its understandable that you might begin to feelincreasingstress.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

Informationis rapidly changing andcan be confusing, overwhelming and even scary.You may experience fear andspikesin anxiety. But even if youremanaging your anxiety levelswell, theres still so much more to deal with.

Whether its dealing with at-risk family membersor patients,a roller coaster economy,trying to juggle work,keeping kids occupiedor homeschoolingwhile schools are closed, or simply adjusting to a new, unfamiliar situation, stress can easily pile up and negatively impact you both physically and mentally.

Clinical psychologist Amy Sullivan, PsyD, ABPP,stresses the importance of planning coping activities. America is the engine of ingenuity, she says.Lets be innovative. This is a time where we can really be creative and come uppositive coping skills.

Exercise regularly.While gyms are closed and social distancing guidelines are in place, its still possible to get inaerobic exercise, like walking,running, hiking or playing with your kids/pets,allcan help release endorphins (natural substances that help you feel better and maintain a positive attitude). And there are other exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home. Dr. Sullivan recommends yogaand stretchingas one way to both exercise your body and calm your mind and itseasy to do by yourself.

Maintain a healthy diet.Stress canadversely affectboth your eating habits and your metabolism. The best way to combat stress or emotional eating is to be mindful of what triggers stress eating and to be ready to fight the urge. If you are someone who is prone to emotional eating, know your triggers, know what stresses you out and be prepared, Dr. Sullivan says. Keepinghealthy snackson hand will help nourish your body, arming yourself nutritionally to better deal with your stress. Helping to regulate your blood sugar throughout the day is going to keep your body stable and your emotions on a much better playing field, Dr. Sullivan says.

Take a break.As humans we want control over our lives and in this situation, so we have to learn to manage lack of control, says Dr. Sullivan.While its important to stay informed of the latest news and developments, the evolving nature of the news can get overwhelming. Find a balance of exposure to news that works for you. This is particularly important for our children. We need to limit their exposure to the media and provide age-appropriate information to them.Whenever reasonably possible, disconnect physically and mentally.Play with puzzles, a board game, do a treasure hunt, tackle a project, reorganize something, or start a new book that is unrelated to coronavirus coverage.

Connect with others.I cant stress enough how important connection is during times of uncertainty and fear, Dr. Sullivan says. Fear and isolation can lead to depression and anxiety. We need to make a point to connect with others regularly. Reach out to family members, friends and colleagues regularly via phone, text, FaceTime or other virtual platforms. Make sure that you are checking on those that are alone. Check in regularly with your parents, grandparents and your children.

Get sleep and rest.The ever-changing news environment can create a lot of stress, stress that gets amplifiedwhen you dont get enough sleep. Its especially important now to get therecommended amount of sleepto help you stay focused on work and on managing the stress the current outbreak can bring. Dr. Sullivan recommends avoiding stimulants like alcohol, caffeine and nicotine before bed. If you still find yourself too stressed to sleep, consider developing a new pre-bedtime routine, including a long bath or a cup of caffeine-free herbal tea. And planning for tomorrow earlier in your day can help alleviate stress related to whats to come.

Following these steps to manage stress and add a sense of normalcy can go a long way to help you cope with the ever-changing environment and help keep those around you, especially children, calm and focused.If you are not able to manage your anxiety or depression on your own, reach out to a behavioral medicine provider for an in-person or virtual visit. Take care of yourself and others around you, says Dr. Sullivan.

See original here:
5 Ways to Manage Stress During the Coronavirus Outbreak - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

Were living in a time of high anxiety. There is more than enough to worry about pertaining to our own physical and mental health and financial security. And theres another widely experienced stressor that many of us didnt anticipate: the anxiety that sets in when someone you know doesnt understand the severity of the coronavirus outbreakespecially when its a close friend or member of your own family.

This applies to people of any age. Though we recently wrote about how to talk to parents, grandparents and older relatives about the coronavirus, some young people have also been ignoring warnings from public health experts and traveling to places like Daytona Beach for spring break. (Spring break destinations are, at the best of times, optimal places for spreading germs, thanks to being crammed in hotel rooms, sharing cups and all that making out.) People disagree with us all the time, so why is this such a stressor? Lifehacker spoke with several mental health experts about how to deal with stress and anxiety you may face after experiencing someones lackadaisical attitude about COVID-19, and why it makes us anxious in the first place.

Regardless of why someone is indifferent about the outbreak, a casual conversation about public health can quickly turn into a stressful argument when you find out that theyre not taking this seriously. According to Dr. W. Nate Upshaw, a psychiatrist and medical director of NeuroSpa TMS, there are two ways why a situation like this could be stressful. It could cause a general concern that people are not taking the outbreak seriously, he tells Lifehacker. Talking to a friend or loved who thinks this way may remind you that there are others not taking the threat seriously, which can be stressful. The other way this can cause anxiety is the real possibility that someone not following recommended protocols might infect you or someone you love.

Along the same lines, Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a clinical psychologist, tells Lifehacker that part of what stresses us out is that when people dont consider the coronavirus as a serious threat it could seriously place a burden on those around them, as a lax attitude on any single persons part increases the chance of transmission and severe illness or death for that individual and to anyone who comes in contact with that person.

It can also cause a fight-or-flight anxiety response in those who are following all the public health guidelines because it prompts a person to question their own judg ment, Linda Snell, a therapist at New Method Wellness explains. It can lead to feelings of invalidation regarding your own response to the seriousness of the coronavirus, which creates feelings of doubt. Doubt can lead to an ongoing need for reassurance, causing one to feel anxious in the absence of reassurance, she tells Lifehacker. Conformity is a form of reassurance. Here are six suggestions from mental health professionals for how to manage your anxiety in these situations.

The coronavirus outbreak hasnt been easy for Dr. Steven Rosenberg, a psychotherapist and behavioral specialist. My fianc is not taking the coronavirus seriously, he tells Lifehacker. She actually said to me that she really doesnt know why there is such a fuss. This is coming from a woman who worries about everything. He has found that bringing himself back to the moment during stressful conversations has helped.

I saw that my anxiousness was seeing everyone getting sick with the virus in my mind, he says. I just brought myself back to the present tense and got away from negative anticipation of the future, he says. When I came back to the moment, I felt amazingly better...Be mindful of what you are doing in the now! Be in control of yourself in the moment. It feels better.

When you try to talk to someone about the coronavirus and they are unfazed about the whole thing, you can at least check in with them about their general health. If you have a friend, family member or colleague who you dont think is taking sufficient precautions, remind them of the importance of keeping themselves psychologically and physically strong so they can be resistant to the coronavirus, Dr. Carole Lieberman, a board certified psychiatrist and public health expert tells Lifehacker. Encourage them to eat well, take vitamins, get enough sleep and exercise, wash their hands and do things to decrease their stress every day, she explains. When you have done as much as you can to help them focus on these basic foundations of their health, it will relieve your anxiety, too.

At this point, you may have already tried talking to the person in question about the gravity of the situation and may be beyond the point where anything you can say will make a difference. But if you havent, Upshaw recommends attempting to educate the person. There are many credible articles on news outlets and government websites that you can share with them, he says. Upshaw uses the analogy of preparing for a hurricane when talking to people about the severity of the coronavirus outbreak:

Preparing for a hurricane is a good analogy to use when explaining why people should prepare for the COVID-19 virus. When a hurricane warning is issued, there is a need to prepare in advance, while everything around you looks and seems quite normal. We can look at the damage of past hurricanes, however, to see that the need to prepare is real...We know that COVID-19 has affected the elderly more, and especially those with compromised health, so even though things do not yet look bad in this country, they should follow the recommendations of experts and authorities to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19. It can be hard for people to wrap their minds around this issue. Likening it to a situation they already have familiarity with can make it easier to understand.

When people are faced with family members or social situations where anxiety is running high because of their loved ones lax attitude about COVID-19, Manly says that its important to have solid boundaries as to what is expected. These can include requesting that those coming into your home wash their hands, use sanitizer or refrain from contact with you if they are coughing or ill in any way. Strong boundaries will help reduce unwanted or inappropriate behaviors and also increase a personal sense of safety and calm, she explains. Solid boundaries actually reduce anxiety for all concerned, as it is important for all of us to have structure and clarity as to what is expected.

Another tactic Manly suggests is to tell people who arent taking the coronavirus seriously thats stressing you out in the nicest way possible. As some people do not realize that their behavior is stressful to others, it can be important to state this in a kind, honest way, she says. Of course, this may not be the easiest option, but some people do genuinely want to know if theyre doing something thats upsetting other people. It may not change their mind about the pandemic, but they may adjust their behavior or methods of communication with you to decrease the anxiety.

As we discussed above, when people dont take a threat as seriously as we do, it can result in feelings of invalidation. Snell recommends focusing on your own self-validation instead of seeking reassurance and validation from others. This is the practice of accepting your own internal experience, your thoughts and your feelings without criticizing or judging yourself for having those feelings, she explains. Self-validation is not accepting your feelings as facts, but instead just sitting with your emotions without reacting to them. The ability to validate your thoughts and feelings will help you decrease your anxiety, allow you to calm yourself and assist you with managing your emotions in a more effective way.

See more here:
How to Deal With the Anxiety Caused by Coronavirus Pandemic Deniers - Lifehacker

Self-care is the new healthcare.

Self-care is any activity that we do in life in order to take care of our physical, mental, and emotional health.

Taking care of yourself is the same as self-care.

The challenge is identifying the different things that we need to do individually that make up the best way to take care of ourselves.

There are many reasons you should never avoid or opt out of taking care of yourself.

One, you are worth it. You deserve to be healthy.

Two, it promotes a healthy work/life balance. Your life should not be all work, make sure to leave room for me time.

Other reasons to start taking care of yourself are managing stress, to live instead of exist, and for better overall physical health.

All you have to do is go for a light jog, meditate, take a break when you need it, laugh heartily at least once daily, avoid emotional eating, learn to say no, and stop over thinking.

These are ways to start taking care of yourself today.

Self-care is preventative care, and more employers are finding value in promoting self-care practices.

According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), 10 percent of visits to the doctors office are unnecessary. Those appointments cost employers billions of dollars in lost productivity and unnecessary health care costs.

It is hard for employees to be engaged and productive when they are unhealthy and unengaged. And, unengaged and unproductive employees hurt companies in the long run.

Some companies have formal wellness or well-being programs in place, but for the ones who dont, its good to brainstorm around the idea of promoting more self-care practices.

Different things a company can do to support employee self-care without spending more money or adding more programs include making ergonomics a top priority. This includes things like good lighting, chairs that provide good posture, and quiet spaces to concentrate.

Companies can also promote stop doing goals, which instead of adding more on to a to-do list, promote a list of things employees should stop doing. This activity has been proven helpful in changing the attitude and behavior in the workplace.

All employers should encourage the use of health insurance wellness benefits like physicals, shots, vaccinations, and screening tests. Other self-care practices to promote in the workplace include planning healthier company-sponsored meals, promote sleep, offer stress and time management courses, practice mindfulness, promote more and frequent employee recognitions, and provide flexible work schedules.

A lot of value can be found in preventative self-care.

See the original post:
The new healthcare | News, Sports, Jobs - timesobserver.com

"One day the absurdity of the almost universal human belief in the slavery of other animals will be palpable. We shall then have discovered our souls and become worthier of sharing this planet with them."

Martin Luther King

"To think that we can have viable human economy by destroying the Earth economy is absurd. Indigenous people still live in a universe, but we dont- we live in an economic system."

Thomas Berry, "The Mystique of the Earth"

The coronavirus did not manifest from nowhere. Our sadistic treatment and manipulation of animals for centuries has come back to haunt us. It is time for humanity to absorb the lessons of the animal world.

From the Orient the world has inherited a civilization upending event, this coronavirus feeding on the human strain. It is perhaps not acoincidencethat it has manifested at the very time the UN is trying to form a Convention onBiological Diversity to protect what remains of the organic world. The contagion is the karmic result of our own ignorance and disregard of other species that began in China and that has visited us before. As Erin Sorrell, microbiologistat Georgetown, exclaims, 70 percent of zoonotic diseases come from wildlife.

As the 2003 SARSvirusalready proved. Then the culprit may have been Asian palm civets. Todays pandemicmay have been caused bypangolins. The scale-covered mammals are kept in caged conditions in markets in Asia in criminally appalling realities, reserved for dinner menus. Most animals in these markets are dying and thirsty and kept in squalidcontainers moved and shipped around asif they were simplecommodities. The conditions are a nightmare and have even prompted many Chinese to close the animal trade. How we treat animals affects entire ecosystems and habitats, the only real wealth we as a species have. Chinas ban on wild animal markets may well be the one silver lining in this ensuing global tragedy, but it should become a permanent ban, not a temporary palliative, becauseother viruses may well ensue in the notdistantfuture given climate changeisuponus.

Major conservation groups have also pleaded for Vietnam to take stringent measures to close its wildlife markets. Vietnam's prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the ministry of agriculture and rural development to ban the consumption of wildlife. We can only hope these initiatives manifest quickly and foster a new relationship to what remains of the Mekong basin's wildlife. Vietnam's actions will hopefully prevent not only new outbreaks in the future but also keep even more potentially virulent viruses from overwhelming the globe.

Wall Street has had the jitters, tens of millions in China have been as impacted as when the Mongol Golden Horde swept into the Middle Kingdom in the 13th century. But whatever deaths have overtaken our species in the last few months, deaths that number in the thousands, we should not forget the root source of this scourge, humanitys revolting disregard, manipulation, and outright slaughter of our fellow beings, the animals of earth.

The deafening silence of absent species marks our time as singular. Whatextinctions are happening will become more impactful than WWI, WWII or the Great Depression combined, because now we have an enormous, almost unfathomable ecological tab to reckon with, and not just the folly of an economic system run amuck. The entire spectrum of natures syllabus is being played out. Our relationship with the sentient world will have to reverse or we perish. The coronavirus is the tip of the iceberg.

Animals were always considered cardinal spiritual, sentient and even intellectual beings in the lives of indigenous peoples and many civilizations past. But as colonial and technological powers overran the world, indigenous peoples were treated no better than the buffalo, or whale orpangolinor bat. And now our disregard of the others bears a karmic component we cannot ignore.

The criminal neglect and dismantling of Nature over the last century has led us to a point where globalization itself will have to be rapidly reappraised. Wall Street may have lost some ground,but the mounting possible extinction toll is many magnitudes more vital than the arbitrary machinations of the Dow.The death toll on millions of acres of rainforests lost, coral reefs bleached and species eradicated the world over has brought us to this point. It is the invisible aura of loss we have inherited. It is the karma our species is inheriting. The locust invasion of east Africa is a Biblical cohort to the virus of East Asia. Now our entire immune system as a species and that of the planet is under siege.

Paul Shepard, the eloquent ecologist who wrote triumphantly about the importance of animals, wrote in The Others: How Animals Made Us Human, People are asked to rely on faith in the invisible and intangible, repudiating the beasts on which primal peoples depend as intermediaries, embodying spirits, affirming death, giving form to the mystery of the multiple truths of mortal existence, and acting as vehicle to other realms. It is not coincidental that this Christian- based society has so neglected its first teachers, the animals, for several thousand years and put so much faith in invisible gods and the afterlife, intangibles that have divorced us from life and the very soil on which we depend for our survival.

We have in Henry Hestons words become cosmic outlaws. If we lose the animals, we will become inconsolable orphans. This most minute but insidious of beings, the coronavirus is a wake-up call to our unconscious selves. We have wrapped ourselves in a cocoon of technological, synthetic and decorative cultural achievement burdened with pride that strains and depletes our full values as sentient beings. In the process we have ignored the suffering and sentience of others. The physiologist Rene Dubos once wrote that humans could adapt to starless skies, treeless avenues, shapeless buildings, tasteless bread, joyless celebrations, spiritless pleasures to a life without reverence for the past, love for the present, or poetical anticipations of the future, but it is questionable that man can retain his physical and mental health if he loses contact with the natural forces that have shaped his biological and mental nature.

How we converse and conduct ourselves in the next year or two will morph into a different realm of relating, and hopefully into a more respectful species. We may need to grow roots under our feet once again and cultivate what Levi Strauss calledan ecological civicism. We may need more than a pause from the pace of globalization that began to convulse the world two generations ago. Will we return to the same numbers game of outlandish growth, and greed when already much of the pollution from northern China seems to have dissipated from the map? Is not our entire fixation on profit a psychic numbing that has divorced us from ecological coherence?

Maybe the coronavirus is a warning sign, the first real test of our global community that has emerged from the Pandoras box of an increasingly incorrigible species. Amazon-size ecosystems are in jeopardy. This insidious half live, half un-live being called corona has taken over our sleep and waking life like an alien invasion. Let us be grateful the next time we see a flock of birds flying miraculously overhead, or the next time we see a koala holding on to a branch for dear life, or the next time we see a dolphin dancing over the waves. And know these beings did not have to die a merciless, hapless, sick death in some market of central China where this virus originated.

The virus has given us a fever, yes, just as we have imposed a fever on the climate of the earth. Milan Kundera in the Unbearable Lightness of Being reminds us in one of the most poignant lines ever written,Humanitys true moral test, its fundamental test, which is deeply buried from view, consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect humankind has suffered a fundamental debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.

And it is possible that the coronavirus may be just another contagion in a long line of lessons we will have to inherit from our fellow creatures.Recently a wolfs head was discovered by mammoth tusk hunters in Siberia dating from 30,000 years ago. What viruses are embedded in its flesh? What strains will invade our civilization like ghosts from a forgotten Pleistocene seeping out from under the crying and collapsing torrent of glaciers up north, seeping slowly onto our shores? Will we learn the lesson that thepangolin, one of the most trafficked and severely abused mammals on earth, the one that has filled so many markets in Asia, is teaching us now across the time zones of the world? Will we make sure now that it does not go extinct? Even its exquisite plates, the only armored mammal on Earth, could not protect itself from the diabolic hunger of our species. Will the coronavirus humble us to the reality that humans make up just .01 percent of life on Earth?Will we have to absorb a virus so virulent, so complete in its ability to create havoc from the melting permafrost in the Arctic that humanity will become irreparably crippled?

The coronavirus in its all-pervasive pandemonium is a wake-up call, not just to our well-being and souls but also how we had better conduct ourselves towards the other species of this Earth, they who enable life as we know it. The coronavirus is a karmic test that we need to pass, so that we as a species can transcend our conduct on this planet we have maligned and mistreated for far too long.

One immensely vital and fragile bioregion that promises potentially lethal pathogens is the Arctic. The great thaw at the top of the world, with ice melting at an extraordinary rate, with polar bears, whales and many other beings having to survive the immune breakdown of the region, is the main reason Shell and other mining and fossil fuel industries should stay clear from the region. Five years ago French scientists discovered a "giant virus" in a 30,000- year-old sample of permafrost in Siberia that had retained its infectivity. If we industrialize these areas and ride roughshod over the roof of the world we risk waking up pathogens we thought we had eradicated or help foster the spread of things even worse than smallpox, said researcher Jean Michel Claverie.

Jean Malaurie, the remarkable French geologist and explorer of the Arctic who fought for the preservation of the Inuit from the contrivances and pollution of Western man, once expounded, "Men of science, like men of state have a duty imposed by ethics. The Earth is living: it can and will avenge itself: already there are portents. The Earth has no time left for man's ignorance, arrogance, sophistry and madness."

Learn more aboutCyril Christo and Marie Wilkinson's work at their website.

Read the original here:
Coronavirus should be a wake-up call to our treatment of the animal world - The Hill