Oh, dear!

It’s been a couple of weeks since I last updated this blog, and how I wish I could say we had found our way out of the twilight zone that is the coronavirus crisis…

But, alas…

We haven’t! 😢

On the contrary, in fact!

We have now gone from self-isolating in the case of cold and flu symptoms to a total lockdown of most of the world’s citizenry. 😮

Not only that but numerous world leaders and celebrities, from Boris Johnson, the current Prime Minister of the UK, to Tom Hanks, the US actor best known for his role in Forrest Gump, have been reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus/COVID-19, which is currently sweeping the globe.

We are being warned that the peak of the pandemic has yet to hit the UK and the US, and, depressingly, that we should expect to be living under lockdown conditions for another three months at least! 😱

I know!

The stuff of nightmares!

Or, even more ominously, the plot of Contagion, the 2011 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon.

(This film is constantly playing on one or other of the satellite channels right now, taking the term “Netflix and chill” to a whole new level! 😬)

The ever-rising number of people who have very sadly lost their lives so far as a result of the pandemic is announced via counters on every televised and online news report.

In fact, the scale of the fear-inducing coronavirus-related news reports is now such that, for the sake of my sanity, I have had to suffer through the FOMO (fear of missing out) and switch off from them altogether.

After all, negativity creates depression which, according to scientific studies, lowers the body’s immune system response.  (Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4116-brain-study-links-negative-emotions-and-lowered-immunity/)

Proof, if you ever needed it, that apocalyptic headlines are seriously bad for your health! 😬

So, instead of soaking up the negative and obsessing over every cough, cold and sniffle (I did all that in week one of self-isolation! 😳), I am distracting myself with more positive endeavours,  like mastering the art of homeschooling and entertaining a toddler at the same time…

Ooh, and, much to my tween’s annoyance, I’ve also opened a seriously addictive TikTok account – the perfect antidote to all the doom and gloom currently engulfing us…

But, most importantly, instead of falling into the what-if worry pit, I have been researching the best ways to build up our immune systems in advance of a coronavirus attack.

And, according to my extensive research, we should do the following…

1. Stock up on supplements

Now, in an ideal world, we wouldn’t need food supplements.

However, as the gradually unfolding nightmare of the last few months has made abundantly clear to us, we do not live in an ideal world.

Far from it, in fact!

A lot of the convenience food we consume has been processed to such an extent that it has been stripped of all the nutrients our bodies so desperately need to fight off inflammation, illness and disease.

Ideally, processed food is best avoided altogether in order to maintain optimum health.

However, in times of stress and crisis, it can be difficult to make the healthiest of food choices.

Indeed, at the present time, with the recent spate of panic buying, it is virtually impossible to access many in-demand food items.

So, supplements, if we can access them, are a great alternative.

Currently, all of us in my household are taking a daily multivitamin with the daily recommended dosages of immune system-boosting vitamins C, D and zinc.

To combat cold and flu symptoms, as soon as they rear their ugly heads, I have extra vitamin C effervescent tablets on hand.

Additionally, I have a healthy supply of manuka honey and whiskey, which both have antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Whiskey is also rumoured to be an effective cure for a sore throat, something that I can personally confirm, as the day after experiencing a particularly painful sore throat recently and dosing it with a whiskey-laced hot toddy, it was magically gone.

And the relief I felt was way beyond the physical, let me tell you! 😅

Now, as a disclaimer, I should add that a bit like Ross from Friends, although, technically,  I am a doctor (PhD), I am not that kind of doctor (MD)…

Therefore, if you have any doubts whatsoever about taking supplements, please check first with your medical provider.

2. Soak up some sun

As we continue to battle our way through a particularly gruelling flu season (understatement of the century! 😬), it has never been more important to take some downtime in the great outdoors and soak up all the immune system-boosting vitamin D the sun’s rays have to offer us.

Currently (and I can hardly believe that I am writing this!), we are entitled to at least one daily walk outside of our homes. 😬

So, make sure you don’t pass up on that daily opportunity to get outdoors and bask in all the sun you can to fortify your immune system as best as you can!

3. Stress less

Now, given the current situation, this one is particularly tough.

How on earth do we remain calm when we have all been living in a state of high alert for months on end?

There are constant reminders of what we should and shouldn’t be doing to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

There is too much information…

It’s simply everywhere…

On the radio, on the TV, in the newspapers, on our social media…

And the message is the same every time:

BE AFRAID! BE VERY AFRAID! 😱

But, you know what, people?

Where our immune systems are concerned, sometimes it pays to be a rebel!

So, just refuse to fall for the fear porn!

Download TikTok, learn how to use it (and without a tween in the house to explain how it all works that should distract you for… ooh… a long time!!), read a book, do the ”Netflix and chill” thing, learn something new from YouTube, bake, exercise, cook, create…

Anything but…

Do. Not. Stress!

Believe me, folks, it’s for the best! 😉 💕

4. Sleep more

Technically, if you’re stressing less, you’re also sleeping more, which, as it happens, is another great immune system booster.

To be honest, this is probably the one that I struggle with most, as, with the kids,  I have limited time during the day, so when I write, I write, much to the hubby’s despair, at night.

Also, even the slightest whiff of trouble on the horizon and I’m unable to sleep, tossing and turning, mind whirring at the rate of knots through all the wherefores, what-ifs and whatnots.

So far, the best antidote I’ve found to anxiety-induced insomnia is a daily schedule so busy that there is simply no energy left to toss and turn at night.

And this, my good people, is where you will find that homeschooling really comes into its own. 😉

A week or two of that and, fingers crossed, we’ll all be sleeping like a baby. 😴

The only downside is that I will have to learn how to be creative during daylight hours…

Hmmm… 🙃🤔

Now that’s one code the hubby really wishes I could crack… 😐

As ever, I’ll keep you all posted!

Until next time,

Stay safe, my dear readers

💋 Mostly Mum

*Gifs are via GIPHY and gfycat