{"id":4809,"date":"2020-03-24T11:24:21","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T15:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/?p=4809"},"modified":"2020-03-24T11:24:21","modified_gmt":"2020-03-24T15:24:21","slug":"jessica-be-safe-wash-your-hands-practice-empathy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/2020\/03\/24\/jessica-be-safe-wash-your-hands-practice-empathy\/","title":{"rendered":"Jessica: Be Safe, Wash Your Hands & Practice Empathy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/span>As I sit at my desk trying to brainstorm a topic to write about — any topic — that avoids addressing the strange situation unfolding around us, I come to a realization: I can\u2019t. It\u2019s been about a week since schools around the nation have sent students home in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Since then, I\u2019ve been desperately trying to establish a regular routine and limit how much I talk about the daily news updates (knowing fully well it isn\u2019t helping anyone\u2019s anxiety levels). Yet I can\u2019t help but stray from whatever task I\u2019m supposed to be focusing on to ponder the uncertainty of today, tomorrow, the near future\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, my mind looks something like a word cloud with a million distractions and the phrases VIRUS, PANDEMIC, and THE WORLD IS FALLING APART bolded in large font.<\/span><\/p>\n

And thus, I come to realization #2: It\u2019s okay to feel overwhelmed and stressed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Chances are, most people are feeling just as confused and worried as you are. After all, it\u2019s hard to avoid dwelling on it when it\u2019s constantly in the news and on every social media platform. Staying informed is never a bad thing, though; in fact, it\u2019s important to keep up with updates for health and safety measures. But it\u2019s also important to take a deep breath, give yourself some space, and be reassured that things will get better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Realization #3: It\u2019s okay to want to talk about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just a few days ago, my friend messaged me asking if it was okay to feel bummed about having to spend her birthday in quarantine. She felt that it was a stupid and selfish feeling to have, considering that the pandemic had plunged countless people into a desperate struggle to remain healthy, keep their jobs, and support their families.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s anything that we should gather from this moment, it\u2019s that everyone is fighting different battles against the same common villain. While others will inevitably be dealing with other, sometimes more severe issues than ours, that doesn\u2019t mean that what you feel is invalid. Our emotions aren\u2019t something that we should be hiding in shame or fear; that won\u2019t benefit anyone, much less yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

At a time when everyone is struggling to find security, happiness, and hope amidst the chaos, it\u2019s okay to feel sad, angry or scared. Perhaps the best advice right now is to have empathy and be open to helping others. Donate to local and relief charities, ask seniors in your neighborhood if they need assistance picking up groceries and essentials, and be open-minded when listening to others (while practicing social distancing!!). Simply phoning a friend and understanding what they\u2019re going through can go a long way. And in turn, it\u2019ll make you feel less lonely in a world that\u2019s collaboratively battling this global threat together.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I sit at my desk trying to brainstorm a topic to write about — any topic — that avoids addressing the strange situation unfolding around us, I come to a realization: I can\u2019t. It\u2019s been about a week since schools around the nation have sent students home in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. … Continue reading Jessica: Be Safe, Wash Your Hands & Practice Empathy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[44590],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4811,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4809\/revisions\/4811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}