Thursday, April 30, 2009
Swine Flu Worries Kept in Check
It is reasonable to be cautious as moms. We wash our kids' hands excessively during the flu season. We hold their hands while crossing the street. We teach them not to eat things they find on the ground and not to go anywhere with strangers. However, life can be overwhelming, especially when events are out of our control.
With the recent swine flu pandemic, I have felt feelings of fear and have felt a lack of perspective with my own family. I have asked myself, "Am I doing enough to keep my kids safe?" even though I have hand sanitizer in my son's lunch pail, almost every room of the house, and in both cars.
Likewise, I have pondered, "If my kids get this flu, will they all pull through?". Last night, I had to watch a tv show online just to relax. I felt like I couldn't get my mind off of these entangling worries. Every news page I read is freaking me out with headlines about "more deaths to come".
Can we do more than wash our hands, cover our mouths and noses when sneezing or coughing, and avoid sick people? Not really. We have to use common sense and then surrender the outcome because worrying doesn't really help. Initially, the anxiety causes us to go into hyper-freak-out mode as we buy an additional supply of water and food for the house, place a plethora of sanitizers about, and overdose our kids with vitamin C. However, after that, the benefits of the anxiety dissipate. So, we have to stop worrying.
What's our response as moms? Take it one day at a time. We should stay informed, but maybe only a few times a day. At first, I was checking various news websites multiple times per day. Likewise, I was viewing the CDC website more frequently than they themselves were. It got me nowhere except feeling stressed and helpless. So, yesterday, I took my kids to a beautiful garden setting where we frolicked in the outside sun and chased butterflies. We avoided plenty of germs and I was nowhere near my laptop, so my temptation for updates was kept in check.
Besides leaving the house to stay distracted, calling a friend or visiting with someone is great anti-worry therapy as well. I decided to take a drive with my kids to visit my twin sister for lunch. It kept my mind distracted and I didn't feel so weighed down by my concerns.
Let's all do our best to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. That means, we do our best to protect ourselves and our kids from this swine flu while simultaneously taking things in stride. That way we won't exhaust ourselves unnecessarily.
With the recent swine flu pandemic, I have felt feelings of fear and have felt a lack of perspective with my own family. I have asked myself, "Am I doing enough to keep my kids safe?" even though I have hand sanitizer in my son's lunch pail, almost every room of the house, and in both cars.
Likewise, I have pondered, "If my kids get this flu, will they all pull through?". Last night, I had to watch a tv show online just to relax. I felt like I couldn't get my mind off of these entangling worries. Every news page I read is freaking me out with headlines about "more deaths to come".
Can we do more than wash our hands, cover our mouths and noses when sneezing or coughing, and avoid sick people? Not really. We have to use common sense and then surrender the outcome because worrying doesn't really help. Initially, the anxiety causes us to go into hyper-freak-out mode as we buy an additional supply of water and food for the house, place a plethora of sanitizers about, and overdose our kids with vitamin C. However, after that, the benefits of the anxiety dissipate. So, we have to stop worrying.
What's our response as moms? Take it one day at a time. We should stay informed, but maybe only a few times a day. At first, I was checking various news websites multiple times per day. Likewise, I was viewing the CDC website more frequently than they themselves were. It got me nowhere except feeling stressed and helpless. So, yesterday, I took my kids to a beautiful garden setting where we frolicked in the outside sun and chased butterflies. We avoided plenty of germs and I was nowhere near my laptop, so my temptation for updates was kept in check.
Besides leaving the house to stay distracted, calling a friend or visiting with someone is great anti-worry therapy as well. I decided to take a drive with my kids to visit my twin sister for lunch. It kept my mind distracted and I didn't feel so weighed down by my concerns.
Let's all do our best to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. That means, we do our best to protect ourselves and our kids from this swine flu while simultaneously taking things in stride. That way we won't exhaust ourselves unnecessarily.
Labels: mommy, swine flu, worry
