Math Doesn’t Matter When its Your Kids
I don’t consider myself a panicker. In fact, I sway the other way in that after the first few moments of alarm, I become (some would say eerily) calm. In the past couple days with the CDC preparing communities to respond to a possible spread of Covid-19 in communities, I receive multiple alerts daily how my kids’ schools and communities are preparing themselves. The stock market is in correction territory, airlines no longer fly to parts of the globe. . . the world changed in a couple short months.
Scientists are giving us the math: 80,0000 cases in 40 countries which makes it 0.0001% of the world population, not hugely significant if you think about seasonal outbreaks of influenza that prompts 3 to 5 million people seek treatment. Tell that to a mom however and it doesn’t register as she kicks into Mama-Bear mode and every instinct to protect her family fuels her to take action.
Our brains are wired with Negative Bias which basically means a negative incident will impact us emotionally much more than positive incident of the same magnitude. This helped us stay alive back in the day when predators and other dangers lurked on a regular basis. Once a potential danger gets in our mommy brains, our instinct is to be vigilant and protective, it’s what makes us who we are. Chicken pox, measles, the regular flu; for thousands of years our mom brains have kicked into high gear, and with superhero strength forgoing sleep and meals, we have nursed our families back to health.
However, this latest development invokes more fear in people than usual especially considering the big unknowns regarding transmission, community spread and just when, where and how long we need to stay hyper vigilant. It’s difficult not to get caught up in the moment. Telling an upset or angry person to “calm down” usually will have the opposite effect.
What are we doing at Verima? In an abundance of caution, we have given our team the option to work from home and we have limited travel. Thankfully, because all of our production, CBD, packaging and business partners are all here in the States, we have not seen too much interruption in our day to day operations.
On the home-front, admittedly I did replenish our pantry with a few essentials but getting out of the Costco parking lot made we wish we had more storage in our basement. Unsurprisingly, our local Costco ran out of hand sanitizer, water and toilet paper.
Mentally, I’ve tried in my life to observe my thoughts and not just automatically react to them. Turning on the news where the majority of stories (understandably) report on danger, causes an uptick in anxiety. So, instead I opt to check in directly with the CDC and WHO websites for updates and information.
Our minds can get pretty creative very quickly, expanding on our fears, so I try to balance that with gratitude. I remind myself that I am blessed to live in sanitary conditions and have world class health care in my city. I am thankful that even the act of going to Costco and *stocking up* is an option for my family.
I am grateful for the technology that makes the access to vital information appear wherever I go. I am thankful that our friends, schools and neighbors, calmly waiting for updates, have chosen to band together and face this newest hurdle with compassion, level headedness and preparation. So for now, my kids will continue to go to school, ballet, gymnastics and taekwondo and we will face whatever may come together. Stay safe my friends.