COVID-19: What I’m Doing About It, Personally

So far, I covered how I presently see the COVID-19 pandemic and how I see it unfolding over the next year or two. Now I’m going to share what I’m doing about it as an individual.

I’m taking reasonable precautions. I’m doing what’s recommended to protect myself from COVID-19; washing my hands, avoiding close contact, wearing a mask when around others, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces. Ever since the county I live in issued its health order in mid-March to “shelter in place”, I’ve been staying at home except for essential shopping trips.

I admit, I am yearning to be free. I’m hoping to travel to launch my boat that has been wintering in New York and start sailing, but I won’t do that until I have done research and conclude that the risk to my health and others is acceptable. I’m following the guidance of public health officials and my own fact-based judgment.

I’m conserving my money and investing with a long-term view. Consistent with my outlook that we are in the worst economic recession since the Great Depression and that it will continue well into next year, I am being conservative with my spending to be consistent with my reduced personal income.

I acknowledge that I am one of the fortunate 1% and my economic worries are not like those who are in far more dire situations. So, I’m paying my bills early, prepaying for services like haircuts, tipping more when I pick up takeout food, contributing to food banks, pre-purchasing gifts from artists, and responding when friends ask for help. In my eyes, this is not me being charitable. It’s me making prudent investments for the long-term good with the added bonus that I feel happy when I make them.

I am also cautiously making modest long-term financial investments in asset classes that have suffered price declines disproportionate to COVID-19 impacts, particularly foreign and emerging market equities. I expect a bumpy ride in these investments over the short term but am confident I will see some decent monetary returns that will offset my recent losses and the low expected returns in U.S. markets over the coming years.

I’m practicing mindfulness and avoiding drama. Several years ago, I set out to try and understand why I often felt anxious and unhappy. I came across the practices of meditation and mindfulness and began exploring various versions and adaptations of Buddhist teachings. I discovered the power of taking time out to pause for moments throughout my day and just be aware of the present. I cannot describe how helpful this practice has been during this time of such great uncertainty. I am able to witness what is happening and rather than reacting based on fear, I can accept things as they are and respond thoughtfully.

I’m also keeping my distance from the drama that plays out every day around COVID-19, the battles over wearing masks, the president’s tweets and others’ reactions to them, the conspiracy theories and all the other news that distracts me from what is really happening.

What is really happening is that a life-threatening virus is among us, we don’t really know what to do about it, people are frightened and are expressing their fear in different ways, and the future is more uncertain than it ever has been for most of us in the (so-called) advanced economies. For me, it is important to accept what truly is, to not get distracted by dramatic sideshows, accept what I cannot control, and thoughtfully consider what can and cannot be done, with compassion and kindness.

I’m fact checking. Much of the information I come across regarding COVID-19 and its consequences is distorted by the point of view of the source. Even if I disregard truly fake news, baseless conspiracy theories and bad agent trolls, I routinely come across substantial media bias in terms of information presented, choice of language, and cherry-picking of facts.

So, when I read or hear something, I neither believe it nor disbelieve it until I have proven it to my own satisfaction. I follow the lead of investigative journalist Marshall Allen and ask,

• Is the presentation one-sided?
• Is there an independent pursuit of the truth?
• Is there careful adherence to the facts?
• Are those accused allowed to respond?
• Are all sources named and cited, and if not, is the reason explained?
• Does the work claim some secret knowledge?

I’m making friends with impermanence and uncertainty. Things are constantly changing and we don’t know what’s going to happen. This has always been true. The COVID-19 pandemic has shoved this truth in front of us to see.  Furthermore, it has laid bare the reality of our connectedness.

The drive to get back to how things were seems as much psychological as it is economic, arising from the desire for the seeming security of the familiar, the predictable. But things will never be the same again, they never have. We will never know what will happen, we never have. I can choose to be afraid of this reality and to resist, to protest, to cling onto, to push away. Or I can recognize it, allow it to be as it is, investigate it and allow myself to coexist with it.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t care. I frequently and sincerely wish for everyone’s health and happiness. I honor everyone who is doing their best to get through this, those who are helping others, those who are trying to make things better for all of us.  I acknowledge the grief and sorrow that this pandemic has brought on to so many.

I just work on not letting myself be deluded by fear, the need to control, the need to know. I find comfort, lightness, openness and freedom when I drop into this state of being. The coronavirus has evolved to do what it does, human beings have evolved to be able to counter it. I’m cheering my team on as I live through this time the best I can, while genuinely wishing others well and helping when I can.