It’s been eight months since (almost) everyone has been masking, washing hands, social distancing and it’s still here and still spreading!
Still, Americans are resilient people. We’ve faced complete “lockdowns” by governing entities, which forced businesses to either change the way they provided their services or completely close their doors.
After the election of 2020, I thought the damn thing would go away. Okay, I’m probably being facetious right now but can you blame me?
I know we are all frustrated and tired of this whole fiasco. Especially those on the front lines and in the healthcare settings. It seems like the more they tell us to wear a mask, the worse it gets.
(NO I AM NOT GOING TO MAKE THIS A PERSONAL or POLITICAL STATEMENT)!
Now in some states the public health departments and the Governors along with some mayors, are mandating “stay at home”‘ orders again.
Some”conspiracy theories” believe that COVID-19 is being used as a cover-up for a certain military operation to take down the deep state swamp. Others believe that it was manufactured in Wuhan, China, and intentionally unleashed upon the world and The United States of America to try and end Donald J. Trumps Presidency.
I don’t know about you, but I am so over the Coronavirus. I was sitting here thinking about some of the words I’m tired of hearing and never want to hear them again, if at all possible.
Unprecedented – without previous instance; never before known or experienced; unexampled or unparalleled: an unprecedented event.
No one was expecting a pandemic to hit the whole entire earth. This word is overused! After this is over it’s the first word I don’t want to hear any time soon.
Do Your Part – If you do your part, you do something that, to a small or limited extent, helps to achieve something.
Yes, it is getting to be too much. Stop telling me what I need to do you be healthy. I have always washed my hands, covered my nose and mouth when sneezing, cleaned and disinfected my house among other things.
I posted this to my Facebook page quite some time ago.
Seriously, I meant all of it. I see so many people go into a public lavatory, use the facilities, and not wash their hands. It’s just gross!
Wash Your Hands 🙌 Washing your hands is easy, and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs.
Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
Please, for the sake of humanity Wah Your Hands!
COVID – 19 is a respiratory condition caused by a coronavirus. Some people are infected but don’t notice any symptoms. Most people will have mild symptoms and get better on their own.
If you want to know more information then click the COVID-19 link above.
Do The Right Thing – To act or behave correctly, appropriately, or with the best intentions.
Anymore one must wonder what’s the right thing to do? There’s so much conflicting information out in the news, on social media, in the newspapers and magazines and yes, they still publish newspapers!
I couldn’t find any articles which intrigued my interests so I’ll leave that up to you.
Lastly, Mask Mandates or WearYourMask!
There’s so much controversy about masks and whether to wear one or not to.
As for me, I have a different view than that of most people. Keeping the elderly safe and protected should be of the utmost importance!
Next, those who work in the health care field need protection, and people with immunosuppressive diseases need a mask.
A study on the effectiveness of masks points out that a one size fits all approach is not the most reasonable attitude to have.
Not to mention the fact that with children it hides their faces with more of a chance for kidnappings to happen.
A child abduction is more likely to happen with a face covering over their nose and mouth.
Human Trafficking has become a much larger topic on social media, due to others having more conversations and bringing awareness to the forefront.
All I know is that I’m so over all this and can’t wait for a normal life.
Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness in the workplace, and by chronic negative responses to stressful workplace conditions.
Burnout is more likely when employees:
Expect too much of themselves.
Never feel that the work they are doing is good enough.
Feel inadequate or incompetent.
Feel unappreciated for their work efforts.
Have unreasonable demands placed upon them.
Are in roles that are not a good job fit.
In this article titled; “Workplace Strategies For Mental Health” by Canadian Life, the writer offers many signs that an employer should be aware of. Of course we all want the productive and happy employee’s in our workplaces. However; due to what’s been happening with the COVID 19 Coronavirus pandemic employers need to become more aware of their employee’s mental health needs.
If you’re still working, what’s your company doing to help boost mental health and moral? What would you want to see from management that would let you know they care about you?
The comments were very interesting. One person stated,
” We were provided with company logo masks, disinfectant sprays, extra pay for the month of April”.
Some people are receiving an extra bonus for working during this time because they were deemed to be an essential worker, yet others left the impression that management was ignoring their health and well-being.
Recognize signs and symptoms
Your employees may not realize that they are dealing with signs of being burned out on the job.
Some of the signs and symptoms that an employee experiencing burnout may exhibit include:
Reduced efficiency and energy
Lowered levels of motivation
Increased errors
Fatigue
Headaches
Irritability
Increased frustration
Suspiciousness
More time spent working with less being accomplished
Granted this article is written from the Canadian workforce perspective however, I find it can apply to any leadership team or managers anywhere.
As a manager where I work, I’ve found myself with feelings of frustration, inadequacy at times to perform the functions of my job, and anger at the owner and senior management for not showing the staff how anything they really care about them or their mental health.
Make your employees feel special
Leave your employees an email or little notes saying something like “Hey we are thinking about you and we’re doing everything possible to help all of us make it through this pandemic together”.
Don’t become one of those owners or bosses like an Ebenezer Scrooge.
Dig deep into your own pocketbook if you have to and show them you care!
Life is hard enough without having a pandemic in it. Choose to show kindness, understanding, and patience with your employees and make them happy and proud to be your employees.
I hope you all had a happy and healthy Easter Sunday last week.
Healthy Lungs
Since I am a Respiratory Therapist; I decided to write today’s article about keeping your lungs healthy. Especially due to the COVID 19 Coronavirus and the complications that can arise from this nasty respiratory virus.
As you know, breathing is a necessary function of life. What you may not be aware of are the differences between having healthy lungs and lung diseases.
A Healthy Lung vs A Diseased Lung
Your lungs provide the oxygen that your body needs for survival. Pushing oxygen through the blood stream and assisting with filtering out carbon dioxide from your body. Damage to the lungs can occur from genetics, the environment and smoking. All these things can cause damage to your lungs.
2. Exercising frequently increases your lung function.
3. Improve indoor air quality with changing your furnance filter every thirty days, using an air purifier to help filter out pollutants, molds and dust.
4. If you smoke, stop smoking. Talk with your physician or call your local Quitline.
5. Get vaccinations like the flu vaccine and pneumonia vaccines to help prevent lung infections and promote lung health.
The Mechanics of Breathing
Take a deep breath and inhale, hold it for ten seconds and then exhale letting all the air out of your lungs.
Could you feel the air moving in and out of your lungs? This motion is known as The Mechanics of Breathing. As you breathe in and out the lungs exchange air flow throughout your lungs.
I’m not going to spend too much time talking about COVID 19 because it is my observation that we are inundatted with news updates every day.
Know the signs of COVID19 – Coronavirus
Watch for symptoms
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.
These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:
Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Chills
Repeated shaking with chills
Muscle pain
Headache
Sore throat
New loss of taste or smell
CT Scan of Lungs infected with COVID 19 – Coronavirus
When to Seek Medical Attention
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:
Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
Call 911 if you have a medical emergency: Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a cloth face covering before medical help arrives.
My wish for you is to be happy and healthy. I hope you enjoyed today’s blog post and that you will leave a comment.
The world is fighting an unseen war. These soliders are not your ordinary man or women dressed in a uniform, carrying guns and ammunition. These soldiers are tiny viral microbe particle that infects a person’s body, causing an automatic response to rage a war within the human body.
What military is coming to fight against this mysterious soldier?
Just like the past wars of WWI and WWII, the Civil War, the American Revolution and the Vietnam wars, men stepped up to fight for their countries against certain tyrannies and viruses that threaten their freedoms. The war we are facing right now, today is not one with ammunition, guns and tanks. In fact this war is much more of a detriment to the whole human race.
Men and Women are at the forefront of fighting this war. From EMS, Firefighters, Police Officers, Doctors, Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, Certified Nursing Assistance and more. These human beings are putting themselves at risk everyday to fight off the symptoms and potential deadly effects of this war. We have all been asked to please do our part as Americans and help fight in the effort against this invader of our country. From helping with providing the necessary equipment needed to those at the front lines, limiting our own comings and goings to what has been determined as only a necessity in our daily lives.
To win this war against all of humanity, we must act together as one!
The SARS – COVID19 – Coronavirus does not discriminate against race, creed, sex, and political or spiritual affiliation. It doesn’t care if you’re strong or weak, younger or older, wealthy, middle class or poor. The COVID 19 -Coronavirus strikes a person with a vengeance and it continues to strike in the silence until your body is left screaming out at you for it to stop.
Yes, we are fighting a war. A war which we can’t see with our own eyes, but yet we can see the mayhem and devastation that it leaves behind. We must fight for our lives and the lives of the ones we love. We must practice being away from each other for a short period of time to increase the chances of this monster leaving humanity alone.
This war will end just like the others before it. We will prevail! And once we have won the battle we will be stronger and better for having gone through it. We will come together with more humility, compassion, and love for each other.
Be kind to one another during this difficult time and let’s help heal our nation together.
In today’s Self Care Sundays series I want to address mental health for everyone. During this time across the world, mental health care should be addressed not just for those already with behavioral and mental health issues, but our first responders, healthcare professionals, grocery store workers, truck drivers and so many more.
Mental health is just as important as physical health. My biggest concern is for my fellow colleagues and what’s going to happen to their mental health when our hospitals are overrun with patients.
I found a great article by the CDC on stress and coping during this pandemic outbreak. As healthcare workers, we are constantly tending to the needs of others; while we tend to forget our own mental and physical health needs.
If you, or someone you care about, are feeling overwhelmed with emotions like sadness, depression, or anxiety, or feel like you want to harm yourself or others call
911
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746. (TTY 1-800-846-8517)
Healthcare Workers
For healthcare workers, it’s quite natural to feel stress. Many relieve their stress with the form of dark humor. What most people may see as incentive, mean or despicable others find relief with humor.
Take care of your basic needs. Food, shelter, clothing and family. It’s important to remember that if you go down with illness it will affect more than just the people you work with.
Coping With Stress
It’s normal to feel sad, angry, confused or even scared during a crisis.
I wish anyone reading this health, safety and wellness. Please try not to panic over this war we have raging in the world. If we all do our part and work together we will get through this together.
Shortly after January 20, 2020 the first case of coronavirus found it’s way to the United States. A man in his 30’s was traveling from Wuhan, China to Washington was infected with the virus causing a domino effect nationwide.
It seems like just yesterday we went to work and although we were concerned about this illness, most of us didn’t really pay attention because it was happening away from our little bubble of the world.
Our favorite sports teams were playing from the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, even Major League Baseball was getting ready to start up for the 2020 season. The bottom of sports dropped when all these teams announced that they were suspending or pushing back the start of their scheduled seasons. I am pretty sure that my local sports broadcasters on Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 are going bonkers at this point! You can listen to all of them from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday.
On Monday March 16, 2020 my older grandchildren were in school, most of my family and friends were working without having any real major concern. Then as the coronavirus started to spread more rapidly across the United States, President Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, 2020.
Will Americans heart ever beatagain?
Yes, yes it will. We are a strong and resilient nation. We have been through much worse than this. Now is the time to build each other up, check on your neighbors and friends. Stop the insanity of hoarding all the toilet paper America! Think about your fellow human beings and work together in one accord to bring healing, compassion, and love for one another.
Our heartbeat is strong! If we can survive through world wars, many other infectious diseases that have wiped out previous generations. Most of all let’s not forget one of the most terrifying and horrific events to hit on American soil. On September 11, 2001, we were attacked by Islamic extremists which assaulted upon our way of life by using airplanes to crash into the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, New York City.
America’s heartbeat stopped for a moment in time that very day. Those of us who watched in horror as our nation was under attack felt sadness, rage, depression and love for our fellow mankind.
We came out on top. We pushed through the sadness, anger and all of the other emotions we felt, to unite together and help each other during our time of need.
I’m issuing out this challenge to all my fellow Americans today. Stop the hate and start showing love. People are scared of the unknown, scared of loss of incomes, and many other things. Bring back the 2001 American spirit. We have lost our way from that day and now we find ourselves asking the same question over again, will American’s heart ever beat again?
Tell Your Heart To Beat Again by Danny Gokey is one of my favorite songs for a time such as this. Please take a listen and enjoy.
Let’s bring healing to each other even in the midst of this pandemic and heal our land together.
