How To Deal With Covid 19 As A Dad

Without a doubt, covid19 has done a lot of damage – not just from a health perspective, but also from a financial and mental perspective as well

It has killed many – mainly the elderly and those with fragile medical conditions.

Moreover, it has caused an entire panic throughout the world as more and more governments and world leaders continue to threaten lockdowns and impose curfews in an effort to control the spread of the virus.

And of course, there are our kids who, as resilient as they are, continue to ask the tough questions premised around the school and potential illness.

But what does that mean for you as a dad, and how to deal with covid 19 as a dad?

Understand That Panicking Is NOT The Answer:

The first thing you must realize is that you need to go about your life with some caution (of course) but not panic like the rest of the world – and that means no fighting or looting over tissue paper and other stupid maneuvers.

With all the negativity and complete foolishness that has been going around, let me give you useful knowledge that will help you administer some much-needed common sense.

Keep Things In Perspective:

The first thing you have to realize is that unless you have some serious medical conditions or you are over the age of 75 then statistically you will most likely recover.

I work in the health care sector and I have personally known at least 10 folks who I have worked with – all under the age of 50 – who felt some minor symptoms such as chills and shakes – but thankfully recovered in a matter of days.

Of course, I am in no way attempting to minimize things, however, the first step is to keep things real and in perspective.

Shut down CNN and by no means believe everything that you hear from the media.

Tell your kids all about the virus and what it does and what it can do.

Don’t leave them in the dark….

If you don’t know much about the Coronavirus, now would be a great time to do your research.

That said, I do want to caution you to get your information from multiple sources and ignore media sensationalism.

After all, their whole purpose is to sell stories based on fear-mongering.

Practice Better Hygiene:

I understand how this may sound cliche, but Hygiene is an absolute necessity in pre-covid life, and considering that we live in exceptional times you probably should step it up a bit.

By taking regular showers and by washing your hands as much as possible – at least 5 times daily, and more if you handle patients – you will have a very good chance of not contracting the virus.

Most people believe that the coronavirus is spread primarily through coughing and other air particles, however, they fail to mention that the hands harbor germs to a huge degree.

And what do most folks do on a daily basis?

They continually touch parts of their face…

Hand sanitizers are wildly promoted as they are an effective way of keeping the virus at bay, but what many folks fail to realize that these same products also contain alcohol which, if taken in large quantities may have an adverse reaction to the body.

In short: please wash your hands when necessary but keep the use of hand sanitizers down to only when you really need them.

Don’t Give In to the Media:

I touched on this earlier but I believe it’s worth mentioning again in greater detail.

The thing that you have to realize is that it’s the media’s job to sensationalize things, and to a degree even makeup BS while labeling it as facts.

CNN for example has been caught staging events multiple times throughout their history.

Now, do you understand why use such antics?

The short answer is that ratings and viewership are the lifeblood of their business model, and the more viewership they receive the more income they receive from sponsorships and commercials.

Money makes the world go around, and with the media, this notion is certainly amplified.

My advice is to follow what they are reporting, but by all means, ask critical questions and never put your faith in one outlet.

Monitoring only one news source is just foolish and I guarantee that you will be led astray and misinformed.

Take The Time To Explain What’s Really Going On:

This can be a tricky subject, but one that needs to be addressed.

I hear from my readers and those folks around me that they haven’t really had the chance to sit down with their young ones and have a frank discussion about the virus.

Sure, many dads preach that they have to mask up, use hand sanitizer, and practice responsible social distancing.

However well-intended, it’s simply not enough…

My advice is to sit them down and be real about the whole ordeal.

Let them know that the vast majority of people dying are the elderly and those with comorbidity illnesses.

In Canada, for instance, not one child has died from the coronavirus while dozens of elderly people are dying at unprecedented rates.

This will certainly put their minds at ease and it should put yours at ease as well.

Pay Attention To The MInd-Body Connection:

No doubt many medical experts are emphasizing that we need to stay indoors and “flatten” the curve. Mind you, they initially said it would only be a few weeks.

In reality, though, it turned out to be a grueling 3-month lockdown here in Canada where I live.

The last thing you and your children want to do is continue to listen to these so-called experts that claim the only way out of this is by locking yourselves in the house praying that things will improve.

I’m certainly not advocating that you break the law, after all, an $800 fine is nothing to joke about.

That said, you also don’t want to ignore your mental and physical health by lying around at home watching Netflix or another form of mind-numbing distraction.

Continue to go outdoors with your kids, play baseball, enjoy winter sports if it’s snowing. Go out and LIVE life to the fullest.

Remember, it’s always been common knowledge that fresh air, sunlight, and exercise is the best remedy for healing. So don’t let some pencil-neck behind a computer screen dictate the rules to you.

You have common sense so don’t be afraid to use it.

Conclusion

I certainly hope you have a much better perspective on how to deal with covid 19 as a dad.

Of course, you should stay home when necessary and try to avoid large crowds of people. I will agree that the spread of transmission is best spread when there are very large gatherings.

If you are sick, give your doctor a call and explain everything to them. Naturally, you will want to rule out anything serious.

There is light at the end of the tunnel: things will improve, but for now, I urge you to take this extremely negative situation in stride and remember to take care of your mental health as well as your physical health.

Your overall health is a mind-body connection, so please don’t lose sight of what’s important.

Do you have any experience with Covid 19 and you’re a dad? If so, I would love to hear about your experiences in the comment section below.