Epidemics can pose more than one kind of risk. The illness caused by infection poses a direct risk to every one of us. It also poses an indirect risk to our welfare if others who we normally rely on for goods, or services – or just for our normal social life – get too ill to play their part. Preventing infection directly addresses these issues.
Understanding how you catch a disease and how you pass it on to others can show you how to reduce your risk of getting it or spreading it. You can find advice on this here.
There is also a second, quite different, set of risks. Fears about the disease can themselves cause widespread anxiety, or stress, or depression. These can be lastingly destructive in their own right. Being unable to go out can further contribute to feelings of isolation and strain. This all makes it very important to look after everyone’s mental health, too. You can take several important steps.
First, there are things you can do yourself to help to improve your mood, ranging from psychological exercises to physical exercises. You can find advice on some of those here. If your children are worrying we can help you explain to them how everyone can keep each other safe. There are ideas for stories, and games you can do together, too.
Second, we humans particularly dislike uncertainty: we typically prefer clear answers, even if they aren’t the ones we were hoping for. Understanding more about the science of the disease (see above) can help with this.
Third, viruses can be contagious but so can fears. So try to minimise the risk that you might generate and spread anxieties. They can easily arise and take on a life of their own if inaccurate rumours start to circulate. Media awareness really matters, not just in what you read but also in what you write. You can find advice on that here as well.
Finally, you can almost certainly help others, and they can help you, by being considerate and understanding. You can choose to be so many things: choose to be kind. Remember that if you are feeling the strain then others are probably feeling much the same. Social interactions matter, so make them good ones for everyone: for your family; for your friends; and for total strangers, too. It all helps.
Prof. Nicolas Rawlins
Master of Morningside College and Professor (by Courtesy), Department of Psychology
