DEAR Jasminda,

I am so sick of hearing about Coronavirus every day.

It is like a never-ending disaster movie.

How do we cope?

Mrs Helen P

Dear Helen,

It is overwhelming, isn’t it.
Day in, day out.

Waiting for 11am, which used to be reserved for morning tea and perhaps a piece of cake but is now the hour when we wait for the pressers and the politicians to announce the latest set of figures.

It can feel quite relentless, so instead of my usual cynicism and devil-may-care attitude, I’ve decided to offer the advice I’m trying to stick to, which has been gleaned from a range of different sources.

1. Limit the amount of time you listen to the news.

This may seem a weird thing to recommend from a column in a newspaper, but really, you can absorb all the Coronavirus news you require in a very short time span.

Just allocate 10-15 minutes a day instead of dipping into news feeds every waking moment.

There’s very little good news around in the headlines and it can become quite depressing.

2. Try to find one thing you enjoy and devote an hour a day to it.

It may be playing a board game with your kids (if anyone finds that enjoyable) or gardening or going for a walk along the beach or drawing or listening to your favourite music.

It’s important to have something to look forward to.

3. There are a lot of polarising views at the moment on social media, so I’d suggest removing yourself from conversations or threads that are just going to upset you.

There will be countless perspectives and ideologies floating around and if someone has a very firm view, there’s not a whole lot of point trying to change it.

It is better to perhaps unfollow anyone who is making you clench your teeth so tightly that you are discovering your jawline again.

4. Try a book. Books don’t argue back.

Books don’t have a comments section.

Books can take you into an alternate world and give you a chance to inhabit a different experience.

If reading isn’t your thing, maybe try a podcast.

There are some incredibly inspiring people around and listening to them can help your own frame of mind.

I hope this helps a bit, Helen.

Thanks for your question.

Carpe diem,
Jasminda