Month: March 2020

Follow the rainbow 🌈

At no other time have we needed to “bear the storm” to take a good look at ourselves and see the tragedy of the Global connectedness of the COVID-19 and the possibilities for a new way of thinking. It even came out in my cards (Qcards that is).

Somewhere over the rainbow as sung by Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz is timeless ….a dreamer is always that. At a cognitive level having a strong imagination makes for a healthy mind if one keeps it “sharp enough”.

Thus why we need to exercise our body and mind. In times of stress we all need to find creative outlets to keep us far away from negativity of “darknesses” whether these are bad eating habits, bad relationships, or bad community energy. Especially now! I enjoy this video and audio from Riya Sokol who “thanks” the Coronavirus (See link).

We need humor and support, meditation and prayer for mental health, need to eat all the colors of the nutritional rainbow (or take great quality supplements like vitamin C, D, E, or Omega -3 like Nutrilite brand) if we want to stay healthy.

Many crave sweets 🍭 and some of this is emotional eating …. the latest CNN news brief got into what to do about craving carbs? Remember the power of those chestnuts 🌰 or those little kumquats? It’s fine to eat some chocolate or ice cream but we need to keep to the balance with available healthy foods or even vitamins. As a matter of fact building up our immune system is vital in preventing flu or other communicable disease. Especially in times of stress!

Before the “stay home” times on a cloudy rainy day a rainbow 🌈 popped up…and stayed there for a good 15 minutes. Even when I encountered the negative messages or red graffiti writing of “hate” μίσος (misos) in Greek. It is time to reflect and to change both personally and globally. To take personal and community responsibility.
undefined
It’s easy to get lost in all the negative energy but you need to be a transformer. You can learn to take action against the negative energy and take on some positive cause and be like the beautiful rose of winter. Yes we have a lot to do and we MUST support our medical and public health infrastructure. I see this as an opportunity to:

Be creative — Play music for your neighbors or sing 🎶. All those great old songs by the Italians on their balconies are such a gift of strength and inspiration. Try to learn a new recipe and look at the food supply you already have as it’s not so easy to rush out to the supermarket! Draw in one of those destress books. New games with the kids — we started board games again! Learn about your family history. Sew again, make some masks for the health workers (see Forbes article) knit that sweater…. on your balcony for some extra sun and vitamin D!
undefined
Understand social distancing — it does not mean isolation. It’s been reported that introverts are being more active by necessity via e-platforms and extroverts are learning to focus more within. Stars are helping spread the stay home 🏡 motto thank you!

Increase health literacy — for your skills building for nutrition, self-care, home cleaning (see SELF article, and Spring cleaning and Kondo’s method), and community health. We already have with videos on Coronavirus especially on how disease spreads and to not overburden the public infrastructure. I especially like this one Coronavirus explained.

Be less selfish — at the supermarket (do you really need more than 3 sets of toilet paper? why not use less to begin with ?!). Do we really need to pollute so much ? The noise reduction and emissions from cars and trucks have gone down so much people are seeing clear skies, fish 🐟, hearing the birds singing! Folks the earth 🌍 CAN survive without us but can you survive without her?

As Dolly Parton in her southern belle matter-of-fact voice once said

Advertisement

Taking the risk or putting on the mask ?

The UK initially approached the CoVID-19 as a “herd mentality” the idea hat we will all get it and some will survive while others not… what do you think about that? Especially if your culture has a lot more intergenerational interactions — like the Mediterranean! Would you take the risk ? It turns out a large part of risk has to do with self-efficacy and the “can I do something about it?” mentality to include “is it easy for me to do?”

There are 5 easy things we CAN do:

  1. Wash hands, clean common areas and wipe off door handles, phones, light switches with alcohol.
  2. Be careful of being around large groups of people (social distancing)
  3. Follow classes, liturgy, talk to friends, e-banking on-line.
  4. ** Do EVERYTHING we can to boost our immune systems **
  5. Stay Home as much as we can! Continue to help vulnerable populations — those older or with chronic health issues stay home 🏡! Our social marketing campaigns run often and seem to be working slowly for now. Harder but necessary to do with kids…especially common areas like beaches, parks.

Due to a recent case in the public news station ERT (ΕΡΤ) now the journalists are working either off line, at a distance physically, and even wearing gloves as we see here the journalist fixing his glasses. This particular news was focusing on reminding people to not go to church and certainly not take communion as those asymptomatic could easily affect others!

“Open” News with Pappadopoulos
  • About wearing gloves and a mask — it seems that the ones with the dust filter are best, but of course we need to wear it right . I’ve seen people cover their mouth only, NOT! There are the overpriced ones and of course panic as some may “not have” one !
  • How about making masks? I loved this link from Deaconess Hospital 🏥

One Greek newspaper actually gave a free mask to its readers while the article cover reads “biological warfare: the Coronavirus”…. worthy of 2€ rather than paying 6+ euros in some pharmacies or the black market! Well the newspaper was nothing special but we now have an extra one since pharmacies do not!

Remember to wash hands before putting it on!

Biowarfare is not new concept, despite what we’ve been told, and this possibility of “getting in the wrong hands” is no scenario from the movie Twelve Monkeys. We’ve known since 1999! It shouldn’t shock us when the Bill Gates Foundation is giving money for a potential vaccine (no they didn’t “create” the 🦠 virus !)

It is understood that we have a lot of people and governments interested in the idea of unethical or “dark” science? I mean we get this even from stories of dark magic — think Harry Potter and the “dark lord” Voldemort, or the dark wizard.

Notable to viruses or diseases are similar words used even with the devil or Lucifer as it seems. We have archetypes and descriptors like the You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, etc. I wonder if one day we can all “joke” about this millennial plague ? Thus the cartoon festured here is priceless!

Let’s support our medical and public health personnel in all they do to keep everyone healthy and understand all the difficult circumstances. In Portugal and Greece we recently stood outside our balconies for 5 minutes at night to 👏 clap in thanks!

In closing, would you trust your politician if they took the chance? No thanks for that one Boris …. let’s take a look at our personal habits and keep talking prevention shall we?

Star “Power” Social Distancing & CoVID-19

These are tough weeks worldwide with COVID-19 rising death tolls as all market sectors are affected. An unlucky Friday the 13th as several Forbes articles are predicting a range of problems from technology to delays in college applications.

Health messages can be very powerful if they come from well-known sports figures, local and international movie stars. We need this on a daily basis if we are to motivate change in stopping the transmission of viruses like the Coronavirus, also known as CoVID-19.
ife Rita Wilson who have contracted social stigma (reminds many of the first years of HIV in the 80s and 90s).

Tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas did a brilliant for public service announcement for the Hellenic (Greek) Ministry of Health with the directive to “sing Happy Birthday to You” 2 times as you wash your hands! Besides being an Orlando Bloom look-alike, talented sportsman, he has a great career as a public health communicator! Go Stefanos! Many efforts are made to increase awareness of how the disease can affect all sectors and e-learning may help curb the issue at least from school – college.

Recent cartoons help “spread” the word

Local stars in Greece like Sakis Rouvas who are promoting the “Stay Home” for 2 weeks movement. We say that as long as stars “practice what they preach” they can reach millions much more than any politician …though the current Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is doing a very good job with communicating risk. In times of critical incidents how political figures and governments “handle” situations either builds or breaks trust. Mr. Mitsotakis you’re doing a good job with tough historical issues — one side the migrant crisis and hybrid war and on the other the virus 🦠 and the economic recovery, Bravo 👏!

undefined

Speaking of inspiration and stars ⭐️ here is
an open-air “cafe” moment, before the ‘lock-down’, with my friend Antigone D. who creates amazing Electronica music ranging from epic classics to 80s 90s with the magic of her keyboard…. Check out her single “Electro Infinity” from the album Next Generation on YouTube.

Best to keep our distance and no excess show of affection like kisses 💋 and handshakes 🤝 which were a historical “given” in almost all Mediterranean cultures. But as a more recent Guardian article seems to suggest, we are evolving our social etiquette from handshakes, to using elbows and footshakes, during this critical time.

Hands off we say with Antigone D.!

“It’s over now the music of the night…” 🎶 as is sung by the Phantom in one of my favorite plays The Phantom of the Opera ….or is it!? Yes, bars and restaurants will close for 2 weeks to promote the “Stay Home” 🏠 Movement for prevention. But we can still be smart and enjoy shows via video and livestream to eventually close the chapter of another Deadly vires.

Be smart and be patient friends, social distancing is “in”!

The women of the day

She was #166 waiting patiently her turn in a public hospital while others (and she) were unaware of her condition eventually aware she was carrying the Co-VID19. She took responsibility and informed others for the need of quarantine.

She was Asian who was living in Northern Italy and was told “go away, we don’t want your virus!” She wins the approval of her colleagues as bystanders intervened and she’s now trying to be see how and what we need to work on in the name of prejudice and in times of panic.

She baked all day, kneading the dough into perfect braids with her arthritis ridden fingers. Those infamous Greek koulourakia. They were given to several people living alone, in need for comfort food, and even some intergenerational fun.

Koulourakia for a better world !

I did my part Recently in an internet radio station in Northern Greece in educating the lay public on associated issues, the need for preventive measures of viruses, and the importance of health literacy (Watch/listen to this). We might be getting better in containment but still as with all serious health threats a “thorny” situation (take a read of “A rose in winter”)
You may not know these women but you can relate to their actions, and we want them to keep healthy and strong!

May you blossom like the almond and cherry trees as they quickly change leaves to form fruit. You are vital to humanity’s survival.
Congratulate and hug a woman today for just being her.
March 8th, International Woman’s Day!

An urn…becomes us….store the FACTS!

Get the facts stored in your head right! These days of constant misinformation you need to get trusted sources. I’m calling this the “urn” of health literacy ….look at past history, collective knowledge and speak up for your health! It’s critical in periods of pandemic diseases like the CoVID19 (Coronavirus) we get the right info like this from the Toronto Doctor Peter Lin (video “Get the Facts”)

“To be or not to be an urn”, a vessel used as storage in the ancient world to decor in our days…exquisite craftsmanship. A source of beauty by day or night. But the “urn” as a metaphor is your storage for health information and increasing your health literacy !

On the island of Corfu (or “Kerkyra” as we say in Greek) there is a tradition of throwing various ceramic vessels out of one’s window or balcony to celebrate Easter commemorative of Jesus‘ overcoming death via the resurrection. I know I’m all about “safety first” with this one ….staying out of the way of its fall.

How functional they are and practical in nature? This artisan on the isle of Naxos turn pieces of clay into works of art.

But this time we cannot afford another crack…raise your health literacy today and help others too!