I’m stretching it a little bit today on topics for a healthy living blog. … or mommy blog? Online diary? Shoot, ok, I guess I’m all over the place anyway, so let’s just go with it!
Mental health is a HUGE, often overlooked, component of overall well-being and one thing that can weigh on me and my mental stability greatly is worry. I’ve actually gotten much better over the years with my irrational worry (having a very logical husband will help with that), but sometimes it still creeps in.
I’ve heard of people that don’t like facebook because they get jealous or feel bad about their own lives when they see people on exotic vacations or spending happy weekends with their smiling families. Not me. I love those pictures! Go live it up, friends! I have trouble with facebook because my heart breaks a thousand times with all the gut-wrenching, sad stories people share. Whether it’s friends suffering or horrific news stories, they just create pits in my stomach.
So thanks to news stories and conversations with friends through facebook, you what’s been on my worry list lately?
EBOLA.
OK, just typing that made me feel pretty silly.
I could also list ISIS and our country’s financial future among others, but for the time being, let’s start with what got into my head yesterday.
I’m frustrated that it doesn’t seem to be taken very seriously. This is a horrific, DEADLY virus, right? And we let people who had exposure to it just hop on planes?
Yes, yes, I know the facts. You aren’t contagious until you are showing symptoms and it takes direct contact with bodily fluids and blah blah blah, but can we all please just be a little more careful? This is Ebola, not a bad case of the sniffles we are talking about here.
Deep down I know it’s not a situation that constitutes my concern… yet. But I have a bit of survivalist in me and I may or may not have bought extra bags of flour and lentils on amazon yesterday to pad our pantry, just in case. Because that’s logical. (???) There, now you’ve seen a little of my crazy.
As I’m typing this in the morning with a clear head, it feels a little silly to admit to. I know there are millions of other more likely things to worry about (I don’t let my mind go down those paths), but still this Ebola situation somehow stays in the back of my mind.
So for now I’ll keep living my normal day to day, but I will keep one ear to the news. Call me crazy if you must.
Are you a worrier?
Do you control your worries or do they control you?
And finally, go wash with soap and water! Hand sanitizer doesn’t work on Ebola. Ok, ok, I’m done.
John J. Stathas says
A person’s brain may struggle between the irrational swings of emotionality, such as excesssive worry, and rational analysis. I offer this guide for you, or anyone, to see where you fit on the emotional guidance scale. Confer my blog below.
Brittany Dixon says
I figured you’d give me a good talking to later once you read this 😉 Your daughter is on the crazy train again- haha! I’ll read the blog and look forward to giving you a big hug later!
Parita @ myinnershakti says
Ebola and ISIS have been on my mind a lot lately as well. Two things that I really have no control over. Frustrating!
This may sound kooky, but when worrying thoughts about the things I have zero control over start to take over my mind, I just close my eyes and try to send out positive thoughts into the world. Someone once told me that the world needs more people to do that than worry. I figured I’d give it a try!
Brittany Dixon says
I like that! More positive thoughts and love can’t hurt, right?
Alex says
I am also a total worrier. I try not to let them control me, but they certainly creep in my mind from time to time. I think Ebola is definitely something our country needs to concern itself with more. If they don’t have a heightened awareness now, we could see major, devastating repercussions. I worked in a hospital for 3 years before I transferred to education. I could not echo your sentiment more. Far too many health professional use hand sanitizer in place of soap. Sanitizer is not a cure all. Wash your hands!!
Karen says
I am a worrier but have gotten somewhat better at prioritizing what exactly I worry about.
Ebola i can not fix, so why waste time worrying. So far our state is clear, and I haven no travel plans until much later so heres to hoping its under control soon.
Nations debt/politics i also do not worry about so much. Yes, debt is bad and i believe we will be a nation always in debt so why worry. Again i can not fix this either. I am tired of hearing campaign promises, voting for that person, and finding out it was all hot air and hopes. I just live with what comes and roll with the punches now.
I spend most of my time worrying about the things only i can make better. Which are the three things all under my roof, my family:-)
Kristi says
I’ve also been following the Ebola story with bated breath and predicting a US outbreak since the beginning. My husband thinks I’m crazy! It’s frustrating to see the protocol falling apart starting with the first patient.
That said, I’m pregnant and flying cross-country (alone) with my toddler in a couple days! I was anxious about the trip before but am now even more worried about plane germs (here’s where I don’t write scary statistics about the flu).
Back to the healthy living topic – how about some tips for warding off illness? I know you use ACV. I’ve also been curious to try elderberry syrup.
Swiftie22 (Andrea) says
Yes. I’m a worrier. 🙁 And my worries are usually about health-related stuff only. I used to struggle a lot with controlling my fears, but in the past few months, I’ve noticed that I’m actually getting better at it. I can now push the negative thoughts aside more easily. 🙂
Vanessa says
I am with you in the “worrier” department! It has probably gotten worse since becoming a mama. I cancelled a trip (on an airplane) that we were going take next week. I live in Dallas, and just could not get comfortable with the idea of taking my son through DFW. I would rather disappoint a few people than take that chance.
Monica says
Oh, my gosh! I’m mostly ONLY a worrier of the most far fetched scenarios! Yes, 2 people in our country out of millions have the disease, but yes, it totally makes me worry.
I blame those movies like World War Z or Outbreak that show the time lapse map scenes… Two red dots on Tuesday, a whole map of red dots by Friday…
Here’s a happy tidbit of a story about a person you will never meet, but it is still happy, so I’ll share… a friend of mine just found out she’s unexpectedly expecting after being told for 15 years she couldn’t have children!
So, see??? The good in the world outweighs the bad every time…
Lauren says
I’ve dealt with anxiety my whole life, and outbreaks have been a constant worry of mine. The worst was after 9/11 when there was the threat of biological warfare–I was SURE that anthrax was going to be delivered to my office and I wasn’t going to have anyway to prevent it. Being that I worked in a middle school, I seriously doubt that we were any threat to a terrorist organization, but that’s not how my mind worked.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for this brave post–I totally understand how you feel, and I’m relieved that someone feels the same way that I do!
Amanda says
I agree there is need for concern and being smart about our own health – you might find some level of comfort in this article. http://drsircus.com/medicine/ebola-saving-lives-natural-allopathic-medicine
It makes the option of fighting it ourselves a little more tangible.
Jessica says
I am right there with you with excessive worrying. Mine is ‘catastrophic thinking’ and is just one symptom of GAD which I’ve had since i was 9 :P.
Between Ebola and Enterovirus its hard to not be obsessive about hand washing and want to keep everyone safe at home, lol.
Katie bearden says
I’m an RN and live in raleigh nc but am from Atlanta. I worked at Piedmont hospital in Atlanta for a few years and have friends at Emory. I’ve been following the Ebola issue as well and I wish Tom Frieden would step down. No protocol and no plans and they knew the nurse had high fever and let her travel and then lied about knowing! Makes me so angry because these nurses put their lives on the line and people are blaming them.
Okay off my soapbox but got to defend my nurses. 😉
I worry too but I find trying to focus on today helps. Anytime I get too focused on the future worries can creep in.
Julia says
Yes, I’m with you! My mom is a nurse and has been for 30+ years. I get so frustrated hearing people blaming the nurses. The nurses are trusting those above them, yet they’re stuck with both the virus and the blame.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Amen! Frieden needs to step down. I suspect that many of the assumptions being made about the disease may be false, which is why we are seeing infected nurses. We don’t really know how it is transmitted.
Tiffany says
Ha! I’m right there with you…though not on ebola. My father in law works in a job that requires him to be monitoring for scary stuff (i.e. in case of terrorism types of things…) and so we have an emergency escape plan to get out of the DC area and meet somewhere as a family in case something happens and cell coverage, etc is down. For some reason, I was thinking about it yesterday and thinking about how I should keep more emergency supplies (including for my girls like diapers, baby food, etc) in my car. So, there you go! I’m there with you.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
I worry about things all the time, which drives me nuts. So much of what we worry about is out of our control. I find what helps is talking to David, a friend, or my mom about the topics I worry about, and through discussion it helps show me that it’s out of my control, so why waste my time worrying about it.
As someone else mentioned, I think movies definitely play a role in believing how easy it could be for Ebola to really be a huge problem here. I blame the movie Contagion — so scary!!
Joni says
This is so me too! It’s honestly why I don’t ever read the news…I get everything secondhand from my husband or Facebook. Just yesterday though I started googling Ebola and went down that crazy path as well, lol. It makes me want to hide under covers with a cup of tea and pretend nothing bad ever happens! Oh to be five again
Sabrina says
Where does it say to wash with soap and water instead of hand sanitizer? I’d like to print something formal out (like from the CDC?). I couldn’t find anything when googling.
I think I worry too little about these things. My friend commented yesterday that she couldn’t believe a woman was out at IKEA with a newborn when it’s flu season. That thought would NEVER have crossed my mind, and even now I still don’t think I’d worry about it.
Jennifer says
soap and water is always a better option for hand hygeine, hand sanitizers are making bacteria resistant because most people reach for those instead of soap and water, but soap and water is best. but neither kills Ebola, only bleach does.
Sabrina says
Thank you!
Christina says
I am most definitely a worrier, but like you am blessed to have a logical, rationale husband who balances me out! I think Ebola is scary, but to be honest, I think we (especially parents) should be more worried about enterovirus 68 (or whatever it’s called). My (non-professional) understanding is that it’s much more contagious and transmittable in the general population than Ebola….definitely keeping a close eye on my daughter and we are all washing our hands more frequently!
Jerrica says
Completely agree! I have some serious issues with anxiety, and always have. These last few weeks have been brutal for me. I have not had a solid night of sleep because I dream of ISIS. Ebola is always on my mind. However, the one that scares me most is enterovirus. I feel like I would have a better chance of surviving ebola than my child would have surviving enterovirus. Thankfully, I also have a very logical husband who helps bring me out of crazy town. Anxiety is just a part of my life and I sort of feel like I am more prepared because of it.
Amanda says
I recently spoke to the former head of the Weapons of Mass Destruction unit for the CIA when writing an article on antibiotic resistance and he said that it is absolutely the considered opinion of the intelligence community that a bioterrorist attack is the number one threat facing the U.S. Not to add to your fears or keep you up at night. 😉
Rachel says
I consider myself a pretty logical person, but I can understand why you worry about these things. But let me posit this; when does worrying about something, especially something that is unlikely to affect you, help the situation? No one ever says, “Man, I’m so glad I worried about X!”
Ebola is getting a lot of news coverage right now. It’s exotic and scary. But the reality is your far more likely to get the flu, which btw, kills more people worldwide than Ebola! So go get your flu shot, quit worrying and live it up with your family 🙂
Kelli D. says
I am not a worrier. I don’t have enough time to worry about things that are outside of my control. Every once in a while I will let worry creep in like when the baby sleeps late. I can’t help but think – – I need to check if she is still breathing and then I ultimately end up waking her up and regretting it 😉
However, I am an extreme empathizer (is that a word?!?) I will sob every night watching the news with everything that is happening with ISIS, young teenage girls missing, the living situation of people in West Africa and the spread of Ebola there, and the sick nurses here in the US. It’s hard to imagine that so many terrible things happen outside of my cozy home, with electricity, running water, and all the creature comforts of the world with in arms reach. My family is so blessed and it is so easy to take for granted. I remind myself each night to be grateful for the amazing life I have.
My husband on the other hand is a worrier and so is his Dad (ex-military officer). They were on the phone last night making plans on if anything were to ever happen we would meet at their house. They already have stores of canned food and extra water and of course guns and ammunition. So I guess I have the best of both worlds, I don’t worry but if something were to happen we have a back up plan already set up! 🙂
Kelly says
I am a worrier. It increased substantially when I became a mom. Thankfully I also have a rational husband that keeps me (mostly) grounded. I also get stressed watching the news but as my rational husband says “nobody cares about the billions of happy stories that happen each day. People want to hear about the bad stuff!” Sadly, it’s true! When I hear bad stuff I try and picture all the good stuff that is happining to people on a daily basis. The good far out weighs the bad! There is so much good in this world…sometimes we just have to look for it.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am glad it’s not just me! I am wigging out a little on the inside over ebola thing. It just FEELS out of control. It just feels like everything is catching authorities by surprise. I mean, a mandatory 21-day quarantine seems like a no-brainer to me for anybody traveling from that part of the world. And have you HEARD the director of the CDC speak?! He cannot even put together a coherent sentence together.
My natural skeptic is saying that at least some of the assumptions being made about this virus may incorrect. If two nurses in hazmat suits can get it, how much more vulnerable are the rest of us?
I worry about my son being in daycare too and the bugs that go around. Not just ebola, but also that respiratory super-bug that affects breathing. My son already has asthma-like tendencies, so that worries me too.
Oh, and did I mention that my husband works in the state of Alabama’s largest hospital? Sigh. So I’ll join you in the worry party. Sorry, I am not much help!
Laura @FitMamaLove says
I thought everyone worried about ebola when it was still just in Africa was nuts. Then it came here and I thought of course they’ll contain it. But now it has spread to two people, one of which was on a flight while contagious. I’m not worried I’ll currently get it, but I am concerned that it will spread faster than we are able to contain it.
Hallie@ChasingHallie says
Stop worrying about Ebola! : )
I live in Dallas (the epicenter, ahh!!) and am not worried at all. Unfortunately the media has handled this very irresponsibly and has created fear where there isn’t need for fear. This is not an outbreak, its a very isolated issue and this is not West Africa. Comparing what is happening here vs the disease in other countries is silly…its not apples to apples.
Irrational fear and worrying is natural but there are SO MANY other things to worry about that are much more likely to happen than getting Ebola.
Try to remain calm. ; )
Hallie@ChasingHallie says
Also, noticed some things being stated in other comments that are incorrect.
1. The nurses were not wearing hazmat suits, in fact it has come out that in those first few days they weren’t even wearing masks and gloves at times while treating him.
2. You are not contagious until you are showing symptoms, the nurse on the flight was not yet having any symptoms. When she experienced her first symptom she was in isolation in the hospital within the hour.
Katharine.bearden@gmail.c says
The nurse that was just flown to Emory had a high fever before flying the commercial airline. She notified the CDC and they gave her the okay to fly anyways. High fever is the FIRST symptom followed by vomiting diarrhea rash and kidney/ liver dysfunction.
The CDC admitted today that was a mistake and they knew. She could have possibly infected others by touching a surface or sneezing( can possibly be transmitted by droplets). They just don’t know yet.
Lia says
She did not have a high fever. Her fever was 99.4 or something along those lines (low grade fever). Apparently the threshold is 100.4. I’m not saying she should have flown or the cdc should have given her the ok, but I wouldn’t call that a high fever.
Kate says
I completely agree! I’m glad you said this Hallie! Sometimes having a 24-hour news cycle is great, because knowledge is power, right? Or at least it feels like it sometimes! So always having new information feels good because it feels like we have what we need to be able to protect ourselves (or know what to protect against, at least). But it also leads to sensationalism and irresponsibility. I’m not minimizing Ebola-it is TERRIFYING and completely disconcerting that it has started to spread in the US. But I think that the facts get minimized in a story that elicits such high emotions, and it can be hard to trust and listen to the things that should be comforting us-like the fact that it’s pretty scientifically confirmed that you aren’t contagious until you show symptoms, that when proper protocol is followed contamination is unlikely (no one at Emory or who has transported patients even from Liberia has been infected), etc. I’m with you that it’s scary but I think when the news cycle becomes sensationalized and irresponsible it puts more burden on us as consumers to play devil’s advocate and reassure ourselves 🙂
Jen says
I’m glad you wrote this! I’m a little worried too but my husband says there’s no reason to worry. He’s taken classes in medical viruses. Do you think we’re worried more because we’re mamas?
Casandra says
I totally understand the worry that is bred by the 24-hour news cycle. The best solution I’ve found to reduce the worry is threefold – yoga, gratitude and a low information diet. I watch almost no TV news and I find that without the images I can still be aware of world/national events without the insidious images creeping into my dreams. Read or listen to your news and then seek more information on your own terms (not some cable news exec’s).
(Also the serenity prayer helps.)
Heather says
I am a massive worrier and I swear my anxiety has only gotten worse since having kids. Now I worry about things i never would have worried about before. There are nights I have trouble sleeping because I’m anxious about one thing or another. Even travel… travel is not as fun for me as it should be. Nope, instead I worry about the packing, getting sick, the actual flying, and you name it. I generally just try and avoid the news because of how it affects me.
carrie says
I’m currently worrying right there with you and it’s nice to know that I am not alone. Most days I let these big issues happen and I can keep a level head but things are getting crazy and I fret over the safety of my kids.
Danica @ It's Progression says
As I get older, I worry less, surprisingly. Of all the terrible things going on in the world, Ebola makes me most nervous for myself, too. Mostly because, yes, it seems so very out of my hands that I just don’t want to gamble on it…We all have worries, but to help, I remind myself of the pointlessness of it, I’ll read Matthew 6:25-34 (if you’re ever having trouble with worrying, I definitely recommend reading it – it’s the perfect reminder).
Shari says
I’m the same way — a total worrywart about so much, too much. I’m making an effort to be more cognizant of it, though, and (when appropriate) to deliberately redirect my train of thought to something positive. These days, that certainly seems to include not spending nearly as much time reading news articles.
Grandma Honey says
I’m worried too, however, I think it’s a very good sign that not one of Duncan’s contacts after getting sick, has come down with Ebola….and that quarantine will be over on Sunday. Even his girlfriend, who he slept with, is still well. Both nurses, it turns out, were infected before they knew Duncan had Ebola, so they did not have complete protective gear on at that point in time.
What baffles me is how Obama is acting. I’m happy he is stating they will now be very proactive and aggressive in controlling the Ebola situation better. But in trying to convince us how it is not contracted easily, he mentioned that he hugged and kissed one of the medical workers in Africa. He is obviously trying to keep everyone calm….so did he just make it up about kissing the worker? Or if he did kiss the worker, how could he take such a risk?
Avery says
You have no idea how refreshing it is to hear other people have this struggle too! I am the ULTIMATE worrier (understatement). Like I go into panic mode (exhibit A – 10 minutes ago I found a moldy pack of tissues at the bottom of my diaper bag..ew – then my throat felt swollen and weird. Which now clearly means I’m dying and instantly I was googling “mold exposure symptoms”). I’m not even kidding. I still think it’s good to be aware of the dangers but it’s so unhealthy to worry and stress the way we do! And I totally agree, I can’t tell you how many times Facebook/Instagram/social media has made my blood pressure rise hearing of all the terrible things that can possibly go (and have gone) wrong! I have debated trading in my smart phone ONLY to avoid the stress that comes with knowledge. I wish I had some advice, but rather I’m here to say you’re not alone! This is currently a huge area of personal growth for me, but at least we can encourage one another with understanding!
Sarah says
Brittany, I am sitting on the couch on the other side of the world in Australia. I have been thinking EXACTLY what you have just written about. I think it is extremely concerning that the US doesn’t seem to be taking the Ebola threat more seriously. The consequences of an outbreak would be devastating not only to the US but to the whole world. It seems irresponsible not to do more while the presence of Ebola is in it’s early stages.
If the world had more worriers like you and I, I suspect not as many bad things would happen because worry makes you cautious. It also makes you appreciate the good so much more because we are afraid to lose the good thing (family, partner, child, health, financial security etc) so I say worry is GOOD!
Thank you for talking about what is probably on a lot of our minds the world over.
Allison says
I am trying not to worry about Ebloa but it is getting harder and harder. I work 3 miles from the hospital where the patients are and have found many connections of indirectly coming in contact with people that have it.
A lady I work with her sister lives in the same apartment complex as the first patient. Previous co-worker sits RIGHT next to the 2nd nurses boyfriend at work AND multiple schools around us have closed due to children being on the same flight!! (Just to name a few!!)
I am trying not to freak but it really seems like the powers at large don’t have a clue on how to handle things
I also worry about everything so I guess this shouldn’t be a new thing 😉
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
I’m so with you! I know I can’t live in fear though…. The hubby is flying this week and that scares me… actually just taking the baby to Costco gives me the creeps.
Whitney says
If you put your trust and faith in the Almighty above, you will learn that you will not worry so much. He has a plan for everything and it will all work out like it’s supposed too! 🙂
LaToya says
I am a worrier! I actually had to purge myself from FB last Friday. I removed the app from my phone and closed it out on my computer so I wouldn’t be able to constantly go to the site. It became a downer. The news stories that were creeping up in my feed were about babies who were killed, domestic violence, and disease. It was a huge energy suck and I had to stop allowing myself to go on there, so I wouldn’t click on that crap. A worrier doesn’t need a billion other things to worry about, it’s enough in my day to day.
Lauren Brennan says
I’m right there with you, Lady. Between Ebola and ISIS, I can’t even watch Fox News right now. It makes me anxious. And although a widespread outbreak is slim…STILL. I’ve got my family and two little boys I worry about. And as a Christian, the ISIS thing hits way too close to home for comfort. :/
Tanya says
I know it seems even more irrational, but when crazy concerns pop in my head I like to remind myself that anything could happen at any moment that would stop our lives as we know it. We are more likely to be in a car accident today than to be infected with Ebola. We can’t live our lives worrying about the What Ifs. We just have to take every day for its joy. Honestly, faith in God helps put irrational thoughts to ease. I still have them (like how I regularly map out my escape from my house if there were a fire or an intruder) but at the end of the day my comfort comes from knowing I am saved through the love of Christ Jesus.
Emily @ Perfection Isn't Happy says
I am definitely a worrier! After the Boston Marathon tragedy occured, I was paranoid (mostly every time I did an organized race) for months. I know that my thoughts are irrational, but sometimes it’s hard to ignore them!
Colette says
Myself and my group of FB moms literally had this conversation last night! We all worry about everything, and have concluded it’s worse since we had kids.
I worry about my husband having an accident, my parents passing away, something happening to the kids, it’s a nightmare. My husband always says there’s no point worrying about things you can’t control, it’s a waste of precious time and energy. And we have had some of our fears present themselves this week, our 5 wk old daughter ended up in hospital with viral meningitis! Thankfully she is home now and doing great, but it was awful, however, we survived it! I don’t know where the strength comes from, but it’s there when you need it. So rather than worry about things that may or may not happen, enjoy all the good times and know you have the strength to deal with anything that comes your way. Xx