How To Learn From The Enemy Within....

IT is incredibly smart and intelligent . We are not the only ones with the gift of thinking and intelligence. Even viruses know how to survive and thrive too. The Covid-19 virus taught me a lot about this and myself too  

As I am entering the 11th day of a battle with the new India variant, I realised that the Covid-19 virus had smartly mutated according to the prevailing lifestyle of people in that country. Today, the world is boggled with a number of mutations. Fact of the matter is, Covid-19 is not invincible. 

For India, summer months are a challenging time. The use of air-conditioners and coolers should be on the rise. But this is where the virus will find ways to thrive again. It thrives in moisture and cold settings.

It finds hosts in those that need social stimulus, those who cannot find joy in life unless they venture into malls, experiment with food, drink to pass their time or compulsively order out because cooking is a boring chore. Indeed, we are becoming our greatest enemy and giving IT an ideal population to wipe out. 

This is a time when we are forced to realise that health and wellness will have to take precedence over everything else.  

I already had a strain inside me - I didn't come to know till I made the mistake of consuming something cold. It triggered the multiplication and I later realised how I had let IT win. But I am refraining from using the air-conditioner even as I am on the road to recovery. My lifestyle was not all that undisciplined, yet I am trying to change it more for the good. 

I have found simple ways to refrain the use of air-conditioner for example. Simple things like eating food that is easy to digest, low on spice and seasonal is helping me regain strength without raising my body temperature. Sleeping early and waking up early is also helping me remain calm and body temperature normal. 

Also wearing a surgical mask helped me maintain the moisture content in my nose, that tends to go dry as medicines are administered.

There is a myth that by drinking hot drinks or taking steam, you will feel hot. This is temporary, it will pass. But if there is less energy in your body, chances are you will anyway not feel as hot as you used. Increase the number of indoor plants if you can. If you have a garden outside, water is in the morning or evening hours- the natural breeze has a huge cooling effect to your general surroundings. 

 Some interesting observations I have for home isolation:

1. Listen to your favourite songs and hum them- it lifts your mood automatically. 

2. Keep away from panic news. You can be a party to the change so leave the panic aside till you become healthy yourself. 

3. Temperature check and oxymeter readings can save you valuable time for corrective action. Please make the effort to make a log. Believe me, it helps the doctor access your speed of recovery and can go a long way in helping you recover day-by-day. 

4. Don't stop monitoring your body's telltale signs- we are an incredible piece of machinery that tells us when we are missing the necessary bit of oiling. 

5. Have a bath with hot water, avoid the temptation of a cold water bath. In my experience, it shot up my temperature and left me feeling drained. 

In a strangely spiritual and scientific way,  I also realised that the virus has left me to be with myself- a perfect way to become mindful again and look closely my own actions for self and others. 

Why is it that animals didn't die off the virus? Because there is a natural instinct in them to survive and live. They develop resilience to any new virus but don't die off as a race. They let time take its course and at times, find their own natural remedies to cure themselves. 

While we might be feeling helpless, there isn't a need to do so.  The virus can be killed, something that has been proven when you wash your hands. Its membrane is that delicate. Therefore, it isn't difficult to defeat it if we be mindful of our body signals and quickly take corrective action like steam and gargle. 

Happy Healing!