Terrified I’m gonna get corona

I am just so scared of getting it, I did hold my breath for a while (until I was maybe 20-30m away) to not breathe anything in because I was just so scared

Reply 2

There’s are always lots of risks around us, more so with transference of surfaces than air transmission when you’re outdoors. I can’t say yes or not obviously, but it’s highly unlikely you’d have anything to worry about with this instance. I mean, where does the line stop. What if someone was asymptomatic and picked up the thing on the shelf and out back what you just picked up etc.

Not me putting you down - I’ve always been very alert surrounding germs and nothing has been new to me apart from obvious lockdowns and masks. If you’ve just moved into uni you’re about to get faced with a lot of risks on a daily basis (living with others, being in lectures etc.). Just keep your mask on, distance where possible, sanitise your hands and any surfaces (like wipe down the things you just bought before putting them in your cupboards if it’ll help you feel more at ease), don’t touch your face when out and about, shower when you get in at the end of the day. These will keep you as safe as possible without hopefully distrusting your life too much,

Reply 3

The biggest thing that helps me is sanitising surfaces I bring into my house (like shopping) and showering incl. hair when I know I’m not heading back out. Having that security that my comfort zone is clear and I disturbed has really helped me cope with anxieties when leaving the house.

I’m a teacher and this week I’ve suddenly been surrounded by thousands of pupils and been in a closed environment with 120-150 teenagers a day, all facing and breathing (sometimes coughing and sneezing) in my direction. I’m not happy about it, but I’m keeping my visor on, maintaining distance and thoroughly washing my hair and body each day when I get home, not touching anything until I’ve removed my clothing and had a shower and washed me hands etc.

Reply 4

I don’t really wash hair/ clothes after getting in because all I’m doing is shopping, if I have to be out for more then 3-4 hours then I will shower and stuff etc but other than that, I don’t tend to wipe stuff down or anything... should I be wiping stuff down?

Reply 5

Okay first off, it's called COVID-19.

Second off, even if you get it, you will be fine. The number of people in your age category that have died are in single digits worldwide. Considering you're at uni, you're not going to be coming into contact with anyone who's susceptible, so you have nothing to worry about.

Do you suffer from anxiety in general? Even if you don't, it's probably worth seeing someone as your anxiety is starting to get in the way of your day-to-day life.

Reply 6

I come in, wash hands and then wash the mask.... is that enough?

Reply 7

Original post by Cryoraptor

Yeah, I’m not concerned about getting it from anyone at uni it’s just that this guy seemed to cough very loudly and waited until people were near him so I’m concerned that he was trying to spread it etc.
Obviously I know that not everyone is like that but there are still instances where people do these kind of things

Reply 8

Original post by Cryoraptor

OP hasn’t mentioned their age, or if they have underlying health conditions.

Although OP, I will add to this that my responses are what I’ve been doing to help ME as an individual. Just how I am, doesn’t mean you should do what I’m doing. Cryoraptor is right in implying the vast majority of younger people will be asymptomatic, but that doesn’t mean you should feel your feels are invalidated by your age if you are indeed of the average uni starting age (Cryoraptor - just want to highlight I know this isn’t what you were saying).

Reply 9

Original post by Anonymous

I’m 19 and have no underlying health conditions (that I know of) so I know that I won’t get the virus as badly as some people but still, it’s terrifying me

Reply 10

lillyso

This is why I keep my mask on while I’m walking through the city or going between shops. When you touch your mask to take it on and off between shops, that could transfer it to your face or mask. I’ve also heard of people spitting at workers to give them the virus, so I’d generally keep it on until you get home, or at least sanitise your hands before touching your mask. Even if I’m sitting in my car, I roll the window up (young lads spitting at you or coughing at you etc.) I don’t do this out of panic or fear, but more of a better safe than sorry attitude. It’s important not to panic but to also don’t trust the people around you to take your health into consideration. There are a lot of ignorant and inconsiderate people out there. Don’t presume the person walking towards you will stay 2m away, move out the way yourself. Keep your mask on, sanitise, be smart and you should be fine. If you’re confident that you are protecting yourself then that is all you can do, so try not to over run yourself with panic, and practice self care. If you’re really concerned about that man coughing near you, you could try to get tested. I’d do this if you are going to be in contact with a lot of people consistently, because many young people have been asymptomatic but can still spread it. Otherwise, keep practicing social distancing, take care of yourself, maybe take a immune system booster to give yourself some peace of mind and you’ll be fine. Taking precaution I think is the cure to panic, because you can be confident that you’re protecting yourself and doing all you can.

Reply 11

Original post by Anonymous

I’m 19 and have no underlying health conditions (that I know of) so I know that I won’t get the virus as badly as some people but still, it’s terrifying me

There's a 9/10 chance you wouldn't even know if you had it. The people in our age category are the least affected out of any group. Even if you did have underlying conditions, as I said before the number of people in this age category that have died are in the single digits, there's still a very high likelihood you would be fine.

If it helps, don't watch the news about COVID-19 and don't keep updating yourself with new statistics every day. I used to and it just made me feel worse so I gave up, and I've felt better about the situation since.

Reply 12

Original post by Anonymous

I’m 19 and have no underlying health conditions (that I know of) so I know that I won’t get the virus as badly as some people but still, it’s terrifying me

That’s Absolutely fine and you have the right to feel that way. Even now people are reporting effects that aren’t seen after contracting other viruses, there’s always such new information it’s difficult to have a solid head approaching it or our feelings surrounding it. Nobody can tell you it’s right or wrong for you to feel this way because we’re all individuals. BUT if you feel it’s causing you distress/interfering with you function in everyday day please speak to your gp.

Reply 13

Even now people are reporting effects that aren’t seen after contracting other viruses

I think a lot of it is somatic as it's a new virus that is highly irregular and everyone's a bit scared of it, so they think it's worse than it is and are waiting for something else to go wrong. It's also not exclusive to COVID-19, I've had weird infections that caused strange effects years before COVID-19 even existed.

Reply 14

Original post by Cryoraptor

Yeah that's true.

I have a different perspective on the whole situation as I live with a highly vulnerable person. If I didn't, as a mid-20s person myself, I'd of course be responsible and follow guidelines, but I wouldn't be as scared as I am. Due to the nature of my job I can't take the measures I myself would feel more comfortable with taking but we're all making sacrifices in some way.

Reply 15

Original post by Anonymous

Yes, don't get me wrong, I'm aware that for some people it is a serious risk, my dad is over 60 and has type 2 diabetes so he'd be considered as high risk. Since his diagnosis he's been in pretty good shape and he's controlling his conditions so I still think the chances are he would be fine, but it's not something you'd be comfortable in risking. I take precautions when possible but sometimes it just isn't and you have to live with the risk.

But as for under 30s especially, I don't really believe this 'has unseen effects' stuff. Every disease has unseen effects. Every time you get a cold, your immune system is damaged and exhausted in ways you can't see and you're more open to other diseases, pathogenic or autoimmune taking hold. Certain common diseases can have unseen effects on body tissues we wouldn't ever think they'd get involved in, and in rare cases they do lead to more serious autoimmune conditions. I gave myself quite serious food poisoning back in April (if it wasn't for COVID-19 I probably would have ended up in hospital with how high the fever was one night), and you'd never think it's connected but I ended up getting a secondary UTI after the original illness subsided which was pretty nasty in itself and lasted almost a week. The only reason I didn't fall seriously ill is because I have a ridiculously strong immune system. I think people are just freaked out by COVID-19 in particular and so they are watching out for something else to go wrong, and when it does, a big deal is made about it as if these kinds of things don't happen after normal pathogenic disease.

Reply 16

Original post by Cryoraptor

Yeah you've got some really valid points there (by the way - sounds horrific!!! Sorry you had to experience that, especially at a time where there was perhaps greater pressure not to go into hospital). Going off what you said it does make me wonder how the media, gov and people will react in a few weeks when flu/cold season creeps up. I'm a few years into teaching now and genuinely, around early-mid October there's a lot of illnesses in school environments. I myself usually get ill at the start of October due to the extra pressures and demands for that start of year (Hello 7 day weeks, 7-5 days at work followed by hours at home in the evening!!). I'm concerned how things will be balanced/recognised in line with Covid19.

Reply 17