Dr Rob’s Thoughts on Managing the Coronavirus

It’s about your people. Do all you can do to be sure your employees can take care of themselves.
If at all possible, keep paychecks flowing.
Do the right things now and trust that your employees and customers will appreciate it later.
Trust the experts, even if it seems we are overreacting now.
Communicate fully and frequently to your employees and customers.
Be a positive role model by taking good care of yourself.
Trust science.
Trust probabilities not politics.
Get your information from trusted sources. (NY times coronavirus newsletter)
Check in: with neighbors, family, and coworkers. Ask people how you can help.
If you find yourself in need, ask for help.

And here are a few more mental health tips from my wife, Dr. Patricia Pasick

Remind yourself daily of ways you’ve positively coped in other situations.
Avoid an obsession with the news; check at regular intervals, but not just because you feel anxious.
Manage anxiety through activities such as mindfulness, meditation, cognitive coping (stave off unwanted thoughts and substitute positivity), and breathing exercises. Headspace and Calm are both good apps to use.
Avoid common thinking traps. Catastrophizing takes us to the worst-case scenario in a given situation, and overgeneralizing makes us think that terrible outcomes are much more likely to occur. Ask yourself, “Is this thought based in fact, and is it helpful to me right now?”
Keep to regular routines, even if you have to make adjustments as the news changes. Make a daily plan, and include soothing, fun, or distracting activities
Stay with at-home hobbies. Working, puzzles, reading, listening to books, organizing your music, playing instruments; creative endeavors are very soothing. So are cleaning and organization projects you’ve been putting off. This is the time to add movies to your television package.
Remind yourself that this crisis, like all crises, will pass, and life as we know it will return.