Living in fear

Wasn't there once a high school class called "Health and Safety?" I seem to recall making kissing jokes while people tried to perform CPR on a dummy. But that was a very long time ago.

Today with the Coronavirus all over the news health and safety are at the forefront of my mind. Not "stockpiling toilet paper" on my mind, but enough on my mind that I'm taking extra precautions. Given my heath issues I don't think it would surprise anyone if I just self quarantined till this was all over. But I'm not. Here's why.

Shopping at Costco with my cotton gloves on yesterday.

Five years ago I contracted TB. It's also an airborn virus that frequently kills people. Fortunately for me there was treatment for it, although nine months long and damaging. After I recovered and was about to return to work I developed a serious phobia. My phobia was about people coughing and being in close contact with others. Strangers were the worst. If I had to shake someone's hand I was left almost in a panic. I had developed a real germ phobia that was interfering with my life. 

What got me out of it was this. I realized that the fear of getting sick again was ruining my everyday life. My quality of life was going down because of fear. So I rationalized with myself. Told myself I can take reasonable precautions (not hug someone whose sick, buy an air purifier for my office), but that anything outside of hand washing and common sense was just me letting the fear into my life. I refused to do that so I decided not to. And that was it. Literally from that day on the panic stopped. 

Fear was telling me that I was going to get sick again. Something in reality I have very little control over. Zoom ahead five years and I still refuse to let fear dictate my life to me. No one knows how long they have. I could be in a car accident, get run over in my wheelchair, get food poisoning, have a stroke. I have no idea how or when, but I do know that I'm going to make the most of it and not live in fear.

I will wash my hands for 20 seconds, I will brush my teeth twice a day, go to my doctors appointments, use hand sanitizer and not be stupid. But I will not stock pile toilet paper, buy every Clorox wipe there is, or cancel plans I've looked forward to because of fear. Fear will not dictate my life or how I live it. That's a choice that I made years ago and I never looked back.

Going All Natural

So my hair (and body hair) isn't the only thing that's going natural lately. I took stock of my beauty items and household items and want to make some changes there as well. Given my health challenges I think it might be helpful to try and go "as natural" as possible. 

(But not filterless. At least not ALL the time.)

For me that means avoiding things like added chemicals, scents and ingredients that I don't need and that could cause me to react in some way. It's insane the crap that is added into products, especially products for women. You can read more about it in this great article in The Guardian titled Pretty hurts: are chemicals in beauty products making us ill? 

I'll call this group "Level 1".  It's things I use that go directly on my body. Makeup, lotion, soap. Keeping away from dyes and sulfates. Your skin is your largest organ and what you put on it is very important. 

Level 1 - Skin, Body Care

• toothpaste (my favorite)
• shampoo (the one I just bought to try) 
• lotion (I like to use organic coconut oil)
• face toner (Witch Hazel works fantastic and is super cheap)
• soap
• makeup (I rarely wear it, but Gabriel and Zuzu are my top brands)
• deodorant (my favorite from Etsy)

I've tried to make my own natural skin care items through the years and I've learned it's much cheaper for me to buy from people who know what they're doing. My husband can attest to this. My "home made shampoo" fiasco of 2014 ended in $100 worth of shampoo. It was a mess.

I like to buy on Etsy when I find a good "maker" who doesn't use chemicals like the store brands. Reading labels is soooo important. As is not "drinking the girl koolaide". I swear that I go through this purge like twice a year. My husband must be so sick of it by now. I'm sure he thinks "Oh yeah! It's the annual 'Go Natural' time!" I'll start off great then something will catch my eye or FOMO will kick in and I'll slip down that glitter Maybelline slide. Well not this time because it's not worth risking my health.

This time I want to take it up a notch to...

Level 2 - House, Home Environment

• Glass Tupperware not plastic (been doing this for years)
• Silicone baggies instead of plastic
• Natural laundry pods (this is what I'd like to try) 
• No dryer sheets
• Natural dish pods
• Using vinegar, tea tree oil, castor soap, baking soda to clean instead of chemicals
• Make my own wet mop pads

I'm also not replacing anything till what we have is run out (I can hear my husband breathe a sigh of relief). And a few things I'm keeping in place till our son doesn't live with us anymore. Like the Clorox toilet cleaner.

But wait! There's more!

Level 3 - Healthcare & Diet

• Sticking to a diet of fish, eggs, good oils and avocados as main sources of protein.
• Cutting out processed, refined foods.
• Researching my condition more (Metabolic Myopathy)
• Being open to alternative options (what I eat, fitness, conditioning, supplements. Supplements have made a huge difference in my condition.)
• Getting back in the water, even if it's just to float around. 

By opting out of the chemical filled culture not only am I helping myself, my family and my puppy. But I'm also supporting an industry whose values more mirror my own. Fair trade, recycling, small business, women owned companies, social justice, all are very important to me. Every dollar is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in. And because some of these things cost more I like to think I may even consume less.

And as far as my heath goes I am slowly learning that I am the professional, everyone else works for me to help me feel and be my best. That goes for me as a consumer as well as me the "patient". And it goes for you too!

(I received no incentives and I'm in no way affiliated with any of the links on this blog.)