What are /r/COVID19_support's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Cambridge University Press is offering free access to over 700 textbooks: https://www.cambridge.org/core/what-we-publish/textbooks

Calm has set up a webpage with free meditations and other wellness resources: https://www.calm.com/blog/take-a-deep-breath?utm_source=lifecycle&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=difficult_times_nonsubs_031720

First of all, lucky for both the vaccine and the gym. I can't wait until my government decides that it's healthy for people to go to the gym. Second of all, when I had to train with a mask, I found surgical masks to be the most breathable and they don't get sucked into my mouth when I breathe. Plus, I don't want to workout in a mask and then use it after, even if it's washed, kind of like having separate workout clothes, but I definitely realize that that's just a personal hang-up. If you don't want to use a surgical mask, you can get the little plastic cups that go between your mouth and your mask that stop the fabric from being sucked in (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08DKYPYZQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_V5zcGbTJD642A, this is one that I bought, but you can get them from anywhere and they're all basically the same). Before I figured out that surgical masks are better to train in, I used those with my cloth masks, and they helped. The absolute best is to use a surgical mask with a cup, in my opinion.

There's a webinar I got invited to that's being held by a psychologist, about coping with anxiety and COVID-19. If you can't make the date, they'll send you a link to a recording of it, but they're also prompting for questions, if that's something you want to ask about: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ikaa217AQQKRcltXY3RWeQ

I also have asthma, and have been noticing it's a bit worse these days, but there's also a lot of pollen in the air, with all the flowers blooming, and also being exposed to more dust from being inside a larger portion of the day. I've been running my air cleaner, and vacuuming the carpets every couple days, and that seems to be helping quite a bit as well.

Any chance you can "meet" with friends via discord?

Also, https://moodgym.com.au/ offers free cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression (not sure what mental health issues you're dealing with), https://www.7cups.com/ is a free resource for getting support/talking to people, and I might be able to direct you to other resources if you specify what particular treatments/assistance would be most helpful for you.

If possible (and I know it may not be possible), look into using other strategies for dealing with anxiety/stress, such as exercise and meditation (headspace has free resources). You may also want to research harm reduction strategies.

I got these ones: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y61NR7Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In the "women's" fashion face masks, most of them seem to be floral/paisley, or galaxy like these ones. There are a few other styles but if you're looking for a multi-pack, something like this works. Of course there's some "men's" style too, with skulls, sports stuff, ect. (Scare quotes because gender is a construct, get what you like!)

I started buying flowers every week, the $5 bouquets. I've been using instacart so it's always slightly a surprise what color I'll get.

I've also been liberally spraying eucalyptus oil on everything (pillows, clothes, masks, my old teddy bear I pulled down from my closet last night.) It's Zum Mist and you can get it on amazon. It has a nice calming aroma.

Teacher here. Based on what you've shared, I think you might like Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha. It's story/philosophy.

My advice would be to try to be patient with yourself. I'm 44, relatively healthy, not in any sort of financial catastrophe, and I'm having to be extra mindful of my mental health right now. Being 15 is hard even at the best of times.

I lost my smell/taste for about a week and now they’re back 100%. A few things that helped me:

1- I bought this olfactory training kit from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0924XXLWB?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share). It comes with instructions on how to use them too. I do feel that it helped me recover my smell faster. Some swear by them, some don’t, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. You can also do this with perfume/cologne.

2- As for food, it’s super tricky because you absolutely CANNOT bring yourself to taste anything correctly or even at all. High sodium/spice/acidic foods were easier to sense. I ate really spicy ramen, oranges, and pickles. Lots of lemon and honey too. It really depends on what you’ve lost though. One friend of mine couldn’t even sense acid. You really just need to experiment.

Good luck, I know it sucks

I could give you statistics about how it's so incredibly likely that you will be absolutely fine because of your age and no underlying health conditions, but I know what this anxiety is like and statistics don't usually help when I'm in these kinds of situations.

What I would do is acquire a pulse oximeter so I can check myself at home. Any time I feel like I'm struggling to breathe or just nervous, I would make sure my oxygen is ok to help keep myself in check.

I like this one on Amazon, but you can also find some at Walgreens, CVS, and Target (usually around $30-$40 though).

If your oxygen level is consistently below 95, call your doctor for advice. If it's 90 or below, that is your sign to head to the hospital. Just be sure to double-check the reading on another hand or finger first because sometimes they can misread.

You could also consider taking Tylenol for your fever and pain.

And if your symptoms get worse/more concerning, call your doctor again for advice.

I had chest pain when I had the flu several years ago in my early twenties, so chest pain is not necessarily new to covid and it can happen at any age when you're fighting an infection like this. Good luck and hopefully you will be feeling healthy again soon!

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-General-Theory-of-Employment%2C-Interest-and-Keynes/804436e0a720e1045276ba5c008792d6391498d1

All of economics are cyclical and all tend towards stability that is both satisfying enough for most while generally unsatisfactory for all.

Tl;Dr it's all going to be fine because it always is and always has been. If it's not, well then you've got nothing else to worry about anyway. So relax and enjoy the ride.

Just thought I would add this as people are talking about dating apps. I've been on the internet before it was the internet, and I tried match.com, out of desperation. I liked it because at least I went OUT with someone, even if it wasnt going to be a long term thing. Heck, I even liked just having people to email! But lo and behold, I did finally meet Mr.Right on the app- we've been married over 15 years. So, my advice is, maybe give it a try- just talk,email, etc. If you find someone you like, maybe get together in person- safely out of doors somewhere. Good luck!

Not knockers on our door either. To be fair, I turned off the porch light and disconnected the bell... still might've gotten a couple of knockers any other year.

Looked like people were walking the streets when I poked my head out, but the walkers were only ever groups of two or three people. No kids that I could make out, but my Philadelphia neighborhood wouldn't be your first pick to trick or treat on – especially with a fairly well-to-area just down the road (Fairmont / Art Museum).

Nextdoor.com had a Halloween map where you could mark if you had a display or giving out candy etc – we had a projector with "spooky" stuff we found on YouTube so we marked a while back. Considering the incredible spread that taking place right now – 99,000+ new cases yesterday! – I would've thought the holiday as good as cancelled.

I can relate. I'm in IT myself. Two things that have helped me: (1) start saving; save enough to put the worry on the back burner (2) remember that most recessions/depressions lasts about 11 months, says this article (3) don't watch the news too much, and look out for positive news.

Calm has some free resources during this time. Here is link:

Free Resource Page from Calm

Yeah, science is gonna save us!

Also if you want to help out with that, consider lending some computer power to https://foldingathome.org/. Just download the program and select 'any' on the projects list and boom, you're helping science finding a possible defense mechanism against Corona.

You can help the work of finding treatments with your computer: https://foldingathome.org/2020/02/27/foldinghome-takes-up-the-fight-against-covid-19-2019-ncov/

You can probably give blood.

In most areas there are mutual aid groups on Facebook, and other places you can find to volunteer to help deliver meals to people who cannot go out. On some local subreddits people post about these things. You could also try the #mutualaid hashtag on social media that do that sort of thing.

If you have friends/acquaintances who are not yet taking it seriously, you can consider what might help them look at it another way. Many just haven't thought out yet how even if they're not at risk, their carefulness can save others' lives. Or they hadn't heard yet that Idris Elba has it, or whichever celebrity will get their attention.

If you are already prepared or taken care of with food, first aid supplies, etc. think about who may not be and how you can help them.

Does that help?

getting an error message each time it tries to connect, even with laptop plugged in and both apps open - any clue why?

Your browser was unable to connect to a Folding@home client running on your computer.

1. Install the Folding@home client.
2. Make sure your Folding@home client is running.
3. Reload this page.

Can you connect with your friends on social media? Some of my friends are setting up a time when everyone watches anime together using a program called TwoSeven and the streaming service Crunchyroll.

Do you have anyone you could video chat with? I find video chat a bit easier than phone calls because there is more non-verbal feedback.

My town also has a Facebook group for people to support each other. I found it through NextDoor. Maybe people that are local to you can help you through this? (Not intended to suggest that Reddit is the wrong place for support, just that additional places may be available as well.)

Classwise, your professors are probably just as upended as you. They didn't expect to teach online and it's a big shift. Maybe reach out and let them know you're feeling overwhelmed, ask for extensions on any pressing assignments until you figure out a routine. Or maybe look into whether dropping a class or two makes sense with your schedule and financial considerations.

Yeah I want to see a research paper to back your claim. I just searched for the last 30 minutes trying to find something to backup what your saying beyond opinions. I think such a claim requires some concrete evidence behind it. I'm sorry but I also don't have time to go on a wild goose chase on twitter looking for something you claim to have seen once. Get back to me with something like that and I promise you, not only will I delete my comment, I will share it everywhere I can, including a webfeed on covid19 that I've been curating.

I have solved this problem by wearing a disposable dust mask underneath my cloth mask. The shape keeps the fabric away from your mouth, and it's more breathable than other types of masks.

*** IMPORTANT ***

It doesn't increase COVID protection at all and unvaccinated people should still be following masking guidelines.

I use these when I am sick. You put them in bottled water or a glass of water. Not as sugary as Gatorade and they taste much better than the premade Pedialyte: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07QSXXYPM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_3FL7FbGE6EG4P

Check out the book “Hot Young Widows Club” - written by and for those in grief, or the grief- adjacent.

Great writer/podcaster. She has a TED talk as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Young-Widows-Club-Survival/dp/198210998X/ref=nodl_

My doctor has assured me multiple times that you can use any hand soap as long as you are washing your hands correctly. I have been using Jergens Moisturizing Hand Wash with a good amount of success. I also have a lotion next to every sink so after I wash I put on at least a little lotion after.

I really needed to read this. Let me give you an example: I purchased a bedrest lounger made from fabric off of Amazon on Thursday evening. However, I'm so anxious about COVID that I have it sitting in the corner for two days until I feel "safe" to touch and use it. This is an extreme coupling of my OCD and anxiety, but I so desperately want to use the bedrest lounger because my back doesn't like leaning up against a hard headboard.

The things I do to myself to remedy the compulsions from my OCD are insane.

I get mine on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086JD7TKZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_L-qKFbFY71396?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

No teacher I know personally has tested positive. I finally got my results back and they were negative.

Hi, trained pharmacist here. Yes, there are many things you can do to increase your odds of a positive outcome:

Stay Positive - Keep in mind that COVID-19 treatments have improved since the pandemic started, increasing the chances of recovery. Doctors now have somewhat effective drugs for severe patients such as remdesivir and dexamethasone.

Lower Stress - You need to avoid any negative emotions towards your family to lower both yours and their stress. Stress will weaken their immune systems as well as yours. You need to be super supportive of them and make sure everybody stays positive even if you have to fake it. Lower stress levels allow your family to sleep well in order to better fight infection.

Get Sunlight - Your family needs some direct sunlight to get vitamin D if they are staying indoors. Or you need to talk to their doctors about taking vitamin D supplements.

Eat Healthy - You need to make sure your family eats nutrient-dense, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory foods every day. Not a lot of people know eating healthy foods has a very important role in increasing immunity. You can read more about using nutrition to boost immunity in Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, Super Immunity. On my website, Effective Foods, I have made a simple immunity meal plan to help your family.

Important: Remember to get their doctors’ approval before using the meal plan because certain foods may affect your family’s current medications and existing health conditions.

Bottom line is to have some control over the situation by strengthening the immune system. Our immune system has evolved throughout the ages to fight infection very well when it’s optimal and nourished. Hope this helps.

I'm a retired RN. this is the one I ordered from Amazon after much research. I've been quite satisfied with it. I took it with me when I had to see my physician, and its reading matched the office's "professional" model.

> pickup You can get kalimba with pickup.

I am a pleb when it comes to playing music and it is my first instrument ever. I got myself really cheap one for like £19 off amazon as I didn't know if I would enjoy playing it. It came not well tuned but it's pretty easy. I am not best person to ask, I have just bought what I found cheap and pretty hahah

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07TVDBNJF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I normally avoid shopping at Amazon, but in this case I definitely made an exception. Needed it for peace of mind (I’m not feeling ill, and I have already tested positive for antibodies, but I’m afraid that I might need it at some point and they’ll be sold out everywhere.

This is the one I got, and I’ve been pretty happy with it.

Some stuff I have that might work for you too -- you can find most of these on Amazon: peanuts and peanut butter, canned fruit, chips, cereal, NOVA superfood pouches (expensive but so good), applesauce, granola bars