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Photos on exercize and walking, gardening, birdwatching, during the time of coronavirus from DW.com- the importance of renewing body and mind during this time. Pictures of how gardening, birdwatching and other activities can push out anxiety and boost our spirits in different ways.

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About half of UK adults reported experiencing high levels of anxiety says the Office of National Statistics for the the first lockdown. During the second lockdown the fatigue coming from that period in March and the higher level of cases is likely to have increased the number of adults experiencing anxiety. Anxiety was experienced from the loneliness and the effect of the coronavirus on work. A quarter of all adults reported increased sleeplessness. Stockpiling, overworking, irritability, micro-managing, and alcohol consumption, are some of the erratic responses to this level of added anxiety. Experts suggest different responses. leadership and incremental change to put the problem into context. Such as in the case of coronavirus the important behaviours that one can control such as masking properly, social distancing properly, ventilating and cleaning the air with aircleaners, using necessary caution in outside exposure by limiting to the essential, and taking nutrients for defence against virus, other actions. After putting these in place the risks can be minimized.  At that point focusing on the present is seen by experts as the right way to respond. Get through this period or this week first, leave the next week or the next period for next time. To do this  baking, reading, hobbies, running, walking, yoga, gardening, and outdoors, a whole range of other activities including watching sports, listening to radio and music, all fall into this. Spending time doing things that make us happy. A good exercise is asking how does this make me feel, am I more relaxed? am I happier? Put things in perspective, is this catastrophising? Is this making it bigger than it is? Can I put away the illusion of control when control requires some higher power such as God. Can I leave that part to God, to the divine. Cognitive behavioural thinking modification is a way of tackling stress, loneliness, and the depression and anixety that feed on each other. Being aware that we may have wrong behavioural responses, asking questions about how accurate our thinking about things that pose threatening situations is, are helpful in tackling the anxiety.   Just breaking the pattern of behavioural responses of repetitive thinking is helpful by engaging in other activities. Meditation is helpful. Yoga is helpful. In this pandemic learning about nutrition and increasing one's knowledge of food, eating and exercizing right, of cooking, is a useful way of turning a negative into a positive.     ...

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Some excellent ways to cope with growing stress and anxiety during coronavirus and the elections. The important thing is to move to something else, to take a break and think of something beautiful. A short burst of exercize, a walk can be very helpful. Practice rhythmic yoga type breathing. Try doing some other things that are on your work list.

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The U.S. aid package to tackle the coronavirus includes $425 million for mental health and substance use disorders and $50 million for suicide prevention to ramp up mental health services. A telemedicine program for mental health providers is being expanded and a suicide prevention program at Veteran Affairs Department is being expanded to other Americans. Second lady Mrs Pence is supporting the suicide prevention program. 

Widespread anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder is expected by experts as a profound aftershock from the coronavirus.

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China's prime minister Li Keqiang leads the task force tackling the coronavirus outbreak. He visits the city of Wuhan to calm anxiety and frustration about the outbreak. The lunar new year holiday in China which starts now is being extended to Feb 2.  Shanghai and Beijing city officials are advising returning workers not to return till February 9. The rural areas are a weak part of the link in the effort to stop the outbreak. Millions of workers return to cities after visiting homes in rural areas during this holiday period.

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Hiking and long walks as a way to break up the endless monotony of work and improve fitness, reducing stress and anxiety. A breath of fresh air and views of the countryside. the clarity of mind that comes with it. Putting everything aside and heading out on a long long walk. Pick a route that suits your ability and don't let anything hold you back. Hiking is great. There are many routes in every region of the world, explore and head out.

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Putting a distance from the negative thoughts of the mind is essential to getting a good healthy mindset. This means not believing what it says. It also means woking hard to be able to change one's life in many positive ways and believing that you frame your own destiny. It is said that a wandering mind is often more of an enemy than a friend, in ancient wisdom. Developing a new calmness, being able to meditate, requires putting a distance from negative thoughts and not believing the thoughts of a wandering mind. This is called cognitive defusion. It is also part of what is needed for yoga and meditation. 

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About half of people in Britain in a recent poll taken during the second wave of coronavirus say they see a negative impact on mental health. Depression is affecting a fifth of the population in Britain. It has never been more important to be kind to each other and ourselves as the second wave hits a weary and fatigue stricken society.  People found many activities and hobbies to do during the 6 week lockdown period and there was an expectation that spring would bring better conditions. During the second wave of coronavirus there is a sense of a dreary period that goes on through Christmas. The uncertainty from the U.S. elections, Brexit in Britain, the reopening in countries such as India, the loss of jobs and income in countries that range from severe in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina to moderate in China, adds to the anxiety of daily life with surging cases. Creating what amounts to a low grade depressive effect during the second wave that needs to be addressed by the authorites, by health agencies, and in other ways, says this report in The Times. ...

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Recognizing and being aware of the changes in our minds and thinking  with new waves of coronavirus actually helps us deal with it. This report says that fear or anxiety even if it is pushed to the periphery of consciousness produces a whole range of behavioural, emotional and physiological weirdness that most people have experienced themselves or noticed in others since March of 2020. Even if one gets used to the additional load one carries it still can weigh one down. We all have only this much mental energy, so that the effort required to ignore, repress, or shoulder this load of fear or anxiety reduces one's ability to be creative, connected or productive. By dealing with it constructively one can diminish the impact it has on us. This means being aware of it, acknowledging it and managing it in useful ways.  Experts cited here show that fear masquerades as other emotions including sadness, anger, irritation, or even excessive feel good behaviour. It can also be expressed in intolerant behaviours or hypersensitive. On the other side it could even be expressed in aloofness and being distant, or unfriendly. Fear can also show up in ways that reduce our ability to read social and emotional cues leading to improper or inept exchanges. Physiological changes can include muscle tension and fatigue, headaches, heart irregularities, dry mouth, hair loss, skin problems, and gastrointestinal symptoms. These symptoms are unrelated to pathology say health experts and are normal reactions to feeling threatened over a long period. Different people experience anxiety differently, and most people don't even know that this is what is making you feel this way. Instead of having unproductive exchanges with fear going back and forth one can have calmer, more useful exchanges. One should always ask say health experts- "So how are you and your family coping up in these weird times?" Mindfulness and spiritual ways of dealing with this are very useful. People slow down, calm their minds, and ask "what is going on in my head right now? Where in my body am I putting my tension?" Health experts say neurobiology supports this way of tackling it. Other useful ways are to set some predictable routine in your daily life- helps you think you are still in control of the parts of your life you can control. Thinking of others and helping others is a good way of keeping ourselves sane and healthy. Fear and anxiety may also serve some purpose- the negative emotion can be harnessed to do something positive and meaningful in our life, make changes in our lives for the better by helping others in society who are less fortunate or in difficulty. Just being larger than ourselves makes us feel a lot better day after day, till it becomes a part of us. ...

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How a small Kansas town of Grinnell in America finds a way to deal with the rural-urban divide and covid anxiety generated in the tumultuous years of 2020-2021, is the subject with pictures of this report in the WSJ. Grinnell is heartland America and its residents find a way to set Kansas and America in the right direction. One one side some resident worried they would end up like Minneapolis or Portland with protesters. An incident of drivers along Highway 70 emptying shelves of toilet paper in neighborhood stores is seen negatively by some  Grinnell residents and leads to forming an Emergency Preparedness Group to prevent outside agitators from creating problems. Others like the Enlightened Ladies Group try to calm things down. Gene Tilton, 84, and his son 63 years, whose family arrived in Kansas in 1880's did'nt see the need for forming some sort of vigilante group. He raises cattle and crops on a 10,000 acre farm. Michael Machen who practiced medicine in Gove County for 35 years also felt the same way and believed law enforcement could tackle the problem if there was one. Sheriff Mesch attended the Gove County emergency Preparedness Group public meeting by invitation in January 2021. This about the time when the Capitol in Washington DC was stormed by protesters and the country was divided after the election. At that time after 19 months of coronavirus deaths, racial unrest and political violence America was on edge, communities all over America were struggling with the idea that the immediate threat they faced was from other Americans not foreign adversaries. The sheriff told everyone at the Emergency Preparedness Group's public meeting where he stood- law enforcement could handle any threat and he didn't anticpate anything his deputies could not handle. He told the Emergency Preparedness Group that he appreciated their sentiment though, if he needed help he would ask, yet concluded that is the only way. From that rebuff by the sheriff the Group paused its activity and shifted its message to offering to help anyone deal with the deep cold spell in February, to cope with snow, tornadoes, fires, rattlesnake bites and similar hazards. They sponsored first aid classes, and a "Homesteader Gardening Class." Soon their idea was "we're here to help people, the last thing we want is for people to be uncomfortable." "Gove County" says Don Tilton, "has moved on." So must America today. ...

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Prof. David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University is critical of the British government for not finding out how many people may be infected by coronavirus. He says he is not telling how anybody should feel or what they should be worried about, but at least the people's anxiety should be proportional to the risks they actually face. His estimate is that based on the death rate of 1% its possible that there could be 3.5 million people in Britain who are infected with coronavirus or higher. Sir Spiegelhalter is professor at Cambridge University for the public understanding of science. He says this "basic information" is essential in making the decision such as how far and when to go out of lockdown, and that the British government has failed to do this in a timely manner required for tackling coronavirus without risking more lives.