Did you see the Louis CK skit about flying in a tin can and complaining about not having wifi on your cell phone?

Existence is a very fragile thing. Nature is unforgiving. We as a species have made incredible strides to be where we are today. People all over the world wake up every morning, do their routine, and go about their daily lives.

Around them, they are surrounded by people, care free and oblivious to the absurd amount of work it has taken to come to a point where people can relax their minds and go for a walk, get fresh water to drink, go watch a movie with their friends, or get in a fancy car and go for a drive.

We will make it through this. We are surrounded by all kinds of deadly shit waiting to kill us, and we are still here, thriving. There are many competent teams working on this to the best of their abilities.

Modern medicine is a technological marvel. Two days ago, a team of researchers managed to reproduce the virus which will pave the path to figuring out how to create antibodies.

It will take some time, and it has already impacted a lot of people. The death count will not stop going up, but we won't give up either.

We have given a middle finger to just about anything that could have killed us. We've erected hamlets, villages, towns, cities, metropolises. We have a station floating in space. Built monuments to things we like and things we despise. We've composed beautiful music to inspire ourselves to wage wars against each other. We are relentless and unstoppable.

Hang in there, and don't let helplessness take over you.

It's OK to be scared. You're not alone in that. It can be helpful to have someone to talk to. Even as we're trying to keep our physical distance, know that it's OK to reach out for help. And it's also OK to step away from the news for a beat if it's causing you anxiety.

I work at one of the New York hospitals mentioned in this article. Yes, I'm scared too. [Opinions not that of my employer, etc.] But we're all still showing up every day to take care of our patients, and we'll keep doing so until we can't--and then we have backup lined up. There will be hard days, but those will be in the privacy of the hospital, away from prying eyes. New York will pull through.

You're not alone; the whole world is facing this together. Please do your best to stay calm, because that is the only thing you really have control of. Be vigilant with your hygiene; washing hands, not touching face, etc. Good luck and best regards!

On the scale of "not worried at all" to "feeling complete helplessness" you should be somewhere in the middle. Maybe 2/3rds of the way up.

Respect the situation for what it is, listen to scientists, and you won't have to feel pessimistic.

In life we deal with things we never could have imagined. But the anticipation of something, or waiting on the edge of the unknown can be even worse.

One thing that consistently helps me when I feel a loss of control is to clean and organize. I also meditate. But cleaning up my environment seems to have the effect of also cleaning my mind.

With three kids 5 and under at home with us for a while — let’s be real it could be a long time — cleaning and organizing today has helped me and my wife feel a bit more ready for what’s coming.

Hang in there, we’re all in this together!

A community you may find helpful:

https://www.reddit.com/r/coronavirus_support/

Honestly work has been a good distraction for me. Might not be healthy but it helps.

Hang in there

we need more people scared actually, so we change behavior. the people not scared and still acting like normal are propagating the problem.

You’ve got this. Sit tight, and stay occupied.

You can control whether or not you get infected by limiting interaction.