A Pennsylvania grocery store had to throw away $35,000 in fresh foods, bakery items, meats and other items after a woman purposely went around the store, coughing on them, CNN reports. The woman was later arrested.
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Police said they didn’t think she has coronavirus, but she’s being tested just in case. Meanwhile, besides throwing away all the food, the store had to undergo precautionary disinfection measures.
Apparently, pranks like this appear to be popping up across the nation, with people going so far as filming themselves licking various items and then posting the videos on social media as a “challenge” to others. Such moves won’t be taken lightly, the Department of Justice warns: Intentional acts like this can put you in jail with a criminal charge of terrorism.
Why anyone would even think things like this could be funny is beyond imagination. If it’s something they feel like doing for attention, it’s time to stop. Or, if it’s due to a mental health issue that drives them to feel like doing irrational things, then there are other ways to manage those feelings.
In times like this, anxiety, depression and even suicidal behavior can lead you to think about doing things you’d never think of under normal situations. Self-quarantining will likely worsen these sentiments but, even without social distancing, many people can still have feelings like this when dealing with day-to-day stress.
The upside is there are good, positive things you can do to help yourself get through high-stress times. Making sure you get plenty of restful sleep is a first step, if for no other reason than deep sleep inhibits anxiety.
It's truly a necessity, not a luxury, and if you struggle with anxiety, sleeping for a solid eight hours or so could make a major difference in your quality of life. If racing thoughts are problematic and you find yourself in bed unable to shut them off, try keeping a journal nearby and writing down the thoughts as they come.
Paying attention to sleep hygiene — items like darkness and proper temperature in your bedroom and shutting off electronics early — is also important. If you need help improving your sleep hygiene, check out my "33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep" for tips to help you fall asleep and stay asleep all night.
Things you can do while you’re awake include making sure you eat healthy, stay active with cardio or weight-bearing exercise or just a walk around the block — anything to get yourself up, out of the chair and moving about. In fact, studies show that during periods of high stress those who exercised less frequently had 37 percent more physical symptoms than those who exercised more often, so get moving.
Also try mindfulness or meditation, both of which can help you deal with anxiety, stress and depression. Practicing "mindfulness" means you're actively paying attention to the moment you're in right now. Rather than letting your mind wander, when you're mindful, you're living in the moment and letting distracting thoughts pass through your mind without getting caught up in their emotional implications.
For people with anxiety who don’t want to take medications for their symptoms, mindfulness meditation may prove to be a viable alternative. Meditation can also be a powerful pain reliever, even though researchers have yet to figure out the way it works; they just know that it does.
Meditation helps you take a deliberate break from the stream of thoughts that are constantly flowing in and out of your mind. Some people use it to promote spiritual growth or find inner peace, while others use it as a powerful relaxation and stress reduction tool. Beyond mental health, research shows meditation may help lower blood pressure at the same time decreasing psychological distress and increasing coping ability.