Even during the Great Depression, there was innovation aplenty.

The first car radio (1930), the first electric dry razor (1929), xerography (invented 1938, patented 1942), the chocolate chip cookie (1933 by the owner of the Toll House Inn).

It’s discomforting enough to be constantly battered by news of the first public health pandemic in 100 years and have time to sit around and worry about it.  But recession talk and rising unemployment figures triggered by the virus can also get into the head.

Those are fear thoughts.

Forethoughts are different.

Looking to change careers, wanting to make lifestyle moves to enjoy life, desiring to meet people who share common values.

There is never a recession on dreams and new ideas no matter how much adversity we may be forced to face.

Fear thoughts are centered around why things won’t be good.

Forethought is the first step to overcoming adversity and now is a good time to become familiar with it.

If you avoid watching, listening or reading the news, you might be able to tamp down the fear and isolation of the current health pandemic.

Or, you could take control.

Code writers get into your phone, onto your watch and across your laptops to serve you ads and they’re still doing it during COVID 19.  So the more they can keep you hooked, worried, scared or addicted to not missing anything, the more money they make.

Media companies succeed by running ads during times of national concern like now and that’s why everything is “Breaking News” and every story is based on fear.

Find a handful of news sources that have earned your trust and rely on them.

Take control of the negativity that bombards you all day.

Balance fear with hope.

Start with this – from Harvard Medical School citing CDC research and reread as necessary:

“Most people with COVID-19 recover. Estimates now suggest that 99% of people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 will recover.”

A few days ago, I wrote that we have it better than those who lived through the pandemic of 1918 before the Internet, phone, video, Zoom, Netflix, delivery services and hand sanitizers.

I invited you to add to the list of other things they didn’t have during the 1918 health crisis which I share here:

No radio
No TV
No Walmart, Costco or Amazon.com
No recorded music
No easy-access to reading material (books, magazines, newspapers)
No cars to drive to isolated parks for a nice walk
No high-quality medical care
No antibiotics
No ventilators (the “iron lung” was invented in 1928)

Finding things to be grateful for makes us feel more positive that we’ve got this.

There are two reasons we will survive this pandemic.

One, 99% recover fully.

Two, gratitude for things like these give us hope.

The great WCBS-FM, New York program director Joe McCoy  may have forgotten what he told me 20 years ago, but I remember it.

When I asked how does he play the same music over and over each weekend and make it seem new.

Joe said, same music, new ribbon around it.

That’s a way to battle shelter in place tedium.

From now on each day has a format. 

A playlist of what everyone is going to do from work or school and play.

A different look to doing the same things.

Getting everyone involved in brainstorming the quarantine time.

It’s long, it’s old already but it’s temporary.

The same creativity that makes our previous routine work is the one that will alleviate the boredom of being housebound.

In one day, we learn that more people are going to die; we have to stay away from each other longer, can’t go back to work or school, keep wondering whether to wear a mask or not and see people we know or know of come down with coronavirus.

If you’re not scared, I’m going to come right out and admit that I am – for me, my family, my friends and for those who have or will be losing their jobs.

But I’m fighting back.

Fear is always worse than reality.

Constant bad news erodes hope.

Without hope, we sense doom.

Never forgetting that over 97% of the people who get this virus will survive and go on with their lives is hope.

That’s a bet you would take even in a New York minute.

Never forget reasons to have hope.

Social distancing are the wrong words to describe physical distancing.

Social distancing causes the feeling of loneliness, depression and hopelessness and people are starting to feel that now.

Physical distancing, yes.  But don’t call it social distancing.

Kinship, togetherness and staying connected to others is still important.

A review of 150 studies of the importance of staying socially connected involving hundreds of thousands of people show that people who stay socially connected were 50% more likely to live longer.

While keeping our distance to avoid spreading coronavirus, think about staying close to others.

Do acts of kindness and generosity – emails, cards, calls, Skype and avoid the loneliness that comes from isolation.

If you’re interested in an excellent podcast on feeling lonely, click here.

Whether in business, personally or teaching, I have never seen anyone be happy without hope.

May I give you some real news headlines that were being put out Friday, April 3 that creates fear and reduces hope:

Delaware Police Authorized To Pull Over Out-Of-State Drivers…
Social distancing going to get darker…
Morgues almost full…
Crematories running 24/7…
Flush With Lid Down: Experts Warn Of Fecal-Oral Transmission…
Government spent millions to ramp up mask readiness, but that isn’t helping now
Q&A: Can I go outside? Should I wear a mask?
How to stop the virus making us all fatter…

And that is just a sampling from one day.

Here’s some good hopeful news you may have missed:

Most People with COVID-19 recover.
Children seem to be infected less often and have milder disease.
The number of new cases is falling where the outbreak began.
The internet exists.
Our response to future pandemics should improve.
Many people and organizations have stepped up to improve the situation.

Read more hopeful news here.

We’re so connected to our digital devices that we are allowing code writers to infiltrate our brains when we really need to listen to doctors and stay positive.

Hope this helps.

In the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 that killed over 500,000 Americans, they had it worse than we do now.

No Internet.

No phones, video, Zoom, FaceTime.

No Netflix.

No Uber Eats and delivery services.

No next day food deliveries.

No hand sanitizer.

Feel free to add to the list.

Feeling down in isolation?

It could always be worse.

Help lift the spirits of others even if you don’t feel like it.

It’s like giving, you recipient of the gift isn’t the only person who is happy.

Talk on the phone, FaceTime, Skype to people you haven’t had time for – until now.

Bring them hope because they’re not likely getting enough of it.

Get your mind off of you, your confinement, your health fears, boredom, worry about things that could happen but probably will not.

And then one final “pick-me-up” for yourself:

96-97% of the people who contract coronavirus recover.

A balance of self-time and others time is usually a formula for happiness.

While confined to our homes in this public health crisis, boredom becomes a real issue real fast.

We have bucket lists for everything, how about a bucket list for how we can use all the time we are confined to a single place? 

List all the things we keep saying we wish we had time for – we have it now. 

Try something new – a new hobby, a new routine, a new idea, read a book or write a book, start a second career. 

Plant something if you have a garden – plants are like animals, they bring joy without asking for much in return. 

Put the phone down and take a vacation from negative news, no hope and fear.

Imagine how interesting and productive a bucket list for self-isolation can look like.

If digital and media news sources can’t stop trying to panic you for their own financial benefit, you can and must stop them.

Here are more real headlines from hell during this crisis:

• Virus Killing Far More Men Than Women (without mentioning a 1.4% death rate).
• NBC News Staffer Dead (buried in the story, he had other health problems).
• Meat Industry Braces for Disruptions from Ill Workers (I have the time to eat, but that makes me sick to my stomach).
• Fatigue Will Be the Carrier of the Second Wave (wait, I’m still scared from the first wave).

We have a health crisis alright, but we also have a crisis in hope.

If the media won’t present the facts without the drama, you must dig them out.

It’s fair to say our digital connectivity is not giving us more facts and more hope.  It is designed to scare the hell out of us.

Social distancing drives us apart – and that’s exactly what we must do for public health reasons to protect ourselves and others.

But this is also a good time to stay connected in other ways and practice compassion for each other.

For those who are struggling with isolation
For those who are scared or concerned
Caring for others
Giving hope when the media and social networks tend to promote fear
Reducing your stress and by extension to those around you.

Social distancing is a great time for growing closer with compassion.

Ironically, we’ve been social distancing during the ten years since the iPhone, apps and social media arrived.  We were just not ordered to stay put.  We never needed a 6-foot rule.

Here are some advantages of being locked down:

You can do whatever you didn’t have time to do before.
You can reconnect with family, friends and loved ones.
You can improve your health through exercise.
Enjoy cooking healthy – you’ve got the time now, no excuses.
You have time to think about your future, your career, your life’s choices.
You can come up with an awesome post-corona plan for your life.
Now you have to take control of your digital devices or they will drive you crazy.
You will discover Facetime, Zoom and other ways to stay connected.

Most importantly, the coronavirus crisis introduces you to yourself.

How you handle adversity and value the hope that will get you through it.

And find out who your real friends are.

It’s not as much fun as before, but we can put this time to good use.

Infectious disease experts say that the fatality rate in China for people who have symptoms of coronavirus is about 4% as of yesterday (March 25).

The death rate in the U.S. as of yesterday was 1.4% although the disease is still peaking and is expected to go higher.

96% or more who got the disease recovered.

You’re not reading or hearing this kind of authentic, factual news because we’re living in a world of instant communication, digital commerce and social media.  It behooves them to stir up fear.

Coronavirus is serious.  It is a pandemic.  It is spreading across the world.  It is affecting economies and lives.  It requires public health sacrifices.

But the death rate is under 4% even in China where it originated.

That alone should go a long way toward converting this deadly virus from fear of dying to the excellent chances we all have of surviving especially if we heed public health measures.

In a digital world fear spreads faster than even disease.

That’s what marketing expert Margo Aaron says when she writes “the way information is delivered influences your perception of it”.

That’s why online sources are scaring us for clickbait and traditional media companies are all doom and gloom all the time for ratings.

Panic comes when we become addicted to information that may or may not be correct when we are in a stage of anxiety and stress.

Turn off Twitter, Facebook and social media and disengage from people who are using your fear to make a living.

Face the facts but reject the fear.  Preserve hope.

You can’t make decisions when you’re afraid.

You react instead of respond.

Run instead of prevail.

Cower down instead of stand up.

This is from the CDC website:  “For most people, the immediate risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low.”

Be safe.  Be well.  Be informed.

Fear is not a friend of making good decisions.

So, you’ve probably seen all those videos of college kids throwing caution to the ocean breeze determined to have their spring break no matter what the health risk is.

If you saw the videos, did you also notice the older people on the same Miami beaches? They weren’t mentioned.

My students were called back from spring break as many were to pack up and move out of their dorms last week with little notice.  Some have no place to go.

Others were trying to find a way to travel back to Europe, Asia and Africa where they live – no party for them.

One student was working out how to attend virtual class this Wednesday from a mandatory two-week confinement in her home country.

When we generalize about people, we distort reality.

Some young people are selfish, most are not.  Some college students went to the beach anyway along with retirees and older people who pre-planned their vacations as well.

During all of this, we have the power to get the facts and lift people up instead of drag them down and if we do, we will come away with a hidden benefit from a trying situation.

Look at these headlines:

Millennials at Higher Risk?
Layoffs Just Starting, Forecasts Bleak
Jobless Rate Could Hit 20%

The coronavirus is pure heaven to online news services looking for clickbait and a dream come true to news networks and publications.

Fear sells, but it also reduces hope.

In all of this, finding ways to have hope and not give up on it is the main thing during a time of fear and panic.  Here are a few hopeful headlines:

97% will never get the coronavirus.
Of the 3% that will, older and infirmed people need more caution.
The stock market always rebounds sooner or later.
What a big party we will have when it is safe to comingle again.
Out of bad always comes good – wait for it.

There is a lot we cannot control about the pandemic and the economy, but one thing we are very much in charge of is the ability to legitimately remind ourselves of the hope of better times which will return.

There is fear thought and forethought.

Fear thought is intense concern about something that statistically, at least, will probably never happen.  And yet it feels real.

Forethought is preparing for trouble but not being afraid of it.

Selling stocks during the coronavirus crisis is fear thought.

Washing your hands, not touching your face or eyes, disinfecting services – that’s forethought.

Hoarding food and, yes, toilet paper as many are now doing – fear thought.

Planning contingency meals for the next two to four weeks – that’s forethought.

We are still in control even when outside sources make us feel like life is out of control.

When faced with the anxiety that panic causes, it can be helpful to know the difference between fear thought and forethought to calm down your nerves.

Most people will survive it even if a large percentage of the population gets it.

Panic is a reaction to fear.  To lessen any panic you’re feeling, get the facts first.

Adversity introduces a person to him or herself and to those around them.

There is always good that comes out of bad even if we often forget it.

Use periods of isolation in a proactive way.

What we may be restricted from doing temporarily such as attending a daughter’s soccer game, we can make up with facetime, family time and togetherness.