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COVID-19 Conversations and Tools for Bolstering Your Immune System

COVID-19 Conversations and Tools for Bolstering Your Immune System

With more developments coming every day on the novel coronavirus, it’s helpful to be informed, prepared, and vigilant for your health and for the health of those around you. We’ll be updating this page (and our Instagram) with interviews, stories, tools, and episodes of The goop Podcast that feel relevant right now. If you want to learn more about how we’re navigating our shops, we’ve posted a separate note about that. And if there are questions you have that you want us to be asking or other stories you’d like to read, please drop us a line at [email protected].

(As always, for updates on the pandemic, see the resources from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

COVID-19 Guidelines

COVID-19 is a serious respiratory disease caused by a form of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. It was first detected in China and has now spread across the globe, with over 133,311,000 confirmed cases globally and more than 2,891,000 global deaths as of April 8, 2021 (see the COVID-19 dashboard from Johns Hopkins University for daily updates).

  1. •How it spreads: COVID-19 is thought to spread from person to person through close contact or droplets that are produced when a person coughs or sneezes. People are most contagious when they have symptoms; however, new data suggests it may also spread before people are symptomatic (CDC). That’s why it’s important to practice social distancing—limiting contact with others-and always wear a mask in public (Johns Hopkins).
  2. •Symptoms: Two to fourteen days after exposure, symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of smell or taste may appear (CDC).
  3. •What to do if you are sick: If you are sick or have symptoms of COVID-19, stay home and isolate yourself, avoiding contact with other people. If you live with another person, practice rigorous hygiene, disinfect surfaces regularly, and avoid sharing items. Call your doctor, tell them that you may have COVID-19, and ask them to alert your local or state health department. Have your doctor determine when it is safe to end home isolation (CDC).
  4. •How serious is COVID-19: Older adults, those with existing health conditions, and people who are immunocompromised are more likely to develop a severe form of illness that may be fatal (CDC). This is why it’s especially important to isolate yourself if you have symptoms so that you do not spread it to susceptible people.
  5. •How to protect yourself and others: There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19, although there is one in development that may be available in one to two years. To protect yourself from infection, wear a mask (CDC). Wash your hands regularly for at least twenty seconds or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Avoid touching your face (read this New York Times article for tips on how to resist the urge). Disinfect items you touch often, such as your phone or laptop, with EPA-registered household disinfectants, since COVID-19 can stay active anywhere from a few hours to a few days on surfaces (NIH). Avoid close contact with others and practice social distancing (CDC).

    How to Help

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a lot that feels out of our control. One way to cope is channeling this into positive action.

    New Research and Information About COVID-19

    Important news and guidance from researchers, doctors, and journalists.

    Managing Stress and Anxiety

    You may find yourself experiencing more stress, anxiety, and even grief. We’ve asked experts for their rituals and tools that can help us process difficult emotions and feel a little more grounded. (If you’re looking for guided meditations, head to our YouTube page.)

    • What Happens during Prolonged Stress

      What Happens during Prolonged Stress

      “The reality is challenging, and then, of course, our fears about what might happen magnify immensely the actual situation,” says psychiatrist James Gordon, MD, author of The Transformation. Gordon returns to The goop Podcast to offer strategies that can help us ease anxiety.

      Listen In

    • GP and Barry Michels on Mastering Our Emotions

      GP and Barry Michels on Mastering Our Emotions

      Psychotherapist Barry Michels shares his three-point plan that he’s been teaching to clients during the COVID-19 crisis, helping them to cope with a sense of powerlessness, feelings of negativity, and the realities of being cooped up with family.

      Watch Now

    • Grounding Yourself

      Grounding Yourself

      Psychiatrist Judson Brewer, MD, describes anxiety as a form of uncertainty. How do we bring some certainty to our lives when our world feels out of control?

      LISTEN IN

    • Affirmations for Releasing Fear and Overcoming Anxieties

      Affirmations for Releasing Fear and Overcoming Anxieties

      Therapist Carder Stout, PhD, knows that we’re in a near-constant state of high alert, but he tells us there are ways we can still release fear and be present.

      Read More

    • A 90-Second Breathwork Tool

      A 90-Second Breathwork Tool

      Breathwork practitioner Ashley Neese walks us through the basics of breathwork and an extended exhale practice that takes just ninety seconds.

      Read More

    • 8 Ways to Reduce Anxiety

      8 Ways to Reduce Anxiety

      Psychiatrist Ellen Vora, MD, has a gentle approach to anxiety: We are all somewhere on the anxiety spectrum, she says.

      Read More

    • Our Crash Course in Being Mortal

      Our Crash Course in Being Mortal

      An essay from palliative-care physician Ira Byock on how to deal with feelings of grief and fear of death.

      Read More

    • Metabolizing Difficult Emotions

      Metabolizing Difficult Emotions

      GP talks to Glennon Doyle, the New York Times–bestselling author of Untamed, about how to manage difficult emotions and manage your expectations for productivity. Instead of doing, Doyle says, focus on feeling.

      Watch Now

    Connecting with Others

    While it’s necessary to physically distance from one another, there are ways we can still find meaningful connection. And if you’re cooped up with loved ones—there are ways to try to strengthen those relationships (and keep your sanity).

    For Parents

    If your living room has become a home office-turned-playroom-turned-classroom, we feel you. Here are resources to help you and your children adjust.

    Our Immunity and Well-Being Arsenal

    Nothing here is a cure (clearly), but there are a few things that can help support our immune system and a few other things that make being home-bound more bearable in our experience (like a certain bath, Manuka honey, and streaming yoga classes).

    Nourishing Foods and Simple Recipes

    If you’re finding yourself in the kitchen much more often these days, we’re collating simple recipes, as well as general nutrition advice from experts.

    FOR THE MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT

    We’ve asked our favorite healers, intuitives, writers, and therapists for their perspectives and advice during this time.

    ADDITIONAL READING

    We’ll continue to add stories that feel prescient.

    This article is for informational purposes only, even if and regardless of whether it features the advice of physicians and medical practitioners. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. The views expressed in this article are the views of the expert and do not necessarily represent the views of goop.