I've been reading and hearing that until a vaccine for COVID-19 is made available, we have to learn to live with the virus. At first I did find it harsh, but it is true. Behaviour, for one thing, is already a strong weapon to defeat this virus— if only us humans are able to act them out perfectly. But in reality, no human is perfect. By our nature, we will err. But what will help though, are nudges in place to remind us and guide us towards the right direction. In Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler's The Nudge, they talked about Humans and Econs:
From the National Council for the Social Studies: "One might argue that the field of economics looks at people as “econs”—that is, they assume we carefully weigh costs and benefits of alternatives before making decisions. Econs, therefore, could be described as being analytical, reflective, effortful, deliberate and patient. To be fully rational, an econ would also need to be well-versed in probability theory and rational optimization. Thus an econ would always make the best choice given a set of alternatives. Does this sound like most people you know or interact with? Behavioral economists don’t think so either. They instead think of humans as using costs and benefits, but also being influenced by other factors when making decisions. Humans might sometimes be described as emotional, reflexive, effortless, impulsive, and short-sighted."
And I, very much a human, don't always make the right choices either. For one thing, I always touch my face— which is now a very dangerous habit. I am very prone to allergies (I have asthma) so I get the sniffles often. So in an effort to find a constant reminder to stop touching my nose or my face in general, I thought of putting on fake nails to give me a bit of a surprise everytime I unconsciously reach out for my face.
I chose bold colours so that it's more noticeable. This way, even at peripheral vision, I can easily see that there's something different about my nails. I don't usually grow my nails nor colour them so I am hoping that this will really help in keeping me mindful and conscious of my fingers and of my hands. BUT, and there's a big but here. I also have to put more effort and care into washing my hands. Having long nails might do more harm than good if I don't wash them properly too. I've tried the 20 seconds hand washing (including each nail, so I kind of exceeded 20 seconds, tbh) and spraying my nails with alcohol afterwards too.
Speaking of hand washing, these are the 5 steps as recommended by CDC:
"Washing your hands is easy, and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community—from your home and workplace to childcare facilities and hospitals.
Follow these five steps every time.
Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them."
Note: I hum the chorus of "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers
05 June 2020: COVID 19 total cases: 20,626; with 168 fresh cases and 76 late cases, with 987 who've passed and 4,330 recoveries
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