We’ve all be told what to do. Simple steps. Wash hands frequently with soap and water and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE.
The first one is easy, only you have to sing Happy Birthday twice which gets some strange looks in hotel rest rooms. My favorite instruction has been, “Wash your hands as if you have just urged your husband to kill the rightful king and now you can’t seem to get the blood off!”
So I’ve stood at the sink muttering, “Out damned spot. Will the perfumes of Arabia not sweeten this little hand? Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeared?” Much more fun than Happy Birthday to you (which always upsets me because the two women who wrote it didn’t get a penny in royalties)
But the hard thing is not touching my face. Do you know the average person touches their face 90 times a day? And I am way worse than average, I fear.
And now that I’m aware of the commandment it is torture:
My cheek is itching. Must scratch. Must….. scratch!
My hair is tickling my forehead. Must push back or go mad….
Is that something in my eye? Eye feels gritty… must rub. Must rub
Is my face cream all rubbed in? Should I put on a little eye shadow even though I’m at home and nobody will see?
Picture of me inside grocery store, 6 a.m. Not looking my best!
I’m trying to learn ways to keep my hands away from my face when I’m sitting in the car, watching TV or even eating. I’ve tried playing the piano on my knee with my fingers. Lacing my fingers like we used to when we recited “Here’s the church and here’s the steeple. Look inside and here are the people”.
I’m rather wishing I was back at our house in California where I have all my stuff. Lots of stuff. Craft items. Beads. Crochet yarn. Jigsaw puzzles. Things to keep my hands busy. But alas I am in Arizona which is only supposed to be our winter retreat and has a minimum, no large library to read, and no stuff to play with.
If I were in California I’d bring out the worry beads. When I was a student I spent 3 months going around Greece and we would watch the men with their worry beads. It was only the men. Actually we hardly ever saw women. They stayed home outside of Athens, unless they worked in the fields and then they didn’t have time for worry beads. But the men walked around talking with other men, their hands behind their backs and their worry beads held between them. Clack, clack, clack in one direction and then clack, clack, clack back again, moving effortlessly as they chatted.
I bought some and tried them and I have to admit they drove me mad. I found myself counting them… thirteen this way, thirteen that way.. and then my finger would miss one and give my heart a jolt. So not at all calming for me. But now at least I’d have something to keep those hands occupied.
So does anyone have good suggestions, for not touching my face, that don’t involve going to Michaels and getting craft supplies? My daughter Clare has rummaged through her closets and is making fabric masks to give to all her delivery people. I don’t have a sewing machine or fabric here but that’s something I’d like to do. Would a hand sewed mask hold up, do you think?
And a second thought: are you being really, really good at social distancing? I’m trying to but I’m dealing with that most difficult of creatures A MAN. I read that many more men are dying than women, probably because they won’t follow directions and precautions!
The other day we went to Trader Joes. I took all the items out of the bags and wiped them down outside the garage. Then I made John take off his clothes and throw them in the washing machine and wipe down his shoes outside. He made a tremendous fuss. “This is overkill,” he growled.
“Not overkill, but maybe kill,” I replied.
I just don’t feel that we can be too careful. If it’s inconvenient, if it seems stupid it may be saving a life. Mine. John’s.
Stay safe, my darlings. Make those men do what’s required
And here is one of the most reassuring videos I’ve seen so far, from an ER doctor https://vimeo.com/399733860/description?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8_B1oBaezwnEZczqpv1X4nZkoEHtQ2NBifU8JbmavmAwldWSYocLpKeXu9Q9DLw6mI-zVto2Cq6326D3W9Jm2R0FQV_g&_hsmi=2
And here is one of the most reassuring videos I’ve seen so far, from an ER doctor https://vimeo.com/399733860/description?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8_B1oBaezwnEZczqpv1X4nZkoEHtQ2NBifU8JbmavmAwldWSYocLpKeXu9Q9DLw6mI-zVto2Cq6326D3W9Jm2R0FQV_g&_hsmi=2
Hand-washing is pretty easy, but it will be so much more fun while saying “out damned spot . . . .”
ReplyDeleteAs for keeping those hands away from my face, that's not so easy. When I find my hands drifting up toward my face, I task them with pushing up my glasses [even if they don’t need pushing up] . . . or I keep them busy holding a book or working in the kitchen, cooking and baking. Of course, I’m going to regret that by the end of the month, but for the moment, it serves to keep my hands . . . and my mind . . . occupied.
Evidently my face has special magnetic powers that pull on my hands. And the pollen is making my face itchy. All I can do is stay home and wash my hands.
ReplyDeleteI know I do touch my face some, but I'm probably not as bad about it as many others because I have long believed that touching your face is something you should avoid unless your hands are absolutely clean. I don't know exactly why but it has just always been in my mind that you whatever you have touched, you are then transferring that dirt to your face if you touch your face. My daughter even has picked up on it. Not so much my son. And, I've heard my daughter tell my granddaughter not to touch her face, that her hands were dirty before. So, I guess I started a good thing way back when. Now, that doesn't mean I don't ever touch my face, but my habit is to avoid it.
ReplyDeleteRhys, don't get me started on men and convincing them to follow precautions. I thought I'd never convince my husband to wash his hands when he comes in the door or to not be around people at a store or wherever. I finally convinced him that he was going to kill his 91 year old mother if he didn't start being careful. I'm still not completely happy with his practices, but he's doing better. Of course, he and the neighbor worked together to cut down some bushes today, and although I couldn't see them where they were, I'm betting neither of the yahoos took careful enough precautions. Grrrrrrrrr.
I can believe that the average person touches his/her face 90 times a day. I wear eyeglasses and I have to nudge them up several times an hour. And of course I can't get them adjusted since the store is closed, aargh!
ReplyDeleteHow long does it take for an action to become a habit? I like your "Not overkill, but maybe kill".
I heard 21 days...so has frequent hand washing become our new norm? Or your grocery sanitization routine? Can we keep up these new habits for the next month, 3 months, 6 months? Time will tell.
I don't know about you but the skin on my hands is dried out due to the frequent hand washing. And I have eczema which I don't want to exacerbate. Any advice? Can't use most hand creams or moisturizers due to allergies.
I love Aquaphor! It’s a very emollient gel/cream and you only need a tiny bit.
DeleteGrace, my hands are raw and terribly sore too. I agree with Hank. Aquaphor is great.
DeleteGrace, I have very sensitive skin and use goat milk soap bar Caprina
DeleteI like Honest Bee products. So soothing.
DeleteI have sensitive skin that does not like a lot of commercial products. I use coconut oil and CeraVe soap and lotion.
DeleteThank you for the suggestions. I had not heard of many of these products but found that I can order Aquaphor or Caprina via Amazon.
DeleteRhys, I don't want to talk about anything except you making John take his clothes off and him not being absolutely delighted. I know what would happen here. Just saying.
ReplyDeleteIt was only his outer garments!!!
DeleteMy husband would have been laughing and joking. There would have to have been promises made! LOL
DeleteI haven't been bothering with not touching my face (which I also do a lot), because I am barely in contact with anyone. I never touch my eyes with my bare hands, anyway, because it tracks allergens into them. So that's a habit I developed years ago, as is washing my hands well whenever I come in from outside.
ReplyDeleteI love that you actually know the Shakespeare to recite! Can you order craft stuff online? I need to go on a wine run today, and believe me, I'm going to bulk buy so I don't have to do it again for a while.
Edith, at my last grocery run I bought a box of wine. I should have bought two, in retrospect, since they last 30 days opened.
DeleteYes the groceries become quite the production. I know we probably don’t have to be as hyper about it as I have been, but it makes me feel better, actually. You are good to be so careful!— And take such loving care of John . Xxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh YES. I'm a horrible face-toucher and only realize it AFTER I've done it. Trying to be more vigilant and aware. It's comforting to know I'm not alone.
ReplyDeleteI swear I've washed the skin right off my hands. So sore and raw.
As for men, my husband spent two miserable years working maintenance in a hospital ER and has been very careful. He's still working out in the world but at least his job doesn't bring him into contact with the public, just his regular co-workers in the plant. But when I've gone out to the store, I've come to the conclusion that the vast majority of people (men AND women) have no idea how far 6 feet is.
I am a face toucher, particularly now, with all the spring allergies coming forth along with the forsythia. A friend, who is an OB/Gyn physician, called last week. She is leaving her practice to her partner and two Nurse Practitioners to volunteer in some capacity with the public health department. Bless her. But she said she broke the face touching habit in two days by flicking a rubber band on her wrist each time she had the urge. I tried it. And it helps quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm staying in, washing my hands everytime I pass a sink, and, yes, still touching my face.
Rhys, I've been thinking of Lady Macbeth a lot lately. And visualizing Shakespeare writing King Lear while the plague raged around him. A couple of years ago I read Macbeth: William Shakespeare's Macbeth Retold, by Jo Nesbo. It's a splendid book.
Trust me. I am a nurse.
Prior to entering the grocery store yesterday my daughter said "Remember don't touch your face." My nose immediately began to itch. After reading Rhys' post I counted the times I touched my face in one hour about 30. I am a contrarian... I ask will touching my face kill me? what are the odds? How long does this virus live on objects like doors etc. Answer not known. perhaps 9 days? If I wash my hands in the morning and not leave my house can I touch my face at will? (Will would like this).
ReplyDeleteDecision relax into the reality keep hands, and mind active. Breathe, breathe Breathe.
side bar: Julia I am on page 200 of Hid From Our Eyes. I have no idea who the prep is. This work is splendid. Review to come today.
I’m still struggling not to touch my face— this is a habit I cannot seem to break. I quit wearing my contacts, especially since allergies are kicking in, but I’m not sure that’s helping. Yesterday I had to go out for the first time in two weeks, and was quite impressed with my small local store. They had sanitizer at the door and the registers, plastic gloves for people to wear, and tape marking six foot intervals over the whole store. This made it really easy to keep your distance, and those of us at senior shopping did a good job. Of course the whole time I was there my eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, chin, and forehead itched like crazy.
ReplyDeleteOh, Rhys, I am with you! I touch my face all the time and wear contact lenses. I also wash hands so many times a day that Howard Hughes would be impressed!
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends told me that if you are tired of singing Happy Birthday while washing your hands, the opening voice over to the original Star Trek is 20 seconds long. Now I stand over the sink muttering "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise...." Not as much fun a Lady MacBeth but amusing.
Cathy, you made me smile with your Star Trek 20 seconds. Good choice.
DeleteIn fact , any 20 seconds of song or text of your choice will help. Infinite imagination, infinite choice.
My daughter does the Star Trek one for a change! Also the Doxology
DeleteLove the Star Trek intro! I'm going to try that one.
DeleteSo hard not to touch my face, especially when I take a pause from pounding the keyboard. Chin in hand! Rub nose (spring allergies)! I'm paranoid about my eyes because pinkeye is one of the initial symptoms. Glasses on counter, sanitize before putting on. Prescription ointment on my eczema-riddled hands. I gave up wearing rings a month ago. Gold Bond healing lotion.
ReplyDeleteI proposed a family Facetime sesson on Easter wearing Easter bonnets, or at least hats.
Regarding touching your face and washing your hands: do you really think it's necessary to use extreme precautions inside your own home? I am skeptical about this. Once you've sanitized, and made sure everything coming in is also sanitized, I should think inside the house you would be fine, and a sanctuary from that concern. It's out where other people are not being careful that we should worry about this the most.
ReplyDeleteOur next-door neighbors are about the same age as you and John, Rhys. Both retired musicians and a professor of music (she taught piano and conducting at College Conservatory of Music here). They were in Florida for their annual beach vacation, and cut it short because of the reports of the virus, about a month ago now. They were self-isolating, and staying home, just ordering groceries delivered. We kept in touch by phone and email, and in one conversation I realized they were also isolating from EACH OTHER. This is a very devoted couple, no children, and they've always been very loving to one another. I felt so bad for them, and tried to gently break it to them that their extreme caution in this regard was not necessary. The hype was making them miserable.
And then there are the people who INSIST they are self-isolating, and come to find out that their kids and grandkids are visiting. Nope. That's not what it means.
I have drippy nose/itchy eyes-type allergies this time of year, and it's really hard to keep from touching my face when I'm out on my once-a-week grocery store run during "senior hour". My strategy includes blowing my nose before I go into the store, and if there is an itch I cannot help but manage I use the inside of my sweater, over my hand. This doesn't work as well if you're just wearing a t-shirt. And I also do not carry a purse into the store. I leave it at home, and just load my pockets with keys, credit card and drivers license, and at least two wipes and a glove, in case the store doesn't have any. I wipe the cart handle down (some stores have run out of wipes), then I keep it in my hand, and over the handle. Keeping my hands on the cart also helps with not touching my face, because I'm very conscious of the glove and the wipe.
At the checkout, I use the now still-slightly damp wipe rolled over my finger to work the touchpad. The other day a young woman kept saying she could do it for me, apparently since I'm old. I told her in no uncertain terms to protect herself, and not to go around the protective shield if she could help it, because SHE is as vulnerable as I am! It was a great disservice to have said that the elderly were more vulnerable than the young, because they have not gotten on board with the precautions as readily.
My daughter has improved a lot, although she is still self-quarantining. And my baby grand-niece, who had some kind of infection related to diaper rash, maybe (I think she's allergic to something), has finally been able to keep a bottle down, and her temperature was stabilized, as of yesterday. They hope to take her home today. The poor little mite had to have an IV in two different places, and she was so pathetic. We hope she will be back to her sweet, bubbly little self soon.
Be safe, mes amies.
I agree with Karen - once you're inside I don't see the need to continually hand wash and sanitize unless you bring someone or something in from outside. I do wipe down the newspaper and the mail. Groceries and packages. And while I'm inside I touch scratch my nose and rub my chin to my heart's content. Which is why wearing a mask makes even more sense for me...
ReplyDeleteRhys, so glad to hear about your daughter and grand-niece. Ouch. We're awaiting news on a dear friend who's in the hospital with coronavirus. He was put on a ventilator; now he's off. Holding our collective breaths and saying a few prayers.
I am also very much a face toucher. It is a little bit worse with allergies, pollen and underlying skin conditions. However, I have found a new tool. Ben-Gay. My husband has terrible arthritis challenges right now, necessitating that I put Ben-Gay or some equivalent on his hands most mornings. It turns out that when I do that, the strong smell instantly reminds me not to touch my face because...well it would hurt. SO - I've taken to using soap that has high fragrance and using that as a tool to reduce the unconscious scratch, hair adjustment, etc. If I lose my sense of smell, I'm already in trouble.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!!
DeleteIt is Karen’s relatives, Hallie! So glad too. I remove the envelopes from the mail. Drop letters on table. Throw envelope in garbage. Wash hands. John thinks I’m crazy!
ReplyDeleteThat's how I do my mail, too, Rhys, letting the inner contents drop onto the table and throwing away envelope and washing hands. And, my husband thinks I'm crazy, too. But, then I caught my husband outside earlier talking to our neighbor with whom he cut the bushes yesterday. They were not six feet apart. I went outside, keeping my distance, and told both these hard-headed men that I had just seen the news and it said we were having a pandemic and should keep six feet apart. They both laughed. I did not.
DeleteI get the mail with gloves on, Rhys, then do what you do, then throw away gloves and wash hands.
DeleteI live with 3 men. Your post really resonates with me, Rhys. Thankfully, they have begun to embrace the hermit life. I imagine they’ll all emerge from this hairy and with no manners - all my work on smoothing those rough edges for nothing. *sigh* Great post. Now I have to scratch my chin!
ReplyDeleteBut they will be able to think of themselves as hardy survivors, and tell great stories about it for years to come, Jenn. I think this crisis is bringing out all the emergency responder/grim-eyed mountain man fantasies in all the guys I know. If they have fun with it, they'll do it. And, yes, Rhys, I can't imagine my Warren ever objecting to stripping down for any reason.
DeleteGigi, I love the way you think! I told Irwin about today's blog while out on our walk and he was in stitches.
DeleteJenn, your description of your family always sparkles with humor. I love it.
Okay, how many times did everyone touch their face while reading and commenting? Too many if you are anything like me. I get the washing, and not touching, my hands are almost raw and I actually found a small cut the other day and have no idea what I bumped. I have a tin of something called Lo-Lo Bar Head to Toe Moisturizer. I purchased it at Stitches a year ago. First ingredient is beeswax. It's not a lotion, it's really nice and it has a variety of scents or no scents. I just checked, it's out of Vancouver, Washington. My sister's 2Es (her adult kids) have the sanitation of groceries down pat, out in their garage. One empties the bags the other starts the wipes down and then adds alcohol to her sibling's hands and they get the job done. Unfortunately the washing machine is in the house. Okay, I off to the world, stay safe and same out there.
ReplyDeleteThere are not a lot of joys to widowhood, but at least I don't have to argue with my beloved about stuff he's too hardheaded to do to take care of himself. The dogs are happy all day long, and the cats don't care as long as I let them snooze. I sanitize when I come in from a necessary trip away from the house, but in my house and back yard there are no interlopers to bring in new germs, so I really don't worry about it. Also, I like to think of my car as this house/space ship's escape pod. Still an exclusively mine space that nobody else enters or leaves, I sometimes I take it out for a little drive, just to keep the battery charged.
ReplyDeleteWe had to have a conversation the other day about sneezing. Elbows, PLEASE.
DeleteThe hand washing is ok, but the face touching? Glad to read all your hints, and that everyone struggles. Yes, allergy season in full force, with itchy eyes and painful sinuses, though I think maybe less because we're not going out where the pollen is? And I had cataract surgery just before all this. Now I've gone from "always" glasses to off-the-rack reading glasses. Yikes! On and off all day long! (appt to get better ones is still to come.)I maintain husband is a grownup who knows what to do. Possibly that is a fantasy.
ReplyDeleteRhys, I got a chuckle out of your "damn spot". Thanks for a good laugh! I have been doing the same thing. Taking all of my clothes off and putting them in the washing machine, which is what I did as soon as I got home from the conference in San Diego.
ReplyDeleteIF you have a wash cloth or a cloth handkerchief, you can use it to touch your face. Whenever I need to get hair out of my face or touch my face, I use a cloth instead of my bare hand to touch my face.
I have been wearing my mask, gloves and ski hat when I go out! These are strange times!
Diana
Like Edith and Hallie, I don't worry about touching my face at home. Except for one Target run, one Sam's Club run and a couple walks with my dog, I haven't been outside. I wash my hands at all the normal times (bathroom, before preparing food, etc.) but that's not new.
ReplyDeleteMy menfolk have been pretty good about following directions, including The Boy. Now if only I could get them to put the toilet seat down, but I suppose one thing at a time.
And no, most people have no idea what six feet is like. They err on both sides. I did notice the day we went to Sam's that people were doing pretty well. The clerks were (I think) recommending two cart-lengths apart.
Oh, The Girl has come home for one visit, but there was no way around it. Either we were going to go to her, or she had to come to us. But as we've both been holed up with no other contact I wasn't too worried.
DeletePersian guys do the worry bead thing, too.
ReplyDeleteHeh. Yup.
DeleteMy greatest hope is that the habits my husband is trying so hard to adopt during this crisis will remain with him as life lessons on the other side of this! He was such a hardhead pre-coronavirus that even shaming him by saying our 3 year grandchildren knew to sneeze into their elbows didn't work. But I must say he's really trying now and fingers crossed he has new habits.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I touch my face constantly! It's allergy season here, too, and my eyes and my nose itch like crazy. But as we are not going out, and are sanitizing everything that comes in, I haven't worried about it too much in the house.
ReplyDeleteEven in the month leading up to our now three-week quarantine, I was doing what Karen is doing in the supermarket. Taking my own wipes in, wiping the cart, then keeping a fresh wipe in my hand to either pick things up or to wipe my hands if I had to touch something. Then wiping down/using hand sanitizer after the pin pad (ugh, will we ever be able to touch pin/sign pads again without cringing?) until I could get home and wash my hands.
For those of you suffering from horribly dry hands I have a couple of suggestions. I use Dawn Erasing Dish Foam in the kitchen and that's what I wash my hands with. It's very sudsy but doesn't seem to dry hands out as badly as regular dish liquid or hand soap. And I have for years used Alba Botanica lotion and it is amazing.
When those foaming hand soaps first came out a friend sent me a (long lost) link that said the foaming soaps clean better.
DeletePutme in the touch my face all the time category. Since I live alone and have no one to remind me when I do it, I don't worry about it. I only go to the grocery store once a week and wash my hands after that and opening the mail and a lot of other times! Stay safe and well.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah. The minute I get in my car to run what few errands are essential, my cheeks itch, hair blows into my mouth, my nose runs...argh.
ReplyDeleteWhy not place an online order with Michael's or Jo-Ann Fabrics or some other craft store? The stuff may not arrive quickly, but better that than not at all.