"Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God, and value it next to a good conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of; a blessing that money cannot buy." - Izaak Walton

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How to Practice Self-Care During Times of Crisis

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self-care during times of crisis

There is no doubt the world has been rocked by the coronavirus. Widespread panic and a flimsy economy are enough to make anyone develop anxiety. Not to mention, the federal government is suggesting weeks, possibly months, of social distancing. To keep yourself from going stir-crazy, you need to know how you can still practice self-care during times of crisis.

Practicing Self-Care During Times of Crisis is Important

Believe it or not, continuing to practice self-care during social distancing and other times of crisis is extremely important to maintaining your health. Even though you aren’t able to do the same things you’d normally be doing throughout the day, you can still take care of yourself.

Self-care during times of crisis includes things like focusing on eating well, exercising, staying in contact with others, and doing things you enjoy. Incorporating that into your time away from others can be key to keeping up your physical and mental health.

What Can You Do During Social Distancing?

Now, you’re probably thinking, “Amanda, the gyms and restaurants around me are closed. I’m not supposed to hang out with people and I’m stuck inside.” Well, thankfully, there are still a few self-care practices you can do at home. Here are just a few to employ while you’re distancing yourself…

  1. Get active! Even though the gym is closed, you can still try and stay active. Do at-home workout videos or yoga. It is also safe to go on a walk (or run) as long as you won’t be walking on a heavily-populated street and are in good health.
  2. Read (or listen to) a book. While you’re at home, this is the perfect time to catch up on some reading. If you’re not big on reading, Amazon has a plethora of books on Audible.
  3. Find things that make you laugh and smile. Stuff is scary right now. During times of crisis, try and find something that will pick your spirits up (Netflix has a ton of good standup specials).
  4. Cross some things off your DIY to-do list. Why not use this time to improve your living space? You’ll be surprised how much decluttering and cleaning your home can help clear your mind.
  5. Check-in with yourself and others. You need to be more self-aware during this time. Times of crisis can be emotionally overwhelming and, before you know it, you could be headed towards a breakdown or a bout of depression. Be sure you know what balance you need to keep a level head during this time. Additionally, it may be a good idea to start checking in with friends and family via video chat to help you feel less socially isolated.

Maintain Your Self-Worth

Lastly, it is so important to maintain your self-worth during times of crisis. Right now, with COVID-19 spreading across the globe, many people have been laid-off. Being unemployed can contribute to feelings of decreased self-worth.

Just remember, this is only temporary. The best thing you can do is practice self-care and focus on maintaining your own personal health (mentally and physically) at this time.

Readers, how do you practice self-care during these times?

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What You Need to Know About the Trump Student Loan Interest Waiver

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Trump student loan interest waiver

President Trump announced the United States government would waive federal student loan interest amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Because many people are being forced to stay at home, not work, or work less, many people will need this break financially. However, the Trump student loan interest waiver doesn’t mean what you think it does.

So, What Does It Mean?

Friday afternoon Trump announced he would like to waive interest on student loans during the coronavirus outbreak. For those out of work, it sounds like great news, but it doesn’t mean you don’t have to make your payment.

When Trump announced this change, the Department of Education immediately went to the drawing board to figure out how this will work. They came up with this…

Your same payment will be due but the full amount will go to the principal and none of it will be going towards the interest. At this time, no interest will be applied to your account. This will give short-term relief to borrowers during the outbreak.

Other Options

Individuals who aren’t working at this time may need to pause their payments while they are out of work or until they get back on their feet. For these borrowers, you have a few options.

  • Income-Driven Payments: If your income is changing or you need to make a smaller payment, call your loan provider and discuss your options. Many of them will decrease the amount you have to pay based on your monthly salary.
  • Deferment: Deferment will give you a break from making payments on your student loans and you won’t be responsible for any interest accrued on subsidized loans during this time. There is a short list of reasons you might be granted deferment, including unemployment, cancer treatment, economic hardship, education, military duty, or rehab.
  • Forbearance: Similar to deferment, forbearance will give you a break from paying your student loans. However, you will be responsible for any and all interest during this time. You don’t have to have specific reasons why you are applying for forbearance.

People looking for deferment or forbearance will not have to make payments for a determined period of time. Typically, your loans would continue accruing interest during this time. With President Trump’s proposal, people needing a break from payments won’t have any interest added to their accounts.

However, it is a good idea if you can keep up your student loan payments at this time to do so. Don’t take the interest-free period to take a break from paying off your loan. In fact, paying on it now can actually benefit you.

Questions About The Waiver

So far, there are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the Trump student loan interest waiver, including some the Department of Education can’t answer. For instance, will the interest being waived now be added on later? DOE officials don’t yet have an answer to this.

Also, it isn’t yet clear as to whether or not federal PLUS loans will be covered under the waiver. This includes parent PLUS loans and graduate education loans.

All in all, the changes that need to happen for this waiver to take effect will be difficult for loan providers to implement in such a short period of time. Not to mention, some of these service providers will need to send their call center employees home to decrease the risk of contracting coronavirus. So, if you are looking to contact your provider about this, be patient.

The Trump Student Loan Interest Waiver Can Benefit You

Although you will still have to make payments on your loans, the Trump student loan interest waiver can help you if you aren’t in need of forbearance or deferment. Actually, you can take a good chunk off the amount you borrowed and shorten the amount of time you’ll be paying it back.

This waiver will be available to more than 35 million borrowers who have received a federal student loan. Private lenders, like Sallie Mae, will not be covered under the waiver.

Lastly, if you are wondering about what you need to do to benefit from the interest waiver, it’s nothing! You don’t have to contact your loan provider. The interest will automatically be waived during this time and will be retroactive to Friday when Trump announced the change.

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Coronavirus Means Working From Home For More People

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As new cases of coronavirus become known in the United States, more people are taking extra steps to stay healthy. For the most part, this means avoiding crowds and washing your hands more. However, some workplaces are also transitioning into virtual offices amid the coronavirus scare as well. This means working from home for more people.

Why Workplaces Are Transitioning

Workplaces are transitioning into virtual offices for obvious reasons, such as limiting direct contact with people to prevent the spread of the virus. There are some other reasons employers are considering moving to home offices.

Many schools are also moving to online classes while the coronavirus scare is at its peak. For working parents, kids transitioning into virtual classrooms may also mean they have to stay home and move to a virtual office.

Not to mention, allowing your workers to do their day’s work from home will help limit the possibility of someone in the office getting coronavirus. If you’ve seen any of the other facilities where the virus has been reported, you know this is huge. The cost of paying for the decontamination of your office could level a small business expense wise.

How This May Impact Business

For small business owners, the biggest way this may impact day-to-day business is the transition period for employees to get used to working virtually. At first, some productivity will be lost.

Businesses that have always been brick-and-mortar may also need to re-train some employees on best practices in the virtual office. There may also be some initial cost on the business’ (or employee’s) part to get a home office set up. Not to worry though – those costs will be tax-deductible.

Having some staff members work from home may also initially limit the business dealings you’re capable of handling. However, a huge percentage of the workforce already works part of the week (if not the entire thing) from home anyway. So, you’ll likely be able to find a workaround for those tasks.

Readers, what are your thoughts about workplaces switching focus to virtual offices during the coronavirus scare?

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Surgeon General to the Public: Stop Buying Face Masks

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The total number of coronavirus cases in the United States has increased by two dozen over the weekend, up to 89 from 65 cases on Friday. There have also been two reported deaths in the U.S. New cases have been confirmed in Rhode Island, Oregon, Florida, Washington State, and New York. Many people are taking additional precautions to protect themselves against the virus, but the Surgeon General is saying they are wasting their time with one effort. The health official has said to the public “stop buying face masks.”

Why You Should Stop Buying Face Masks

You may think that sounds a bit odd, however, it turns out surgical face masks may actually increase your risk of contracting the coronavirus. This is especially true if you are not wearing it correctly, which most people are not.

The Surgeon General’s office shared a sternly-worded message to the people in the U.S. on Saturday, stating…

The only time you should wear a surgical mask, according to health officials, is when you are sick and have to leave your home. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others. The Surgeon Generals says that if you are ill, the best possible thing you can do is stay home and avoid contact with others. If you must leave, to go to the doctor or otherwise, wear a mask.

Wearing one isn’t necessary if you aren’t sick and in public though. In fact, most people wear masks incorrectly and it can increase your risk of getting sick. Believe it or not, the panic surrounding the virus is spreading faster than the coronavirus itself. But, if you want to protect yourself, the best thing you can do is listen to health officials.

How to Protect Yourself Against Coronavirus

The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams stated, “You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask if you are not a health care provider. Folks who don’t know how to wear them properly tend to touch their faces a lot and actually can increase the spread of coronavirus.” There are a few things you can do to ward off the virus though…

  • Wash your hands properly. You need to scrub under your nails, the front and back of your hands, for at least 20 seconds before rinsing.
  • Cover your mouth and nose. When you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth and nose. The coronavirus is spread through saliva droplets that dissipate when you cough or sneeze.
  • Seek out early medical help. If you are sick, go to the doctor as soon as you possibly can. Doing so can help you get ahead of any illness and rule out coronavirus.
  • Avoid contact with live animals. This specifically refers to animals in live markets and similar situations.
  • If you’ve traveled, you need to quarantine yourself. This may seem a bit over-the-top, but if you have traveled to an affected area, like China, you need to avoid contact with others for 14 days. This includes going to school, work, and even running errands. Additionally, if you develop flu-like symptoms after visiting an affected area, do not leave your home until you’ve consulted your physician.

All in all, this isn’t the first (and it probably won’t be the last) pandemic the U.S. will ever see. Take the precautions above to help protect yourself but, as the Surgeon General said, stop buying face masks. They’re likely a waste of money!

Readers, are you concerned about the coronavirus? Do you think it will become more of a problem in the U.S.?

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Are Democracies Better At Fighting Outbreaks Like Coronavirus?

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Democracies better at fighting outbreaks

In short, yes. Democracies are better at fighting outbreaks, such as the coronavirus. As soon as the first cases of the virus were made known in America, health officials were immediately working to provide them with treatment. In China, many people are being quarantined with no treatment at all, leading to the deaths of hundreds of people. But why are democracies better at fighting outbreaks?

How China Handled the Outbreak

While it does seem democracies, like the United States, are better at fighting large-scale outbreaks, Chinese officials did everything they knew how to contain the virus. They quarantined entire cities, suspended travel, and closed schools and businesses. Officials also placed restrictions on citizens, making many of them stay indoors at all times.

Within 10 days of the outbreak being known to health officials, specialized hospitals were erected. They have also been able to keep close surveillance on the citizens to scale up any contact tracing. However, it just hasn’t been enough to fight the coronavirus off.

Are Democracies Better At Fighting Outbreaks?

As of now, there are 34 known cases of coronavirus in the U.S. Health officials in the states have been upfront with the citizens of the country to be sure they know potential warning signs of the virus. Anyone with the virus has also been quarantined.

This is the biggest advantage the U.S. and other democracies have compared to authoritarian governments, like China. When something like this happens, officials are able to provide full transparency. In China, on the other hand, officials tried to cover up how many cases of coronavirus there were. They also tried to hide how serious the epidemic was.

In addition to having transparency and the trust of the people, health officials in the U.S. also have the resources available to them to work on a vaccine or treatment. Because China underreported the number of cases, many health officials are tied up with treating current patients and disposing of those who have perished from the virus. The resources for developing vaccines or treatments just aren’t there.

Democracies also typically lead the world’s efforts in fighting such outbreaks. In 2014, the U.S. led other countries to stop the Ebola outbreak plaguing many African countries. President Barack Obama had 44 other countries join him in Washington, D.C. to establish the Global Health Security Agenda, which now consists of 67 nations.

They Don’t Do Everything Right Though

Although democracies typically handle outbreaks better than developing countries, they aren’t perfect. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, a nurse was forced into quarantine in the Newark airport with no medical cause. She was only quarantined because she’d been to a country where the outbreak was occurring. However, when this happened, U.S. citizens stood up for their rights and developing new quarantine procedures only instilled even more trust in the public healthcare system.

In short, democracies are better at fighting outbreaks simply because they are able to be transparent and typically have more resources for developing treatments.

Do you agree? Are democracies better at fighting outbreaks? 

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Prescription Hacks That Can Save You Thousands

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Prescription Hacks That Can Save You Thousands

High prescription drug costs can be challenging to manage. One study showed that 28 percent of Americans (of pre-Medicare age) don’t take their prescriptions as written because of the price. In some cases, they are skipping doses, taking less than they should, delaying refills, or forgoing the prescription medication entirely. This can put the person’s health in jeopardy, though many feel that they don’t have any other choice if they are struggling to afford their medication. However, there are things some people can do to reduce the cost. Here are some prescription hacks that could potentially save people thousands.

Shop Around

First and foremost, it’s always best to shop around before you fill a prescription. Pharmacies charge different prices, regardless of whether you have insurance or not. You could end up paying significantly more at one pharmacy than another for the exact same medication.

Contact various pharmacies in your area and ask them what each of your prescriptions would cost. Don’t ask for the total price for all of your medications, as some pharmacies may be cheaper for some but not others.

If you don’t want to make all of those calls, you can also use a prescription drug cost comparison site. For example, GoodRx has information from tens of thousands of pharmacies, so its data might be enough.

Use More Than One Pharmacy

While going to more than one pharmacy might not be as convenient as only using one, it could help you save a bundle. After you find out which ones have the lowest prices on each of your prescriptions, you might want to have your medications handled at a few different pharmacies, especially if the cost difference is substantial.

Skip Your Insurance

Many people assume that, if they have prescription drug coverage, they are getting a better deal than people without insurance. However, that isn’t always the case.

Depending on your insurer’s arrangements with pharmacies, as well as your deductibles and copays, you could actually end up spending more by using your insurance. This means, by telling your pharmacy to skip the insurance, you could actually save money.

Before you fill a prescription, find out what it would cost if your insurance wasn’t involved. Sometimes, the amount you can save is dramatic.

Just keep in mind that, if you use this approach, your prescription drug spending won’t go towards your deductible automatically. You might need to contact your insurance to see if there is a way to apply those purchases or live with the fact that they won’t help cover your deductible.

Use Coupons

A lot of people don’t know that you can find coupons for prescription drugs. In some cases, the medication manufacturer issues coupons. They may be readily available to anyone or be offered through specific programs, such as those that aim to help people afford their medications.

However, there are also other sources. Sites like GoodRx, RxSaver by RetailMeNot, and WebMDRx may have coupons for your prescriptions. Just search for your medications and see what’s available.

Get Larger Supplies

If you’re on a long-term maintenance drug, you might want to see if your doctor can alter your prescriptions so you can get a larger supply. Sometimes, instead of picking up a 30-day supply, you can save by getting a 90-day supply.

For example, if you got three 30-day supplies, you may pay three insurance copays. But, if you got one 90-day supply instead, you only pay a single copay. That’s a 66 percent savings right there.

Switch to a Generic

Name brand medications usually cost more than their generic counterparts. Unless there is a specific reason you need the name brand, switching to a generic might be a good idea. You’ll need to discuss the option with your doctor, as it does have to be authorized by them. But, if one is available, you could save a ton by going generic.

Get Bigger Doses and Use a Pill Splitter

If your pills can be safely split, then asking your doctor for a larger dose and investing in a simple pill-splitter could help you save. Often, the price difference between the dosages is minimal, if one exists at all. As a result, you might be able to functionally get twice the medication for the same price you’re paying now.

It’s important to note that not all medications can be split. If your using capsules, coated tablets, or anything that’s designed to be extended- or slow-release, it can’t be safely split.

Use Your Insurer’s Mail-Order Service

In most cases, if your insurer has a mail-order service for prescriptions, using it is more cost-effective than heading to a pharmacy. This is especially true if you get 60- or 90-day supplies and your need for your medication is predictable, such as having to take one pill a day.

Usually, this approach isn’t ideal for medications that you use as-needed. Since it can take a couple of weeks for a refill to be delivered, any prescription that you take on an unpredictable schedule might not be a great fit. You could end up running out before the refill arrives, so it’s best to take those to a local pharmacy instead.

Change Medications

Sometimes, the only way to lower your prescription costs may be to change medications entirely. This isn’t going to be an option for some but, for those who can make a switch, it could result in a substantial savings.

If there are several medications that could potentially treat your condition, speak with your doctor about all of your options. Discuss why your physician chose the one you are on now and if another could be a suitable alternative.

Take Other Steps to Reduce Your Need for Prescriptions

Certain conditions are what they are. No matter what you do, you’ll need a particular prescription until the condition clears or, in the case of chronic ones, indefinitely.

However, not all medical conditions fall in that category. You may be able to reduce your need for prescriptions by taking other steps, like improving your eating habits, getting more exercise, or living a healthier lifestyle.

If that’s the case, those efforts may be able to help you save a significant amount. Plus, by improving your health, you could reduce your chances of getting other conditions in the future that might require medications.

 

Do you have any tips that can help people save on their prescription drugs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

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