If a drive along the Dolphin Coast beach roads over the weekend could tell you anything, it is that residents are fed up with lockdown.
Man was not designed for cages, even if the cage is supposed to keep him safe.
As lockdown’s initial weeks turned into months and the months turned into almost half a year, government is losing its hold on the masses.
Mostly I think because the rules – i.e ciggies, alcohol and beach walking – lack sense and a scientific connection to reducing the spread of the virus and so they lack legitimacy.
The rules that do make sense are easier to comply with because you can see the potential benefits.
Hand-washing, for example. Even my 5-year-old instructs me on my technique now, and this should hopefully be impacting the curve.
‘They’ make a compelling case for masks, so we wear them. But for how long? If I had to wear one all day long I think I would pass out. After two hours straight I usually have a headache and I am exhausted.
This makes me wonder how all the cashiers and other essential workers are coping.
‘You cannot go to the beach’, on the other hand, deprives me of a simple and free way to boost my mental and physical well-being, while being contradictory logic when compared to other more risky freedoms.
Sitting in a crowded taxi, visiting a casino, going to church and even sitting in a restaurant cannot possibly be safer than sitting on the sand and soaking up some sun while my kids play.
All this bizarre logic is not helped by the fact that all I need to be on the beach legally is my fishing licence and a rod.
Perhaps the rule makers are imagining a ‘New Year’s Day’ beach scenario should they reopen. But the reality is that most people are physically distancing well enough, while having a fabulous time getting a good dose of Vitamin D.
Simple freedoms like collecting shells and building sand castles with your kids can be enjoyed while still maintaining physical distancing and can really help you cope with the other stresses that lockdown brings.
Certainly nothing resets me like a swim in the ocean. Just thinking about going to the beach makes my tail start to wag.
You cannot under estimate the effect of mental heath on your immune system.
Renowned communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist, Dr Caroline Leaf says you could be eating the healthiest organic kale salad but if your mind was a mess your body will struggle to use those nutrients correctly.
She says you can lose up to 80% of nutrition if you are in a bad mood.
Wow. From now on I am making a lot more effort to smile at my salad.
Also, be kind to police officers. When they signed up for the job the law at least made sense.
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