The biggest risk to most people’s health right now is social media

Whilst we all know there are some people for whom the coronavirus can be deadly, the majority of people who get the symptoms recover quickly and fully.

Many of us may have had it and not even noticed. However the negative effect on mental health affects everybody.

The amount of false information being spread on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram is staggering. Other areas of the media are also at fault. From publishing deliberately vaguely worded articles, to outright scaremongering.

This is causing an incalculable amount of needless stress, anxiety and fear, making the situation much worse for everyone.

Please, look after yourselves. Deactivate social media accounts and stick to the official sources of information.

The NHS – http://www.nhsinform.scot/

UK Govt – http://www.gov.uk/

Both link directly to the latest advice and what is being done or planned. Just because today’s advice is different to yesterday’s and so on does not mean yesterday’s was wrong. This is a constantly evolving situation.

Stay safe – Stay away from social media, check the daily official updates and follow the simple rules.

Use other forms of messaging to stay in touch with those in isolation, have a group Skype session, organise a virtual concert, watch a movie or a TV show at the same time, or just give somebody a ring.

It’s time to cheer each other up, keep each other going, and forget counting the “likes” for a while.

David Spence
Yell