COVID-19 Pandemic: Tips To Help You Through This Crisis

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The COVID-19 choice between “business as usual” or “close all business” is a false choice.  The question is: What to do now? What are the most effective ways you can help ensure all people (including you) have the best chance to survive both during and after this crisis has passed? MCCSN is providing these tips to help answer this question with ways you can strengthen yourself, your connection, and your business right now and for the next three months. 

Tip 1.  Protect your health and that of others.
Stay home, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, stay positive,  pay attention to symptoms, keep informed and be alert for scammers.  The CDC has information to help you get your household ready for COVID-19.  KPBS.org  has information to help you track the virus in San Diego. 

Tip 2.  Take care of yourself in a way that works for you. 
Eat well, drink water, and try to get some exercise in.  Make the most of any private outdoor space you have – such as a garden or balcony to engage nature and get your “sunshine” vitamin D.

Tip 3. Take immediate action to survive financially. 

  • Check with your banking institutions for COVID19 financial relief options

  • Apply for the small business loans and grants https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#

  • Make sure you have the supplies you need for up to one month.  You can follow the sobering advice my credit union rep gave me to have at least $300 disaster cash on hand (which is about the amount you will need for transportation to and from the hospital).

Tip 4.  Make a three-month financial plan. 
Make a plan for your business. Talk to the people you need to pay in the next three months, ask about options to spread out the costs in ways that are fair for both of you.  Make a plan for your personal finances. Talk to people you support about how you can control your personal spending for the next three months.

Tip 5.  Learn to be smart about money. 
https://www.smartaboutmoney.org/ has free online courses that help you identify the resources you have right now, define your future, evaluate past actions – what worked and what didn’t, develop good financial habits, make a game plan and use helpful information resources.

Tip 6. Stay productive.
Bored out of your mind and tired of binging on the tv reruns while eating your favorite ice cream or snack…”just say No”!  You can actually do something productive - learn, improve yourself as an individual, a business owner, or as an employee (especially helpful when you return to work) . You might actually have fun! (see our next post for tips to improve your business.) Here are some courses you can take for free from some Ivy League Universities: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/ivy-league-free-online-courses-a0d7ae675869/

Tip 7. Connect with others.  

  • Helping others is one of the best ways to get a sense of achievement. Identify resources that you have now and look for ways to use them to assist others.  Search for and plug in to organizations that offer ways to help those who have lost their jobs, parents with kids home from school, and policy makers across the country who are making difficult decisions.

  • Stay in touch with your clients and each other – if you have information that proved to be valuable to you, it may be valuable to someone else as well, share the information. 

We are all in this together.

Be safe and be well.

Clara









Sandra Dryden