Coronavirus and Negativity

Mar 15

As I look around, I see cancellation after postponement after delay after suspension. The NBA. MLB. Disneyland. Broadway. March Madness. Public schools. Universities. These entities have all been disrupted in some capacity by a disease caused by a novel strain of coronavirus—more correctly named COVID-19, the coronavirus disease of 2019. My first opinion on this pandemic was to just let it run its course. However, as the days pass, the virus keeps spreading, its effect keeps intensifying, and its unforgiving grasp on our peace of minds keeps tightening.

It is stealthy. It is indiscriminate, and it is potentially fatal. And as I reflect on the facts, I can’t help but think about another virus that has been detrimental to humans for much longer than COVID-19. It receives virtually zero airtime on mainstream media, and research on it has received minimal funding from government agencies. Yet, it is one of the most contagious and deadly viruses to ever hit the Earth. It’s name: “negativity.”

As I look around, in the media, in culture, and in conversations, this is what I see.

1. Negativity needs a host.

Coronavirus is a microscopic infective agent that cannot grow or reproduce apart from the cells of another living organism. After infecting an organism, it uses that organism’s cellular “machinery” to reproduce and spread to other cells.

In the same way, negativity cannot grow or spread unless it first infiltrates your mind. Then, you become its host, and it uses you to replicate and eventually overwhelms your system. For the coronavirus, that system is your lungs, throat, nose, etc. For negativity, that system is your mentality.

2. Negativity has several forms.

Coronavirus is an umbrella term for a family of respiratory viruses which lead to respiratory infections—including SARS, MERS, and most recently COVID-19. Once infected by one of these strains, the infected person experiences symptoms such as fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, kidney failure, and even death.

Likewise, negativity is an umbrella term for a family of actions that lack love and/or kindness. That family includes bullying, cyberbullying, whining, shaming, meaningless critique, prejudice, hateful comments, complaining, etc., and once you have experienced one of these acts, you may begin to show symptoms, like doubt, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, fear, paranoia, self-harm, sabotage, worry, pessimism, and suicidal thoughts.

3. Negativity spreads from person to person.

Coronavirus is transmitted primarily via person-to-person contact. When an infected person sneezes or coughs, he or she releases respiratory droplets that contain the virus. Then, when another person touches those droplets (on clothes, skin, or other surfaces) and touches his or her mouth, nose, or eyes, the virus invades that person’s respiratory system and repeats the same process of reproduction and system takeover.

When it comes to negativity, it too can be released through your mouth—most commonly via negative words. And when those words enter other people’s minds, negativity reproduces and takes over, restarting the cycle of infection.

4. Negativity’s only counters are distancing from those infected and washing one’s mind frequently.

Coronavirus, currently, has no cure or vaccine. Therefore, the only way to ensure one’s safety and health is, first, to keep a safe distance from those infected (the CDC suggests a six-foot distance) and, second, to frequently wash one’s hands to remove any viral particles a person may have touched.

Likewise, negativity has no cure or vaccine. However, keeping a safe distance from those who show symptoms and washing your mind frequently are effective countermeasures against negativity. PSA: casually listening to the negative thoughts and opinions of others—even when you don’t agree with what they’re saying—will lead to your becoming infected. Keep a safe distance, physically and mentally, and wash your mind several times a day. Washing your mind looks like reflecting on positive words and thoughts which remove negativity from your mind.

5. Negativity is a pandemic.

Coronavirus was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization—turning global attentions toward the virus, preventing its spread, and aiding those infected. On that day, 114 countries reported that 118,000 people had contracted the virus and that nearly 4,300 people had died. Since then, those numbers have increased, and as a result, government urgency has increased even more.

On the other hand, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, over 5 million students experience bullying every year. That number is only students and only bullying! Imagine the numbers if we considered all forms of negativity and counted adults as well. Then, to make matters worse, in 2017, 47,173 people died by suicide in the United States alone. IN THE U.S. ALONE! Yet, unlike the coronavirus, the government and the public have failed to respond with appropriate urgency.

Why have I said all of this? Am I trying to add fuel to the fire? Am I trying to instill even more fear in the public? Certainly not. My desire is simply to draw awareness.

Educating yourself about COVID-19 and coronavirus is important. Take the necessary measures to protect yourself and your loved ones. However, just as you are hyper-aware of the coughing and sneezing that goes on around you, I challenge you to be hyper-aware of the negativity that is being released around you. Be mindful of your conversations. Be watchful of media coverage. And most of all, support your mental health by keeping positivity at the forefront of your mind!

Here’s the first anti-negativity boost to your immune system:

Your situation might not look too good right now, but things will get better. God sees and hears His people. He is still in control.

Now, share that message with someone today!

Much love and thanks for reading,

Justis Ward

Learn More @

https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus : to read more on coronavirus and how to effectively prevent becoming infected

https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/covid-19-coronavirus-infographic-datapack/ : to see easy-to-read data and statistic visuals on the spread of COVID-19

https://nces.ed.gov/ : to read more on the effects of negativity on students and to view analytics regarding education in the United States and other countries