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From a personal perspective, I’d already gone on a bit of a health kick a few weeks back, which has meant trying to eat healthily (lots of fruit and veggies), exercising regularly, and quitting smoking and drinking (yes I do recognise the hypocrisy of being a doctor who occasionally smoked!).  

I think one of the best things you can do during this time is to quit smoking or vaping because smokers are more at risk of respiratory infections. I wrote a little tweet-guide as to how I did it.

Vitamin C has been shown to help stave off the common cold. In general, I’d suggest you make sure you’re eating healthily. You can get natural sources of vitamin C, which include citrus fruits, kiwi, and broccoli. 

Zinc has also been shown to be beneficial for colds. Natural sources of zinc include pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, and chickpeas. 

If you’re eating a sufficiently varied diet, then you won’t necessarily need to take oral multivitamin tablets. However, as we’ll all be indoors more, we may find that we benefit from a vitamin D supplement (which we usually get from the sun). 

If you’re living in an area where you can still go outside, then walks can be good for your physical and mental health. Try to maintain a good distance from others, and wash your hands for 20 seconds—especially when you get back home. As we still don’t have all the information about how long COVID-19 remains in the air, if you’re particularly at risk, I would perhaps advise staying at home. 

I know COVID-19 is really scary; make sure you’re taking the right precautions, but also be sure to try and spend some time every day doing things you enjoy and taking your mind off the virus. My friend has put together a guide to ensuring good mental health at this time: 

Also includes the answer to questions from: @pretty-mattsun, @originalityisadirtyword, @missshadowsdarling, @brendanicus, @farawayleaf, @commie-cosmo 

“You’re just like Colm.” Came a soft whisper from Kieran’s lips, his eyes downcast and locked upon the dirt beneath his shoes.

“Excuse me?” Dutch was baffled. His eyes were blown wide, eyebrows almost reaching his forehead, mouth agape with pure shock. “What did you say to me?” Came a harsh hiss. He took a step towards the young man before him, who’s gaze was finally panning to lock upon Dutch’s own. He got no response besides that dirty glare. Fire burned within his belly as he grabbed the green bandana (of course it was green, why wouldn’t it be) wrapped around Kieran’s neck. “What did yo-“

“You’re just like Colm!” Kieran snapped, teeth bared and gnashing like a rabid wolf, driven to madness by his hunger. His eyes glimmered with rage and disgust, narrowed as if he were being pained just by looking at Dutch. Fear that would’ve flooded his eyes months ago was never seen. He was no longer afraid of this coward of a man. “I could’ve sworn I killed that man at Hanging Dog but... but he’s standing right here!”

A stinging sensation flooded Kieran’s face and he was flung backwards, hand resting upon his now burning cheek. With a harsh breath he pulled his hand away and inspected the blood upon his palm. The bitch had been wearing his damn rings... of course. Shaking off his hand, Kieran slowly pushed himself up off his ass and stood. Then he glared. He glared right into Dutch’s wide, spooked eyes. Kieran could only smirk.