Generation pandemic

BE well…Keep safe…Stay home…Wash those hands…Mask is a must…Observe social distance…Stress less…Love more…“Bless you,” has replaced email sign-offs, commonly used during pre-Covid days such as “All the best,” “Cheers,” “Best wishes,” “Warmest regards,” etc. Gone are the handshakes, beso-beso (kisses) and abrazos (hugs) all taken over by brief elbow-to-elbow contact. Someone still has to come up with an ingenious substitute for mano po (hand-to-forehead gesture), a truly Filipino manifestation of respect for elders.

Studies have shown that wishing others the new, novel ending words in emails and face-to-face gestures lowers anxiety levels. Meaning, saying or doing something solicitous in keeping with the health crisis makes the person to whom it is addressed feel seen and makes one feel better and happier during troubling times. They constitute coping mechanisms in the time of Covid-19.