By Tre Gabriel
Flawless Fellow
At Flawless we are doing our best to speak with the experts on how to be best prepared for the challenges presented by COVID-19, while remaining socially distant to help flatten the curve. This has prompted a stream of virtual interviews typically carried out on Zoom that can be found on our YouTube channel. However, in our last conversation with Dr. Kojo Sarfo we did things differently, and brought the chat to our Instagram page to allow our Flawless Followers an opportunity to see us live, up close, and unedited.
If you missed it, don’t worry – we have you covered. Keep reading for the top takeaways from my conversation with Kojo, and follow us on Instagram to make sure you catch the next one!
Keep Doing Your Best
The first piece of advice Kojo offered us is to not be so hard on ourselves, “the #1 thing is I don’t judge myself, because this is a very unique time. We haven’t seen anything like this before so I don’t hold myself to my normal standards.” In understanding the severity of the situation it is important to recognize the need to reset our expectations not only for others, but for ourselves. Many of us are now trying to adjust to working from home, and have not yet found a consistent routine – that is okay and a part of the adjustment process. Many of us are learning how to stay fit with gyms being closed, and Kojo says it is okay if our bodies change in the process of that. We’re all in this together so keep doing your best, and remember that you are flawless!
Academic Opportunity
Kojo is admittedly optimistic by nature and likes to see the “glass half full.” As someone who experienced learning differences while growing up his advice to students now is to use the challenges prompted by COVID-19 as an opportunity to learn about yourself and discover your best study techniques. For older students, your teachers and professors are available in a new way so now there is more onus on you to be intrinsically motivated and self-disciplined. Finding out the best way to accomplish that is a valuable life skill. Also, for high school students Kojo warns that once you’re in college you may have more opportunities to take online courses. This is a headstart on being privy to that experience and discover if the convenience of an online course is better for you, or if you prefer the structure of a physical classroom.
Managing Anxiety
It is very important to limit the amount of time you’re spending following the news. This is a fluid situation that is constantly evolving, so even the most reputable of sources can be unnecessarily anxiety-inducing, “On Monday it’ll be this and then on Wednesday, it’ll be a whole other thing. Everything is changing.” Kojo says you should pick one news source to stick with, and recommends following Dr. Anthony Fauci for important updates and shutting everything else off. Being anxious and fearful can also contribute to weakening your immune system and making you more at-risk for the symptoms of COVID-19 if you were to contract it.
Prioritizing Self-Care
A good start to self-care is practicing great physical health habits. Kojo makes it a point to keep things clean by doing the simple things. Washing hands, sanitizing everything, immediately washing up to avoid spreading any germs contracted at work into his home and generally practicing good overall health habits. By being vigilant with the simple things he can make sure to do his part in staying safe, while not making drastic changes to his life and letting fear “rule my life.”
Kojo ended our conversation by reminding us to be grateful. “I’m grateful for a lot of things. I’m alive and healthy. I’m able to work at the hospital and nobody has tested positive for the virus. I’m grateful that my family members are alive and healthy. It’s the simple things.” For more on Kojo make sure to check out his book You Already Won, and follow him on TikTok, Instagram, & Twitter!
