Let's talk about face touching

Why it’s not good for you

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you should avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth simply to avoid transmitting any bacteria or trace of the coronavirus to any hot spots of your body. However, if you think about not touching your face for long enough, eventually you will start thoughtlessly and compulsively doing the action you just told yourself not to do. If you find yourself telling this information to reporters and millions of Americans, the idea of touching your face will just slowly transform into an uncontrollable impulse, an itch you have to scratch.

“It is absolutely [human nature]. I think that to ask people not to touch their face is kind of ridiculous. It just can’t happen… People are saying: ‘Wait a second. Did I just touch my face? Or did I not? I don't think I did, but maybe I did when I wasn't thinking about it.' And, honestly, maybe they did… People with a lot of health anxiety or anxiety in general often engage in this kind of recursive, ruminative kind of checking,” Dr. Timothy Scarella, a psychiatric professor at Harvard Medical School, informs NBC News.

Prevention methods to focus on

If straining to not touch your face is weighing down your day to day life, it is best to start looking into at-home prevention methods. Health professionals are asking citizens to stop buying medical masks as they are often worn improperly, and tend to be more effective for those with the virus rather than those trying to avoid getting sick. Also, the mass stockpiling of these devices are preventing medical workers from having the proper supplies. Other known prevention methods include rigorously and frequently washing hands, using hand sanitizer if soap is unavailable, disinfecting any and all surfaces, and preparing medicine and food supplies in case of infection.

Brut.