Self discipline is harder now - but the only way to beat Covid

Graham Moore, honorary life president of Westfield Health.

In our bubbles we are somewhat remote from the grim realities of people putting themselves at risk to safely provide us with essential goods and services.

The daily exhortations to maintain self discipline, while entirely justified, don’t seem to have the same resonance they did last spring.

However the pandemic is worsening and those of us whom have become complacent, need to give ourselves a bit of reality check.

Everyone has to play their part in ending the pandemic. (Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

Hospitals cannot defeat Covid-19. It is what the great British public does that will be crucial. Only our self discipline, and the vaccines, will contain it.

I read that preventable illnesses cost the NHS £11billion a year but that money is nothing compared with the human suffering and premature deaths caused or the additional NHS resources needed.

We service our cars and homes but surely it is most important to take care of our physical and mental health.

This motivates me again to get back to my routines. Housework is not my favourite thing to do but is a chance to exercise and, provided I take sensible precautions, I still need to get outside and not use inclement weather as excuse.

It has been open season to criticise others’ indiscipline but we lose the credibility to do that if we don’t accept our own responsibilities also.

My other incentive to keep fit is to reduce the worry and burden on those who support me, who in turn have to meet their own family challenges.

Their support has been vital and I will be always appreciative of it as well as the excellent life skills I have inherited from my late wife and partners.

We should always be positive as they are many kind people, and many agencies too, able to keep us going.

Many people are worse off than me, worried about delayed operations, loss of jobs and livelihoods, children’s schooling and, not least, the elderly.

So I always find something to be positive about every day. If you seek misery you will surely find it. If we keep positive and maintain self discipline, happier times will return.