If you're still COVIDing, you've likely heard phrases, like "it's mild now," or "you have to live your life," repeated over and over. You might be wondering, "what do I even say here? How do I respond to this?" I've listed some of the most common minimizing phrases and some potential responses to them. Feel free to adapt these and make them your own. I've included a variety of responses with different tones, depending on how much you want to be #saltingthevibes.
I want to recognize you might not always have the time or emotional energy to get into these discussions. Some people unfortunately aren't engaging in good faith, so it's important to be able to discern for yourself when you want to have these conversations. You don't always have to educate people, it can be exhausting! For those times when you want to respond but are at a loss for words in the moment, here are some ideas to get you started.
Starting off with one of my (least) favorites:
"You have to live your life!"
"I am living my life. Wearing a mask doesn't stop me from living my life, it makes it possible for me to do the things I love more safely."
"I'd love to be able to get out and do more things, but unfortunately that's not safe for me because so few people are masking."
"I would be a lot harder to live my life if COVID disabled me."
"Living my life means protecting my health, in the short and long term."
"I've adapted how I live my life based on the research about all of the long term health effects of a COVID infection."
"How long are you going to keep doing this for?"
"I'll probably always wear a mask in public spaces, when you know better you do better!"
"There's no expiration date on keeping myself safe and protecting my health."
"When we've widely implemented clean air standards and there's a sterilizing vaccine for COVID, then I might update my current precautions."
"I really wish I didn't have to do this either! But given what I know about COVID and Long COVID, this is the best choice for me."
"How long are you going to keep doing this for? It seems like you're sick all the time now, it sounds really unpleasant."
"We have to live with COVID."
"I'm glad you agree the government has done a terrible job trying to mitigate the spread!"
"To me, living with COVID means doing what we can to protect ourselves, not just giving up entirely."
"We also have to live with car accidents, that's why I wear my seatbelt to protect myself."
"What if we didn't have to? What if we collectively did more to clean the air and create safer living conditions for all of us?"
"Unfortunately you're right, that's why I'll continue to mask to keep myself and my community safer."
"It's mild now/it's just a cold/flu."
"Many illnesses seem like 'just a cold/flu' when you're first infected, but can still have long term health consequences, like mono or HIV."
"You can develop Long COVID even if your initial symptoms are mild or asymptomatic."
"I'm not as worried about the initial symptoms of the acute infection, I'm more concerned about the significant risk of Long COVID."
"You're lucky your symptoms weren't very severe initially. For me, COVID was a lot worse than a cold."
"I don't want to get sick with a cold either."
"I got it X times and I'm fine!"
"I'm sorry to hear you've had so many infections. COVID can cause silent damage throughout our bodies, it might be a good idea to go in for a check up with your doctor."
"I'm glad you're feeling fine so far, but my experience has been different."
"Your risk of Long COVID increases with each infection, so I'm doing what I can to avoid getting it."
"I hear that in your experience, a COVID infection hasn't been a big deal. Unfortunately not everyone is so lucky and many are dealing with significant Long COVID symptoms."
"You're young and healthy, you'll be fine/ only the vulnerable need to worry."
"I used to think the same thing! It turns out I have some underlying risk factors that mean an infection could be very harmful to me."
"Everyone is at risk of Long COVID, and your risk increases with each infection."
"You cannot know someone's health status by looking at them. A lot of young people are high risk as well."
"I don't appreciate you making assumptions about my health status."
"Did you know more than 75% of Americans have at least one risk factor? More than 40% have two or more, and almost 20% have three or more! Being high risk is more common than you think."
"There are actually a lot of factors that can make someone high risk, like a history of smoking, depression, asthma, ADHD, and more!"
"Kids don't get COVID/it's mild for kids."
"Unfortunately many studies show that rates of Long COVID in kids is similar to the rates in adults."
"COVID is the 8th leading cause of death in children in the US."
"Kids can be high risk for COVID, like if they have asthma, ADHD, autism, diabetes, or other common health issues."
"Kids don't deserve to be repeatedly infected with an illness that we know causes long term damage."
"I'd encourage you to read some of the stories about kids with Long COVID, it's heartbreaking for them and their families."
"Long COVID is rare."
"I'm curious where you learned that, because that doesn't fit into my understanding of Long COVID."
"Studies show rates around 20% of adults infected will go on to develop Long COVID, and many studies show higher rates. Your risk increases with each infection."
"Even if you're right, I'm not willing to risk it."
"Have you noticed an increase in weird symptoms or health issues in your circle? Fatigue, headaches, GI issues, stroke, heart attack, blood clots and a ton of other issues can all be caused by a COVID infection."
"It's more common than you might think, there are over 200+ possible symptoms and it can look different in everyone."
"My doctor doesn't wear a mask."
"Yikes! How unfortunate your doctor isn't up to date on the science and isn't doing more to protect their patients."
"It's too bad how many doctors don't stay up to date with important health information."
"Doctors also used to smoke cigarettes in healthcare facilities and recommend them to patients. Just goes to show you doctors aren't always right."
"The medical field scorned the doctor who recommended they start washing their hands... I'm seeing a lot of parallels here."
"Unfortunately it can take many years for practices like these to become more mainstream."
What are your go to responses to these? Are there any minimizing phrases I missed here? Let me know in the comments!