My identity as a healthy person had always been there—rooted in avoiding illness and protecting long-term well-being. But as the pandemic dragged on, that identity expanded, engulfing a broader view of what true health meant: seeing the bigger picture, understanding cumulative risk, and recognizing that preserving function over time is the real win.

Great interview of Ed Yong - I am just covering the C0V1D part.

Those who are the most well-informed about COVID, who know which variants are circulating, how to check wastewater levels, who encourage testing in their social circles and calmly continue to mask in public, have a more adult, emotionally mature relationship with the pandemic. They understand that denial is no remedy for fear, and delusion no refuge.