By Ashley Williams
KCP Physical Therapy Technician
The World Health Organization recommends the best way to avoid spreading a virus is to consistently wash your hands, cover any coughs or sneezes, remain distant to avoid spreading respiratory droplets, and avoid touching your face! Touching your face allows germs and viruses to enter through a warm, moist, porous tissue and initiate infection. We often get infected by first touching a surface contaminated by an already infected person, then touching a mucous-lined membrane such as your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Touching your face is often a subconscious behavior and can be a difficult habit to break. That’s why KCP has decided to provide tips and tricks to help everyone avoid touching their face!
- Count how often you touch your face: Studies show that if you are consciously aware of how often you are touching your face, you will statistically touch your face less than you would subconsciously.
- Identify face-touching triggers: What part of your face do you touch the most? Are you picking at dead skin? Smoothing your eyebrows? Most face-touching habits are the result of triggers such as brushing the hair out of your face, popping a pimple, biting your nails, or scratching an itch on your nose.
- Re-train behaviors: When you have an urge to touch a part of your face, try touching something else instead. If we redirect our urge to touch our face, our body will start to pick up on these re-trainable behaviors.
- Sit on your hands: It sounds silly but, if you truly find yourself struggling to avoid touching your face, try sitting your hands. This sends a signal to your mind it is impossible to touch your face. This method is especially helpful for those who find themselves resting their chin on the palm of their hands.
- In unavoidable situations, be sure to wash your hands!: In situations like brushing your teeth, flossing, or putting on makeup make the conscious effort to properly wash your hands before touching your face.
Taking these extra precautions could be the reason you avoid contracting or spreading a disease. For more information on how to stay healthy during this pandemic, consider reviewing some of our previous blogs!