Coronavirus – the pandemic: how to stay calm and why is it so important for our health? Let’s discuss a hot topic. About one hundred panic, fear, anxiety makes people more prone to various, including infectious diseases, wise people knew for a long time – thousands of years ago. But modern scientists were able to prove this fact. Yes – negative thoughts seriously reduce the functioning of the immune system, and in order to protect yourself, you need to remain calm and positive during a general panic.
How stress, fears, panic, anxiety affect immunity
The most common effect of stress on the human body is a weakening of its resistance to environmental factors, as well as the ability to fight and resist viruses.
It is known that some viruses can be inside the cell for a long time and not cause diseases. As soon as a person’s immunity is at least slightly “weak”, the virus begins to act, multiplying intensively and affecting other cells.
Therefore, stress and immunity are directly dependent on each other. A constant feeling of fear, anxiety and a sense of panic are nothing but the most severe stress for the body. In addition, the deterioration of immunity provokes metabolic disorders in cells, affects the nervous system.
Fear and anxiety affect the most important organ – the brain, disrupting the production of very important hormones in the pituitary gland. Also, many years of research by scientists have proved the relationship of the nervous and immune systems.
Therefore, it is scientifically proven that stress reduces the human immunity. There are a very large number of factors in which stress reduces immunity: adverse environmental conditions; malnutrition or malnutrition; smoking; the use of alcohol in large quantities; passive lifestyle; difficult working conditions; chronic fatigue; bad sleep; frequent colds.
A lot of interesting studies were carried out, one of which was that a person with an allergy to a certain type of plant was given a flower in their hands, but only an artificial one. And it seems completely absurd, but the subject began an allergic reaction without an allergen. This is called “conditional suppression of immunity.” When the body gets into a stressful condition due to the recognition of an artificial flower in appearance as an allergen.
Stress, panic, fear of coronavirus reduce the production of lymphocytes in the body, and they are responsible for the stable functioning of our immunity. When there are few lymphocytes in the blood – inflammation can form in the human body, but it will proceed secretly – since there will not be enough lymphocytes to detect it.
The production of lymphocytes depends on the amount of glucocorticoids in the blood. The more of them, the less lymphocyte in the body, since glucocorticoids wash them out of the bloodstream.
Thus, fearing the coronavirus and constantly panicking from negative news, a person can provoke other diseases in himself, as well as an exacerbation of chorionic diseases. This alarmist puts himself at risk, falling into a risk group.
In women, under the influence of stress, the amount of hormones in the blood can change, which negatively affects the reproductive system, as well as the emotional state. Therefore, it is very important to regularly visit specialists to monitor the level of hormones in the blood.
During stress, the body spends a huge amount of energy on unnecessary processes, instead of supporting the immune system. If stress is short-lived (from several hours to 1-2 days), the body “boosts” immunity, forcing it to work in a more energetic rhythm. But as soon as the stress drags on and becomes long-lasting, everything happens the other way around.
How to keep calm during a pandemic from coronavirus and strengthen immunity
In this chapter, I will cite the text from the site of Irina Barzhak, it seemed to me the most rational and useful.
” By ak coach I have several years to effectively work with the fears. In this regard, I process a lot of requests from clients, the residents of the Far East were the first to ask: “How to cope with the fear of contracting a coronavirus.” After the collapse of messages from residents of the Tyumen region, and now from Moscow such requests come. Panic can destroy a person before any virus. Therefore, I developed several recommendations for my clients in order to cope with fear – and decided to share them publicly.
I focus your attention: these are not epidemiological or immunological tips! They are only aimed at internal experiences and reduce the overall level of anxiety.
1.Remove voltage
Our body responds to anxiety, contraction, tension. The neck is stiff, the shoulders are raised, the head is hiding inside. For a long time in a state of clamping it is impossible to exist. For an experiment, just try to walk with your clenched fist for at least an hour. Gradually, you will begin to feel weak. In this state, it does not matter what, but the organism will become ill with something – where there is a predisposition, the disease will develop there.
Therefore, it is important to turn anxiety into actions: boil fruit drinks, play sports, work, take care, learn bodily practices for relaxation, massages, salt rooms, physiotherapy, and use of nasal ointments. Prayer can also be an action if you do not know what to do.
2. Immunity
It is important to direct these actions to strengthening the immune system: right now there are millions of bacteria and viruses around us that do not harm us for one reason – our immune defense is very strong. For example, in transport there may be Koch sticks, spores of pediculosis, and other dangerous infections. While we look after ourselves, eat plentifully, consume vitamins and minerals – we do not get sick with them. Therefore, it is important to consult an immunologist.
For example, I was recommended to drink vitamins containing selenium and zinc in order to strengthen myself in this difficult period. It is important at this moment not to go on diets that can weaken you. And ask yourself the question: how else can I strengthen my immunity?
3. Disable information
If possible, turn off information sources – you do not need to concentrate only on news about the coronavirus. Do not become the very source of the dissemination of information, false information, and conversations on this topic.
Yes, there are many dangers in the world, but they do not have to happen to us or to relatives. The less information about this in your information field, the easier it is for the body to cope with anxiety.
4. sedative
If you feel increased anxiety – help your body cope with it in the usual ways: tincture of motherwort, valerian, glycine, or drugs that the doctor will prescribe.
5. Enter for fear
One of the psychological tricks that I sometimes use in my work is called “go for fear”. When fear is great, it crushes with its volume, and our whole body is afraid to even look in this direction. Fear becomes all-consuming, like a black hole. Kindly note! in case of aging in place, renovate your premises to reduce the chances of fear.
And if you look into it? Here, for example, it happened, and? What will you do? What are your actions? You can conduct a kind of exercise. As, for example, I often meet such in oil and gas companies. They periodically arrange exercises – where to go, where to get up, how to open a window in case of danger.
People say: “we don’t even want to think about it! Thinking about it, we attract this situation to ourselves. ” However, the “teachings” soothe anxiety. The brain ceases to be afraid, reduces the power of fear and begins to plan a way out in case of panic. This is a very important migration.
However, I do not recommend doing this exercise without professional support – a coach, psychologist, mentor or good friend. It is very important to get out of this exercise not in a panic, but with a clear algorithm of actions.
6. Checklist
One cure for fear is an algorithm. Why, for example, intelligence officers, firefighters, pilots are not afraid. They are also afraid, but at the moment when everyone starts to panic – their brain clearly knows what to do.
They went through these situations during the exercises (!) And clearly know: you need to do the first, second, third and so on until the action is complete. Therefore, you will help yourself a lot by creating a clear algorithm, checklist or procedure for dealing with panic attacks.
7. If unprofitable – do not get sick
And finally, the good news. If you do not have a secondary benefit from the disease, you will not get sick!
Secondary benefit is an unconsciously motivated desire to capitalize on neurotic symptoms or illness. The secondary benefit is the advantage that the patient receives from the already formed symptoms, that is, the advantage that he did not expect or did not intend (unconsciously) to receive in the initial period of the formation of symptoms. Don’t forget! workout may help in reducing sickness.
This benefit contributes to the consolidation of the disease and resistance to treatment (dictionary “Psychoanalytic terms and concepts”).
Final Words
I hope you now realize that fear, panic, anxiety about the coronavirus only suppresses your immune system and does not do you any good. Therefore, pull yourself together and get distracted from the bloated, obviously someone-played problem. Take advantage of your favorite or just familiar things, watch only positive films and stop reading the news. Everything will calm down and improve.
Author Bio:
As a Content writer for 6 yrs, Yazdan has helped people to grow their business to the next level. He doesn’t only write blogs and articles but also technically optimize them for search search engines’ algorithms. Moreover, using the pro tools such as SEO Yoast and Copyscape, he originates keyword optimized content which enables search engines show up on top results with specific keywords.