Many people are worried because of the coronavirus and the possibility of contracting COVID19. They ask for advice on how to deal with the stress they are currently experiencing. It is understandable that we feel fear. These are more uncertain times than usual and most of us are new to a pandemic. It's not easy to find the information we need in order to know what we can do and what will be the outcome.
Our brain is not a big fan of uncertainty. In novel situations, we can less depend on the schemas that usually navigate us successfully through our day. Together with fear, this uncertainty might trigger a stress response and contribute to the anxiety we might be feeling.
The term stress was coined in 1936 by Hans Selye, a prominent stress researcher. That means stress as we know it is only 84 years old yet homo Sapiens has been around for about 300.000 years. How come stress is such a young phenomenon? Back in the day stress was short for survival. When the acute stress response was triggered because of a threat in the environment, our bodies were physically and mentally being prepared to either fight or run away. This is known as the fight or flight response, an unconscious and automatic physiological reaction activated by the sympathetic nervous system. It is our body's built-in system to keep us safe.
The purpose of the stress response is not to make us feel bad. Its purpose is to free energy to optimize our bodies for physical activity. Here is what happens inside our body when the acute stress response (fight or flight) is triggered.
Parts of the brain called the hypothalamus and amygdala (see illustration) signal to the adrenal glands to push stress hormones into our bloodstream. This accelerates our breathing to soak up oxygen and speeds up our heartbeat so that the oxygenated blood is rushed to our muscles and organs. At the same time, the stress hormones trigger the release of glucose and fats into our blood, supplying energy to prepare the body for attack or escape. All this happens in a flash of a second and with unbelievable efficacy.
For some people this involuntary stress response might be the body's weapon of choice to combat the current corona threat and take back control. However, an automatic response like this is far from beneficial since we cannot fight corona or run away from it.
So what can we do to override the acute stress response?
Alongside the sympathetic nervous system exists another network which is called the parasympathetic nervous system. Activating this system relaxes our mind and body. That means that we have an intrinsic system in place to soothe us and counter stress and anxiety. It is at our disposal, we just have to know how to turn it on. Here are some tips to activate our built-in relaxation system.
1. Deep breathing One of the most efficient ways to counter stress effects is conscious breathing. The ability to regulate our nervous system just by moderating the pace and depth of your breathing is paramount.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and then just let it out through the mouth. Do this a few times. You might already feel a difference. That's how powerful the effect of breathing on purpose is. You can do this anywhere at any time.
To practice deep breathing more formally you can do the following. Find a quiet space. You can sit on a chair, on the floor or lay down somewhere comfortably. Turn your attention to your breath. Inhale the air into your lungs until they feel full. Then slowly exhale all the air out. Don't force anything, just keep slowly filling and emptying your lungs. Do this until you feel calm. You can repeat this daily around the same time. For example in the morning before you start your day or in the evening before sleeping.
2. Touching your lips
We do it all the time without knowing why. Our lips have parasympathetic nerve fibers which are activated when we touch them. Just use your fingers to lightly stroke your lips and feel the calming sensation.
Keeping in mind that the coronavirus can enter your body via your eyes and mouth. Pay attention that your hands are clean. When you are on-the-go, refrain from touching your face.
3. Being mindful
I will spend a whole blog entry on mindfulness and for now remember this: when you feel stressed, stay with what is happening now. We often get more stressed because of what we think. We worry about things that happened in the past or things that might happen in the future creating unnecessary anxiety. Be there where you are now and deal with what is happening in this current moment.
Staying at home for safety reasons (both yours and others) might not be easy. But if you are at home healthy you are fine. Find ways to occupy yourself, care for your loved ones who are in your proximity and look out for neighbors who might be in need of assistance or just a friendly conversation. Such actions are calming and make you feel useful and empowered.
When you notice your mind is thinking negative thoughts circle back to the here-and-now. If you have a tendency to dwell in negativity, try putting an elastic band around your wrist and give it a little snap when you notice your mind is off in a downward spiral. Consider if your thoughts are helping you and if not, try to shift your focus on something else.
4. Picking up yoga
Practicing yoga also activates the calming effect of the parasympathetic nervous system. Originally yoga is a group of meditative, spiritual and physical practices that originated in ancient India. In yoga you breathe slowly which as we know turns on the parasympathetic nervous system. Per default yoga has a mindfulness component because of the constant focus on breath and movement, compelling you to stay in the present moment and to focus on your experience as it unfolds.
Watching yoga videos online has a lot of advantages. Schedule your own classes whenever you have some free time, practice the asanas without feeling the pressure of having to perform, and hit pause if you want to spend more time with a particular pose. Not needing to push the body. Yoga is about relaxing and getting to know your body while you practice.
5. Massaging your face
Stress strains our face especially around the area of the eyebrows, jaws and temples. You can use some coconut oil or other natural product to smoothen your skin. Stay away from products that contain alcohol or perfume because they dry out the skin.
- Glide your fingers over your eyebrows
- Massage your neck and jaw area by moving your fingers in circles
- Rub your thumb and index finger up and down your nasal bridge
- Softly massage your forehead and temples
6. Being kind
Approaching your own experience and that of others with kindness might be more supporting than to judge the situation. When we are kind we reduce our anxiety. Remembering that one way to be kind is adhering to the social distancing measures and respecting other people's health.
Giving these tools a try and see what works best for you. Picking one that is most effective for you in a particular situation for immediate stress relief. Stacking your anti-stress toolbox with as many techniques as you need and using them to counter the possible negative consequences of long term stress.
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