Break the Cycle
Covid-19 - If you haven’t heard this phrase mentioned every 30 minutes in the last few weeks, you are likely to be an alien from another planet! It is an unprecedented event in peace times that has created panic, anxiety, havoc and a global lock down. It has affected each of us where we have probably been on the spectrum of being 'anal about hygiene' -washing hands every time we touch a surface, opening toilet doors with our elbows, sanitizing after door opening (and almost forgotting to put our pants up in the process!) to being almost 'defiant' and thinking I’m not going to let a bug stop me from living my life.
Well guess what – this bug has stopped us from living our lives!
The question for each of us in this time is: ‘How do I want to show up to deal with this crisis?’
It is clear that action sits with each of us and how we behave will impact the spread of this pandemic or the ability to contain it. Shifting our mindset along with common sense measures being suggested by medical practitioners gives us some control over our environment.
So what mindset are you bringing to this crisis?
Lack vs Abundance mindset: Are you showing up in this crisis with a lack mindset or an abundance mindset?
Think about the empty shelves at super-markets. In a normal world, there is enough to go around. We do our weekly shop and there is plenty on the shelves for our needs to be met. Now if we all just remained calm and did our weekly shop and perhaps an extra 10%, there would still be enough to go around. The hoarding and stockpiling is due to an enmasse mindset of lack where everyone believes there isn’t enough to meet our needs which is driving our behavior to hoard. This then manifests in large scale shortages.
This lack mindset along with feeling fearful and threatened is triggering our amygdala and spiraling us into a fight, flight or freeze mode.The amygdala is an almond sized gland in our brain that sits behind our ears. Its job is to constantly scan our environment for signs of threat– eg viruses lurking on every surface, the need to grab that last pack of toilet roll or hoard a months supply of long life milk.
When our amygdala is triggered, our body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. When these hormones stay in our body for longer periods of time, they lower our immunity and put us at greater risk of catching viruses – the very thing we are trying to protect ourselves and our families from in the first place.
So what can you do to break this cycle?
While we all need to do our bit to help break the cycle of the virus transmitting, at the same time we also need to break the cycle of anxiety to not multiply the mental health impact of this pandemic.
I have parents and in-laws in the at-risk group, a baby and other vulnerable people in my group of family and friends. The constant anxiety was beginning to affect me and I realized that we all have to break the cycle otherwise the psychological impact of this pandemic will be long lasting and might impact how we interact and live our every-day lives.
As much as we all need to stay alert and practice good physical hygiene, we also need to be mindful about looking after our own emotional well-being.
Check-in with yourself- Be aware of what you are feeling? Being able to name our emotions helps us address our feelings. It is an uncertain time as we come to terms with the social, health and economic impact of this pandemic. Feelings of anxiety, concern and frustration are all common. By addressing our own emotions, we can help ourselves deal better and put in place ways to help ourselves and ask for help.
Check in with others- Stay in touch! I am concerned that an aftermath of this pandemic might be compromised social relationships as distancing might become the new normal as people look to insulate and protect themselves and their families (lack mindset!). Let’s leverage technology- check in on friends, the elderly, support each other, be a sounding board for someone who might be struggling. I spoke to a mum at school today who is a doctor and is at the frontline of this pandemic. We all might know of someone who is at the frontline helping the community deal with this crisis- offer support in whatever way possible. Even if it is a text message to say thank you or check in to see they are okay.
Spend time in nature - If your circumstances allow, find a way to get some sunshine. I went for a beach walk this morning and enjoyed the views and the parks while maintaining a healthy social distance. Being in nature has a calming affect on our amygdala and some physical activity helps counteract those stress hormones. If you can’t go outdoors- look out of the window, step into a balcony or the backyard, plant something,
Practice gratitude- There is always something we can be thankful for. Yes I am aware of the fatalities caused by this deadly virus and the risk it possesses for the elderly and vulnerable. However, even then if we look around and reflect we will be able to find something we can be grateful for. Each day think of three things to be grateful for and bring a gratitude mindset to your day. As a family start a gratitude jar and write little notes about things you are grateful for and open this at the end of this pandemic.
Meditation/Mindfulness – We might be directly affected or caring for another person who might have it or perhaps be in isolation to avoid spreading it. In this situation, along with good physical hygiene, we need to also consider good mental hygiene. To break the cycle of anxiety, spend 10 minutes (or more) in a meditation/mindfulness practice. There is ample research to show us that mindfulness is linked to better immunity, recovery from illnesses and helps release dopamine in our body which helps with all of the above. You could download mindfulness apps like Buddhify, Headspace, Smiling Minds or even find some guided practices on Youtube. There are also mindfulness practices that are suitable for children. I often do this with my 7-year old son and it helps him sleep better.
Look for the silver lining- At some point, it is likely that we all might need to practice social isolation. If we bring a mindset of being alienated, trapped or stuck, our brains will magnify that feeling and put our bodies and brains in a state of anxiety. We could look at this as an opportunity to do all the stuff we never had time for – spending time with kids, playing board games, indulging in our creative pursuits, deep cleaning the pantry or the garage, catch up on Netflix, talk to friends and family around the world via skype/watsapp.
Do more with less – In the first world, a lot of us have been privileged to live in a world where we have not had to deal with shortages and have enjoyed comfortable everyday living. Let’s use this time to be grateful for what we have and teach ourselves and our children to think about doing more with less. It can be a food challenge with 3-4 ingredients, start a swap challenge in your family- where you need to think of more sustainable options and doing more with less e.g. swapping sponges for kitchen towels, making our own hand sanitizer. As the economic impact unfolds with this crisis, these might be good for the pocket as well!
