How to prevent anxiety during the Coronavirus crisis
Some people are asking me for information about the effects of isolation. I decided to sum up a few points on what we can do to lower our anxiety.
1 — Scrolling
Avoid reading all the news, all the time. Choose a trustworthy source. If you already know how to avoid it and what to do if you’re infected, you already know everything there is to it. There’s no use in counting the number of cases — that won’t give you less of a risk. You can come across a single person and still be infected. So, just follow the safety instructions.
2 — Off
Don’t stay off. Instead of texting, give the other person a call and hear their voice. Use tools such as Facetime or Zoom, so that you can see each other. Regarding our emotions, that’s extremely important. I already recommended this before the crisis, and stand by it more than ever. Your brain communicates and needs its cognitive system all in order, so use your senses.
3 — Self-care
One of the most important aspects of maturity is practicing self-care. We’re not infallible, and some really practical things can help you boost your immunity. I’ll list a few of them:
· Food — Increase antioxidant foods in your diet. Add fruits packed with vitamin C, berries, dark chocolate, artichoke, coffee, beans, green tea, apples, tomatoes, and dark green leafy vegetables. Add more garlic, fibers, and probiotics.
· Cognitive system — Exercise yourself. In your living room, set aside some space and use an app for gym exercises, meditation or yoga, and practice for at least 30 minutes every day.
· Habits — Sleep. Increase your capacity of taking care of your sleep. He’s the one responsible for the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Lower or cut the consumption of alcohol and sweets, which are the main reducers of our white blood cells, responsible for immunizing our cells.
· Supplements for an immunological boost — C and D Vitamins, Glutamine, Zinc, Echinacea.
4 — Look out for the crowd effect
The crowd effect proves that you alone, with your own opinion, can be influenced by a group to act differently than you think out of fear of being excluded from said group. Just to have a grasp on this concept, if five people are against your idea it’s possible that you’ll change it to refrain from being excluded, even if you’re right.
That’s why the media can manipulate information. You can even be made to do things you aren’t into to be accepted. When you start o feel lonely, and it’s as if everything posted on social media is something you should have done but didn’t, you’re already being dragged down by the crown and thinking “what will other people think about me?” I don’t have, I didn’t do, I’m not, and countless other fears.
Usually, our brain filters the information that arrives at our cortex. It’s only when it’s stressed that it lowers its guard, and it’s then that you, me or even great leaders can make wrong decisions. One of the things about stress is fear and burnout.
Meditating, staying calm and peaceful, lessens your susceptibility to manipulation.
I feel the same emotions as you. Maybe what differs my level of anxiety from yours is the way I deal with them.
