With the rise of the coronavirus and its attack on the world and its economy, I couldn’t help but write this blog post. Now, I am in no way an expert on diseases or an MD, but we all can contribute to helping somehow, no matter what our skills are. In my case, I happen to be an expert when it comes to understanding human beings, the power of their beliefs, and the mind-body connection. So below are my thoughts on the matter, hopefully it can serve you well.
For starters, some perspective:
1) Coronaviruses can be deadly: yes, but we need to keep our reactions aligned with what information we learn every day. This specific virus is a part of the coronaviridae family, and it was only recently given the name of COVID-19 (corona virus disease + the year 2019). According to The Guardian the COVID-19 virus has a less than 1% mortality rate. Some experts believe that initial reports of 2 to 3% were high because confirmed cases weren’t. So when widespread tests are conducted (such as as those that were and are being done in South Korea), that mortality percentage drops to around 0.7%. For comparison, the seasonal flu’s mortality rate is at around 0.2%.
Basically, the virus is not as deadly as we all feared. Certainly nowhere near SARS, which has a mortality rate of 10%. In fact, many people can carry the COVID-19 virus with mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. That’s both good and bad, as the lack of symptoms doesn’t mean those people aren’t passing it on, but let’s focus on the positive. For a better understanding of how this virus works your can watch the interview with Joe Rogan interviewing Micheal Osterholm.
2) Which brings me to this point: Panic levels are rising with the virus, exponentially. But just as more confirmed cases have the silver lining of bringing down the mortality rate, consider your anxiety from an optimistic angle, i.e. it will keep you cautious. But anything above that level is due to a ramping up of panic: the media, your friends, the memes. Recognize that, and you’ll be able to get a better handle on things. You can find the necessary preventive measures on the World Health Organization website.
Most importantly, fear leads to chaos, which leads to a hit to our immunity. People are experiencing high levels of stress, fear, and panic. And obviously, it’s not just the fear of disease but its ramifications on the world’s economy. Financial strain is a very real source of anxiety, and I’m in no position to assure you that everything will be ok. However, consider what elevated anxiety can do at a time like this: panic attacks, which could lead to chronic anxiety, which is detrimental to immunity. What comes later, we will all deal with. For now, be mindful of how your internal emotional state affects your physical one.
Now for some tips on handling your response:
3) The mind body connection: According to Simple psychology, the stress hormone corticosteroid can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system. We already discussed the hit to our immunity, and at the risk of being redundant, let me reiterate again that stress is a result of focusing on what you cannot control and panic is the result of feeling attacked and threatned. So focus on what you CAN control: take preventative measures, and if at worst you happen to catch the virus, treat the symptoms as they come. For those who are older or who are immunocompromised, speak to your doctor now to plan ahead. Take back the control, because panic is useless and all you can do is work on boosting your immunity with such things as:
– Working out for 20 minutes a day. There’s a lot of research on how exercise strengthens the immunity.
– Eating healthy. Eat more greens for a boost of antioxidants.
– Staying hydrated and drinking lots of water. Drinks such as Gatorade are also a old option as they both quench thirst and replenish with electrolytes.
– Taking supplements like multivitamins, fish oil, and vitamin C.
4) Speak to your immunity: I know, sounds weird, but you need to understand that your mind is inseparable from your body. What you think translates into your body. Research tells us that we have approximately 50,000 conversations with ourselves everyday. What we say affects our moods, our emotions, and therefore our internal state and immunity. So speak to yourself in a positive way. Instead of:
“AAAAAAAAAHHH! We’re all going to die! We’re going to die! Die, I tell you!”
Say something more along the lines of:
“My immunity is becoming stronger and stronger. I trust my immunity will protect me. I take care of my body and my body takes care of me. Coronavirus ain’t got shit on me (sorry, but I had to throw that in there).”
In conclusion, yes this virus is a serious matter and should be taken seriously, however we should not allow it to take over our lives in such a way that it cripples us. You’ve got to have faith that this whole thing will get resolved. Because it will. Human beings have been through such things before — humans have been through much much worse things before — and we have overcome them.
We shall overcome this challenge.
What about you? What do you do to stay safe and keep your immunity strong? What do you do stay calm yourself in such times?