Attempting to write a blog post about What Really Matters in a world where Coronavirus is less infectious than panic and dried white pasta is more important to people (when facing a bug that attacks the immune system) than tinned tomatoes, is a challenge. This virus is exposing SO MUCH about what really matters that it's a bit overwhelming to summarise any one part of it.
So here's my first thought - how we engage as individuals with the story of this pandemic really matters. And I mean it REALLY MATTERS on a physical and tangible level.
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| Important uses for toilet paper #3212 |
The Telegraph recently encouraged us to say farewell to our elderly relatives as they enter some sort of socially isolated virus free zone. The BBC is updating us every few minutes about how many folk are being infected or dying from this novel virus. The infection rate turns into some sort of death toll as it greets our lizard brain-fight-or-flight anxiety hub and we are filled with the desire to buy ALL THE TOILET PAPER. (I mean illness is scary, but washing our arses with water and a flannel is truly terrifying!)
In all seriousness, being in a permanent state of fear - even low level stress - damages our immune system. When our amygdala lizard brain feels threatened it by-passes our common sense and put us into action mode, tensing our muscles to flee or do battle and shutting down non-essential systems like digestion and immunity to respiratory viruses.
Yes my friends - not only can you feel sick with worry but you can get sick as a result of worry.
And it doesn't matter how sensible your pre-frontal cortex rational thinking brain might be, if you have a hyper-active amygdala like me, then clicking onto BBC news to see how things are going is not that dissimilar a health risk to licking a stranger's used tissue.
I have to start thinking carefully about what I expose myself to - I know that all I can really do to stop myself and others getting sick is to wash my hands, throw away my tissues (and not lick anyone else's) and follow advice from the health service. Is knowing blow by blow deaths and infections helping? No. It's not - it just makes me more stressed and being stressed weakens my immune system and makes me a less effective human.
We are facing the inevitable pandemic - they come and they go throughout history. We are, arguably, better equipped than ever to fight a pandemic due to our global connection and reach. We are also better equipped to access BIG DATA about this virus which appears to make us act like loons (buying all the toilet paper and calpol so actual sick people and those who need a poo can't!). Maybe we are not built to be able to tolerate the quantity (and quality) of news we are now exposed to?
So step 1 - what really matters is maintaining my mental (and therefore physical health) and not knowing all the facts as they happen. Being hyper-informed makes me hyper-anxious! I've switched off my facebook app and deleted the news apps from my phone - no casual scrolling of reports for me! It's already helping.
How about you? Do you have a hyperactive stress response or are you more able to modulate response to threat? How are you keeping your mind healthy in this time of media frenzy and international crisis?
This is the first exploration of what Really Matters during the great coronavirus pandemic of 2020. I fear there are more thoughts to come before the end of this challenging time.
Click here for an immediate update on global pandemics.
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| Thanks to buzzfeed |
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