Looking after yourself in the time of coronavirus
In a crisis we do weird stuff: Sleep patterns are out of whack, muscles get tight, especially the neck and shoulders, eating food you wouldn’t usually eat, eating more or for some less, struggling to make decisions, wanting to stay in bed and getting emotional at the slightest thing. This is normal in times of stress.
What is happening now with the coronavirus is incredibly stressful and an experience that none of us have faced before. It represents a real threat to ourselves, our loved ones and our way of life. It makes us feel totally out of control. And we have to keep going with daily life.
So here is the science behind how we feel and our actions. When we are exposed to a threat and need to deal with them a tiny part of our brain springs into action. It’s the amygdala, you can see it in the illustration. It’s the part of our brain which takes over when we are frightened and guess what! It is really working now!
This part of the brain is ancient and it works when we were worried about being eaten by a sabre tooth tiger. But it’s not very nuanced, it’s either on or REALLY ON! It’s always looking for a threat and right now there is a real threat, but not all threats are the same level. This part of the brain doesn’t know that, so it looks for ANY THREAT, such as running out of toilet paper! What the amygdala does it gets you ready for fight, fright or freeze. It starts a cascade of other sections of the brain which controls our reaction to a threat, by flooding your body with chemicals such as cortisol and adrenaline. So your body gets ready with:
Increased heart rate
You become super alert
Breathing becomes more shallow (helping to cause tense shoulders)
Digestion changes
You become more anxious
Muscles tense to be ready for action
These functions are great if you are running away from a sabre tooth tiger, not so great if you have to stay isolated from an invisible threat of Coronavirus. Decisions become more difficult, absorbing information and thinking rationally. (Hello toilet paper!)
SO WHAT DO YOU DO? You can manage this ancient part of your brain with some useful strategies.
Call a friend - Don’t suffer alone. speak to someone you trust whether its to rant, chat or cry.
Meditate - it’s not for everyone but try it. just start with a short time. There are many apps available.
Laugh - look at funny videos, films or comedians. Many are doing on-line gigs.
Do something with your hands - Cook, knit, crochet, garden, tidy, etc
Sunshine - sit outside, go for a walk, get fresh air.
Try to move every day - go for a walk or a Pilates at home, 20 minutes is fine.
Step away from Social Media or the News if it is upsetting you. Try to stay with reliable sources such as the ABC
Avoid terrible coping mechanisms - too much alcohol, drugs, staying up all night, getting sucked into conspiracy theories
Be kind - to yourself and others. Now is not the time to start a diet. No major decisions. Think comfort, books you like to read, your favourite TV shows. And when in doubt eat you favourite food and don’t beat yourself up about it…there is a reason it’s called comfort food!
BREATH - breathing is amazing and it works with the ancient part of the brain. So can actually calm yourself with breath. If you are doing shallow stressy breathing it will make you shoulders and neck tight!
This is a really simple breather exercise I do in the studio. Lie on your back, head supported, legs propped up on some pillows or cushions behind your knees. Place a small book on your belly, close your eyes.
Breath in slowly through your nose allowing the book to rise up
Breath out slowly allowing the book to sink down
See if you can make the out breath longer than the in breath
Start with doing this for a couple of minutes, and then next time do it for longer.
Take care and be kind, we will get through this.