We recognise and understand the feelings of anxiety, trauma, distress and concern many people may be experiencing in relation to the COVID-19 and we can help with the following wellbeing advice.
Personal Stress Relief:
The current COVID-19 pandemic is felt by the body for some people as a potentially highly dangerous activating situation and this fits into a few different categories of potentially traumatizing experiences. So that means that your feelings are normal and the physiological stress that this is producing is real; it’s not just you. The good news is that it can be managed and we hope to give you some ideas on how to manage this and bring the stress levels down.
BODY: The current situation also has the potential to activate deep feelings of trauma, loss, fear and uncertainty, and of course grief with the losses and changes occurring every day. It is important to be aware also that from a neurobiological perspective, this can exacerbate previous losses and traumas from the past (triggers). The body may go into one, or all of the major physiological trauma responses.
Fight flight : Sympathetic Nervous System activates when a survival threat is perceived or real. With this response mostly emotions of anger or fear/anxiety and aggression may occur, and can be mild to extreme. This can express itself in behaviours such as fighting or fleeing (wanting to run) to avoid a threatening situation. Also Anxiety ,Insomnia and various increases in physical sensations in the body like fast heart rate ,rapid breathing ,Shortness of breath, tightness on the chest, mIld stomach pains etc. Some of this may be the stress you are experiencing . Do not hesitate to seek medical advice if needed . But many of these symptoms may be Stress ( Trauma Activation)and therefore can be settled a lot by your participation in helping yourself if you are able.
If you notice the Fight or flight reaction in your body you may also notice along with increased heart rate, and rapid breathing, feelings of anxiety. You may have some sweating or shakiness - these are not life threatening, although can be extremely uncomfortable. It is energy in your body responding to the current situation. When there is a crisis, there is a release of adrenaline and other chemicals that are meant to prepare us for danger. This reaction is completely normal. Sadly, at the moment it’s a chronic evolving situation so there feels like there is no escape; you may also feel “feelings of being trapped”.
What to do if you're in fight or flight?
Don’t judge yourself, your body is trying to take care of you. This reaction can also happen from watching a scary movie or hearing the news or even a past memory popping up. The actual threat is often not as bad as the reaction your body is preparing you for ‘just in case’.
So know in your mind, that right now, you are safe, and that your body is in a physiological response in preparation for danger that may never occur. All humans experience this at different times - (it's not always a premonition or warning of danger.) It's a body response that is millions of years old. When this is going on in the body it's not a psychological problem. It's your physiologically reacting to keep you safe.
See our tips below to help you with this.
Freeze: This body reaction often comes after the initial Flight/Fight response and is a secondary biological way that the body is trying to protect you from perceived or actual danger.
The biology of this response becomes activated when helplessness is perceived, and it can manifest as feelings of apathy, overwhelm, hopelessness, “depression”, powerlessness, bodily and emotional numbness or social withdrawal. It’s a kind of immobilized state bound by fear. Physically this state can have many symptoms, so what you may notice is fatigue, listlessness, depression, having no energy, decreased connection to the body, or a floating disconnected feeling or vagueness: all normal. These feelings are all biologically normal in this ‘freeze, slightly dissociated response’. Again, the body physiology is working to protect you in an ancient biological way that our brain is programmed to use.
Ways to help move out of Fight, Flight or Freeze:
There are other hybrid ways the nervous system responds to threat and to positive experiences , but mostly let’s look at how we can move you out of fight flight or freeze in whatever level you may be experiencing.
What to do to self regulate/calm down your nervous system
If you are experiencing any of these bodily reactions here are some simple but powerful tips to help calm the nervous system and regulate yourself which will have a positive effect on both body/emotions and mind.
1. Breathing Practise - Every hour or so stop and practise. The lack of coherence between heart rate and breathing predisposes us to dysregulated Nervous Systems which has a negative impact on stress levels. Changing the way you breathe has been scientifically shown to improve heart rate variability and decrease negative emotional states and regulate the nervous system. Slow and regular inhalations and exhalations - stop every hour and “breathe in to the count of 4 and breathe out to the count of 4 and repeat for at least 20 times every hour or two. If you are particularly stressed, lay down and do this, and let the “out breath” completely empty: phew !! Humming on the out breath has a positive chemical exchange effect (in relation to our nitric oxide exchange).
Completely empty the lungs on the exhalation a few times, then go back to slow deep regular breaths as above. Do this every day; it will eventually change the way your heart works for the better and calm stress levels.
2. Mindfulness with body awareness- We avoid feeling sensations in our body that are related to stress, yet avoiding feeling the body sensations actually predisposes you to being overwhelmed and controlled by them. Simply noticing the fear, anger, irritation etc, and how it FEELS in your body helps you to shift perspective. You will also notice that these sensations are transient and move; this gives us a feeling of more control over them. So practise Body Based Mindfulness daily, as many times a day as you can, even for 5 mins at a time, see below:
Step one: take a breath and shift your focus to the physical sensations and maybe emotions in your body. Observe them almost from a distance but also be brave and stay with them for as long as you can while breathing softly and deeply without any judgement. Just observe: if it gets too much and you start to feel overwhelmed, then switch your mind to something else. Then, when you're ready go back in again, repeat, even if for a few minutes at a time. Remember, you're not thinking about the body; you’re being with it ,and feeling the sensations: this is a connection with your physical body. This practise will give you mastery and resilience over tolerating discomfort; as long as you stay conscious of the fact that it changes and isn’t stuck, you will feel calmer.
Step two: verbally label the sensations to yourself eg: “I feel tightness in my chest … I feel it shifting to my shoulder” (take a breath). “I feel a bit anxious” (stay with it for a few minutes and watch it move … keep breathing). If you’re not overwhelmed, keep tracking your body sensations for as long as you can stay with it; a maximum 15 mins.
Step three: you will notice that, although uncomfortable, you will feel calmer afterwards. Accept everything you feel; let it exist. It will move.
Step four: repeat this exercise noticing both sensations and emotions. If you are not overwhelmed, notice the emotions, label them and speak them out. Stay with them and don’t try and fix anything, just be with it. If it gets too much, stop, have a break and repeat in shorter periods of time, even one to two mins.
3. Stretch- Dropping to the floor twice a day for a few minutes to stretch out your muscles, tendons and fascia, This can move stuck blocked tension, oxygenate the tissue and release carbon dioxide, which can if it rises ,send panicky signals to your brain. Intention here is to bring in more oxygen and circulation to your skeletal muscles . It also gives the brain a sense of mastery and positive control over your life because it feels connected with the body, not detached, floating and out of control.
4. Resourcing- Create a daily practise of giving yourself an experience of some kind of enjoyment, physically, mentally or emotionally, even visualizing something during a meditation. You might lay down and listen to music, recall positive memories, talk to someone you enjoy being with, play with your pets, essentially consciously promoting happy feelings in your body and mind. As long as you’re safe and enjoying this, schedule this into your day for at least an hour or two. It will have a positive effect on your nervous system and create resilience to change.
5. Music/singing- Listen to your favourite music, sing along, play, smile.
6. Repetitive movements- Gardening, dancing, cleaning, drumming etc, help tp calm and strengthen mood.
7. Activating your Ventral Vagal System - At the moment under many circumstances we may only have digital connection, but looking into someone's eyes and feeling the connection you have with them is a powerful regulator of stress.
Making an effort to make contact via some form of video contact will help the ancient vasovagal attachment wiring in the brain to calm and reassure that you're not alone. This naturally releases positive chemicals and acts as a natural antidepressant. For uplifting mood and calming fear. Eye contact is best, if you can.
8. Touch- In this current environment touch is the most elementary and powerful stress reducer we have for most people. If you are living with someone, ask them to spend some time every day holding your feet for ten mins or placing a hand on your back. If you live alone, just gently squeeze your own arm or place your hand on your chest/ heart. Stay with it for at least 5 mins, kindly and consciously being present with and nurturing yourself. It will calm you a little: notice this, receive it and feel the difference.
9. Community- The benefits of being part of some kind of community are enormous. Connection like this stimulates the feelings of belonging, and will calm the body and brain. Participating online with a group, playing games together, discussions and conversations, helping each other, are vital in this crisis, and for general physical health and wellbeing. This activates the stimulation of healthy brain chemicals like oxytocin and serotonin, lowers blood pressure and contributes to a better mood and more ability to cope. All of this helps to activate an ancient part of the brain that signals safety in numbers. So however you can, be part of a positive group.
WORKING A LITTLE WITH YOUR MIND:
Focussing on something for long periods of time with little breaks, helps your nervous system calm down. Concentrate, whether it’s cooking, working, exercising, watching a movie. Get your mind thinking of something different. It’s especially effective if you are using your mind to create or construct something or get stuck into a project that involves thinking. This shifts the activity in the brain to an area that is less responsive to threat and you will feel more calm.
Watch your thoughts. Practise thinking about experiences that have given you safety and joy. Reflect, think back; it doesn’t matter where in time you are, as long as you are thinking about something that helps a little to make you feel warm and fuzzy or positive. This will activate calmer emotions.
Watch, read and listen to inspirational creative information. Feed your brain interesting or fascinating information; again, it will distract you from the part of the brain that may be activating your physiology too much.
Don’t extrapolate negative outcomes. Try and stay in each moment: that means only thinking about what you are doing now, similar to concentrating on a task .
EMOTIONS
These physiological responses in the body can be very distressing if they are very activated. Please seek help if they do not flow and shift or are presenting in high levels and you feel you cannot regulate yourself
If you are experiencing:
INCOME LOSS
Losing your job and having your income reduced can cause significant emotional distress and trauma.
These current circumstances, causing businesses to run at a significantly decreased output or having to close, are due to circumstances beyond our control. Not only is this potentially devastating and heartbreaking for business owners, but there’s also the emotional stress of having to let go of staff. Then there is the complete loss of jobs for many.
Different types of distress and reaction can occur due to this type of loss and the most common distress pattern that occurs under these circumstances is grief and hopelessness.
Sadly this can have a serious effect on many aspects of people’s lives, their health and wellbeing, relationships and families, as well as how to possibly envision a future that was in place in your mind. Feelings of distress can escalate during periods of uncertainty, such as what we are seeing with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Losing your job or financial security may trigger feelings including:
· disbelief
· shock and a feeling of numbness
· a sense of loss connected to your job and finances
· uncertainty about the future
· confusion about why this is happening
· anger.
In these circumstances, you may experience common reactions that can manifest themselves physically and mentally, such as:
· insomnia
· fatigue
· overwhelm feelings
· anxious or fearful
· numbness
· mood swings or overreacting to small things
· increased inflammation and muscle tension
· increase in your usual symptoms of any illness
· frustration
· feeling angry, intolerant
· weeping feelings of hopelessness
· activation of past traumas.Regarding loss or feeling out of control
If you experience reactions that feel unmanageable, this may be a sign that you need to seek support from a mental health professional. Signs to look out for include:
· Heightened emotional reactions that persist beyond an expected adjustment time (usually 10 days to 2 weeks depending on the individual)
· Difficulty functioning and carrying out daily necessary tasks
· Using excessive alcohol or other substances to cope
· Dark thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
If you have lost your job, you are likely to feel more in control and less stressed if you take steps to help improve your situation.
There are many helpful things you can do to help you get a sense of control even if small.
· Remind yourself that you are not alone, and feeling unsure and out of control are feelings that everybody is experiencing together at the moment
· It's perfectly ok and natural to experience these feelings
· Be patient and non judgemental. Recovery takes time and this is a significant setback and change.
Support is crucial. Choose, swap and share who can hold the positivity in your circle of family and friends. Everybody needs a listening space throughout the week: Choose people that will help you remain in reality/safety but positive.
Know that this situation is not personal. It's not your fault, and many people are experiencing extraordinary impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. Share your story with trusted colleagues. If you have lost your income or job and be generous with each other. Be careful not to catastrophize.
Be creative. In positive moments, try to think of ways to help yourself with an income and to help others. Generosity helps promote positive brain chemicals.
Writing helps to externalize and get negative thoughts off your chest. It helps to separate and give a sense of control. I also recommend writing down a list of your concerns and worries and work through them methodically.
Be careful not to overload on watching media or too much social media. As best as possible, avoid getting swept up in negativity around the economy and the spread of the virus.
Draw on your past strengths. Remind yourself of a tough time that you managed to overcome in the past and recall how much resilience you may have had in the past. Ponder this and let yourself feel your strength.
Stay healthy. Take time to take your supplements, herbs, whatever adds value to your health. Exercise and eat healthy: this will give you a sense of connection and control with your body. Exercise daily if you can, even in small ways; this helps on many levels.
Avoid alcohol and other drugs.
Any pre-existing health conditions may flare up due to stress, so get support from your GP or practitioner if you need reassurance. This will help to calm your nervous system.
Thinking big picture
While it is reasonable for people to be concerned about the outbreak of coronavirus, try to remember that medical, scientific and public health experts around the world are taking many positive expert actions to control and eliminate this viral outbreak, much more than we will see. So try to feel in your body that a lot is being done behind the scenes to protect us and create a vaccination. Try to feel this support and allow time for these advancements to take their course.
Also, remember the earth and all its inhabitants have been through many cycles of catastrophe, recovery and change, again and again, and we survive. This is not the first time.
What is required now is to draw on your qualities of resilience as a human being. Adding a sprinkle of patience, trust, resilience, generosity and trust in yourself too will help. Ride the waves of this change, knowing that it will pass and we will recover.
Informing yourself well
Information has the potential to be both powerful and strengthening but also destructive. It's important to be choosy about the quality of information you read and respond to and not feed off negative Facebook ‘experts’.
Scaring yourself with extreme information can be seductive in a traumatic situation so to feel more in control please use credible sources. You will feel safer, maintain perspective and therefore cope better.