Caring For Your Mental Health During A Pandemic
It’s scary out there. Our lives have turned upside down, and we’re unsure what the future holds. If you’re anything like me, you’re also experiencing mental and emotional symptoms: difficulty sleeping, waves of fear and sadness, and a brain that’s creating one disaster scenario after another. Maybe you’re even having full-on panic attacks. No matter how bad it feels, it’s possible to maintain your mental health - even during a global pandemic.
I can’t say what will happen next, but I do know one thing as a mental health professional. Whatever problem life throws at us, the first step to solve it is to calm down our lizard brain.
What’s the “lizard brain?”
The human brain is the most complex structure in the known universe. However, there are parts of it so primitive that we share them in common with dinosaurs. They’re what scientists call our “lizard brain” or our “reptilian brain.”
One part of the lizard brain is called the amygdala. It’s like an internal alarm system. All our thoughts and senses go into the amygdala, and its job is to determine whether we’re ok or if there’s a threat.
When our amygdala decides we’re ok, it signals our nervous system to relax. In this relaxed state, our inner world is calm and expansive. We’re creative, loving, and feel a connection with others and the world around us. Sure, life brings difficulties, but in this state we either overcome them or accept them with an inner strength and peace.
When our amygdala senses a threat, however, our inner alarm system goes off. Stress hormones flood our nervous system and send our body into a state called “fight-or-flight.” In this state, our inner strength and peace go right out the window, and our animal instincts kick in. The world feels darker. We become competitive and see others as threats, we make impulsive decisions, and our brain shuts down its logical reasoning centers in order to anticipate worst-case scenarios. No wonder people are fighting over toilet paper!
Fight-or-flight works great for primitive problems like running away from lions. However, it’s terrible for modern problems like navigating a global pandemic. We don’t need to fight each other or scare ourselves with every catastrophe we can imagine. We need to cooperate and make rational, strategic decisions. To do this, we’ve got to quiet our alarm system.
Unfortunately, this is difficult to do because our amygdala evolved to be overly sensitive to fear. Think about it. If our ancient ancestors heard a rustling in the bushes and ran away in fear even though it was only the wind, there’s no harm. However, if they assumed the rustling was no big deal and stayed put, but it turned out to be a lion, they would die! In this way, our brains are hard-wired to imagine the worst and set off our alarm system even when we’re perfectly safe.
The novel Corona virus is a rustling in the bushes, and it’s scaring our lizard brain. Many of us face serious hardships, I won’t deny that, and we must change our behaviors to protect each other. Yet in this moment - in this breath - you are safe. In order to care for your mental health and maximize your chance of success during uncertain times, you’ve got to shut off your alarm system and regain your inner strength and peace. Here’s how.
Step 1: Visualize positive outcomes.
The lizard brain is already programmed to scare us by ruminating about worst-case scenarios. We need to balance that out by visualizing positive outcomes. Multiple times every day, especially when you’re distressed, take some time to close your eyes and imagine best-case scenarios.
Visualize yourself with your loved ones celebrating the end of the virus. Really see their faces - healthy and happy. Visualize yourself recovering financially, grateful that the worst is behind you. Get your other senses involved by imagining the sounds, smells, and textures around you in this positive scene. If a pleasant emotion arises, see if you can feel it in your body and anchor it in. Take your time. It takes 15-20 seconds to bake an experience into your long-term memory.
I’m not asking you to ignore your problems. Quite the contrary. We’re facing difficult challenges and need all the resources within us to solve them. We can only access those resources when we calm down the lizard brain.
Step 2: Create a routine.
The lizard brain takes comfort in stability and predictability, so breaking our routines signals our alarm system that there’s a problem. Creating new routines will calm your amygdala and help preserve your mental health.
Even if you’re out of work, pick a time to wake up every day and set your alarm. Create morning and bedtime rituals with your family. Pick a time every day to get some fresh air and sunlight even if it’s just a walk around the block. Go ahead and let yourself binge your favorite shows, but block out in advance how much time you’ll spend. The more stability you can give yourself, the better.
Step 3: Stay connected in real time.
Humans are social animals. We can’t fly, our senses are unsophisticated, and we don’t have sharp claws or thick hides to protect us from danger. What’s allowed our species to survive and thrive on this planet is our ability to form tribes and work together. Deep in our DNA as humans is a need to connect.
Social isolation scares our lizard brain. It even weakens our immune systems and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Unfortunately, social distancing makes connecting difficult. To maintain your mental health, it’s important to stay connected in real time. Social media and texting are great, but they don’t activate the social engagement centers of your brain that help calm your amygdala. If you can’t meet anyone face-to-face, have a video chat, or even pick up the phone. For maximum benefit, make it part of your daily routine.
Step 4: Move your body.
One of the top ways to improve your physical and mental health is to move your body. Exercise helps your body filter out the stress hormones that cause fight-or-flight. It also boosts your immune system and triggers your brain to release endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators.
Almost any form of exercise or movement will help. Just have fun doing what you love and don’t overdo it. Be sure to check with your doctor if you have any conditions that might make movement a problem.
Step 5: Practice gratitude.
Gratitude means acknowledging the good things in life. That might feel difficult in the middle of a global pandemic, but it’s more important now than ever. Feeling grateful helps calm the lizard brain because it’s impossible to feel fear and gratitude at the same time. Gratitude even strengthens your immune system!
Gratitude is like a muscle. The more you practice it, the stronger it gets. Even if you can’t find anything to appreciate, just looking for something strengthens your gratitude muscle and helps calm the lizard brain. What’s something you can appreciate right now? The gentle sway of a tree in the wind? Happy memories with someone you love? The relief of a deep exhale? Learning to appreciate the little things is a gift well worth the effort because then you will grow a sense that joy is always available even in hard times.
We never know what tomorrow will bring. It’s precisely because our next breath is not guaranteed that this breath is so precious. Do you want to waste it on worries about what is unknown, or would you rather use every moment to cherish the priceless gift that is your life?