COVID Hangover part 3 was going to be an article focused on finding opportunities for growth over the last 6 months and how we as a collective have learned so much through this past year. Seems the virus had other plans. Seems we are not quite finished with this one. In fact, we might have just opened another bottle of tequila.
When I initially wrote The COVID Hangover Part 1 and Part 2, I had no idea that we would still be in this perpetual state of hangover symptoms in 2021; complete with confusion, dizziness, and uncertainties.
We were all wondering how we would get through the unpleasant year of 2020. This second COVID wave is here, as is reported. Apparently, we are in the throes of another COVID hangover, round 2.
As of the writing of this article, some states are beginning to lockdown, advising curfews, and mandating to always put on masks, even outdoors.
Once again, we are being bombarded with a fear-inducing narrative, causing symptoms of heightened levels of anxiety and depression, which is an enormous issue, as the emotions signaled during this fight or flight response acts to block the natural anti-bodies response in fighting off a virus. This isn’t a new concept, in fact, it is a well-known documented scientific fact, just not a popular one, it seems, in the mainstream media.
An overriding issue during this pandemic, that many in the mainstream media have drastically ignored, is specifically, the emotion of fear and its correlation with our immune system.
In fact, many professionals are suggesting our media perpetuates fear so as to continue the addictive nature of our behavior in acquiring information from our social media and our news feeds. The headlines of the latest hospitalizations, cases, and testing are a constant barrage of programming that add to this obsessive behavior, hitting us where we are most vulnerable, our quiet subconscious minds.
Recently, a well -respected author and physician, Dr. Christine Northrup wrote,
“We are born with only 2 fears—the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises (your “acoustic reflex”). Despite having only these 2 fears, studies show the documented number of human fears is closer to 7,000. I am not surprised by this number. Fear is an adaptive behavior. Too much fear or anxiety on a regular basis can be the root cause of illness, both psychological and physical. This is true because the biochemical state that fear creates in your body adversely affects your immunity and increases your susceptibility to viruses and bacteria that are all around you.”
In order to cope with the ongoing lingering anxiety, we must tap into our own internal medicine chest. We must seek to understand the correlation between our ability to process fearful COVID statistics and our own power to find solace in the self-awareness of our own emotional reactionary state.
Here are a few pointers to help you along the way:
One of my favorite ways to find that solace I referred to is through binaural beats meditation.
Binaural beats are a method of audio frequencies that synchronize both hemispheres of the brain providing coherence. This frequency assists in relaxation, concentration and other preferences according to the desired outcome.
In fact, one of my favorites, the cell biologist, Bruce Lipton PhD, refers binaural beats as the lazy man’s form of meditation.
Here’s where you can find some great binaural beat meditations http://www.hemisync.com
Find that balance with the fearful COVID statistics where you are informed to stay safe, but also are careful to limit the barrage of negative news that overwhelms you. I recommend checking your newsfeed once a day. Trust me…that’s really all you need.
A few simple ways to become aware of your negative thoughts as they are happening; every time you are triggered, you can avoid going down that COVID negative rabbit hole by using an easy tried, and true therapeutic exercise. This is one of the oldest therapeutic tools in the book, put a rubber band around your wrist the moment you become aware of a negative thought- simply pop the rubber band on your wrist. Do this every time and you will begin to retrain your mind to the awareness. Another tool is to visualize a big red stop sign immediately with the awareness of the negativity. This is a highly effective tool used successfully with many of my clients. Over time, you will begin retraining your mind to have control of the negative thoughts.
In looking at the virus from a more global perspective, it can be summed up in the reassuring words of Thich Nhat Hanh, “Most people are afraid of suffering. But suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower of happiness grow. There can be no lotus flower without the mud.”
We are all in this hangover together, and I don’t think any of us could have foreseen this. Between the ongoing COVID issues and the political upheaval, I just want to encourage everyone to be kind and love one another.
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XoXo,
Tracy and Cara
