Pandemic test: how to temper psychological immunity in an era of change?

Perhaps someday we will study today’s events as historical. They will be included in textbooks and encyclopedias as a global restructuring of not only the economies of countries and the world as a whole, but also the entire system of human values. The pandemic has made us acutely aware that nothing in this world is permanent: neither wealth, nor well-being, nor health, nor a sense of stability and security. Moreover, reality changes at every moment of time. But the question is, how exactly do we respond to change? How sensitive are we to the “signals of the Universe” and are we ready to change ourselves according to the requirements of the time and situation?

Change with the world

There are three common patterns of behavior in critical circumstances. Some people have an avoidance strategy. These are those who, despite the bans and warnings, continue their usual way of life – they ignore safety rules, gather in a company of friends, walk in crowded places. “I’m used to living like this. There is no threat, and you are all alarmists.”

Someone chooses the second option: freezes. Stops acting, wanting something, turns on the power saving mode. Such people seem to go into the mire, waiting until “this is all over.”

There is a third strategy – struggle. These people believe that doing nothing in the new circumstances is the worst option. This is about them a parable about a frog that fell into a jug of milk. They wiggle their paws, hoping that eventually the butter will churn and they will be able to get to the top. They respond flexibly to the situation, adjusting to the changing world. Often their energy is enough to support and inspire others. They try to live in unison with reality, not hiding from it, but making it their teacher and colleague. And this skill of flexibility can be learned.

Matter of habit

For many, especially those who are prone to anxiety, it is very important to have a clear daily routine: brush your teeth, cook porridge or an egg for breakfast, check your mail and Instagram, wake up your favorite blockheads for kindergarten and school, get to work the same darling, stop by the cafe around the corner and grab a cappuccino to the office…

Transactional analysis author Eric Berne called this basic need structural hunger. Habits and rituals just create the structure of our being. Therefore, when an unplanned event happens, it unsettles many, as if we are losing ground under our feet. And I want to find balance as soon as possible.

The best way to satisfy your hunger for structure is to create other rituals and habits. By the way, novelty will “pacify” our second basic “hunger” – for incentives. After all, the routine, in addition to the obvious advantages, also has disadvantages: we quickly get tired of the same thing, we lose taste and sharpness of sensations. So let’s take advantage of sudden changes in order to renew feelings, to see close relationships in a new way, or to learn something new. And find pluses in the minuses of sudden events.

“Having found ourselves at a remote job, my husband and I came up with the idea of ​​​​meeting in the kitchen every two hours for a tea break,” says 27-year-old Katerina. – We work in the same room (we have a one-room apartment) – he is at the computer desk, I am on the sofa with a laptop. And then we take turns making tea, calling another and chatting for 15 minutes about everything except work. More often than not, we just fantasize about what we’re going to do after quarantine is over, and we make sure to choose a movie for the evening.”

An example of this pair is useful to adopt for many families. They alternate work space with a relaxation area, where a strict rule applies: no business talk. And another resource hack from Katerina: she and her husband add structure to their lives, creating a vision of a pleasant and safe future: close for the evening, and far for the times after the pandemic.

Change and change of familiar algorithms of life and behavior is a great time to create new good habits. In the marathon of everyday life, we did not have time to do exercises in the morning or look out the window at the sun and the sky, we dreamed of playing Crocodile or Imaginarium with the whole family, but we could not get together. But now no one bothers to enjoy the slowdown, communication and new opportunities that home “imprisonment” gives. By the way, finding the pros in the cons is an equally useful habit.

Retire “in the house”

In moments when everyone is at home, the old personal boundaries are erased, “I” fades into the background, and “we” comes to the fore, and this also causes serious discomfort. Therefore, it is very important to have your own personal space. Let it be a coffee table or a chair in the kitchen, but no one should encroach on it without asking. You can learn this from children: notice how they love to build houses where they can stay away from the eyes of their parents.

If the size of the living space does not allow each household member to “book” their corner during quarantine, then everyone must have some time and place during the day where no one will violate privacy. You can designate a “place of power” in the apartment and retire there one by one. This should be agreed upon by all family members – young and old – and strictly observe the other’s right to personal time and space.

You can add games and somehow arrange this place in a special way: for example, place the most comfortable chair there, surround it with flowers and mark it with a comic sign – an inscription on an album sheet or a sheet of drawing paper, writing a visit schedule.

Reduce risk and add common sense

Changes are usually scary because of the unknown. The best way to manage fear in taming change is to collect information and filter out the excess. This means collecting not the speculation that chats and social networks are stuffed with references to mythical doctors or the notorious “British scientists”, but to seek and receive the most reliable information in doses – from real doctors and from official sources, for example, health authorities and organizations.

It is worth remembering that in an era of change, and even more so in emergency situations, an infodemic is unfolding: many people want to play on people’s feelings and catch, as they say now, “hype”. Do not allow informational intoxication of your body.

And trust yourself – your own experience and common sense. In addition to the safety rules now known even to a baby (wash hands, do not touch your face, do not visit crowded places), it is worth using remedies that have been proven over the years to support immunity.

If it is impossible to go outside, ventilate the rooms more often, stand on the balcony and bask in the spring sun. Move: dance, do push-ups, twist the hoop, do asanas – in a word, choose what is closer and more pleasant for you to do.

Take vitamin C, which, let me remind you, is not produced by our body. In addition to the standard lemon, orange and tangerine, they are rich in kiwi, rose hips, red peppers, black currants, onions, tomatoes, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, broccoli and even potatoes. Or buy vitamin C from a pharmacy.

If you trust pharmaceuticals more, then consult a doctor and use antiviral agents for prevention – for example, Kagocel – use barrier ointments, rinse your nose with an isotonic sodium chloride solution purchased at a pharmacy (you can replace it with a light homemade salt solution). Especially if you are forced to leave the house in crowded places or work in an office.

As the saying goes, God saves the safe. The very fact that you have taken preventive measures will give you peace of mind and confidence that you at least tried to reduce the risk and supported yourself in difficult times, which, like any traffic jam, will someday end. And the world will change again. But we already know how we can pick up his signals and quickly regroup.

Kagocel is a broad-spectrum antiviral agent that is used to prevent and treat colds and flu, as well as herpes. The drug has, along with antiviral action, immunocorrective effect. REG.UD. No. 002027/01 dated 19.11.2007/XNUMX/XNUMX

THERE ARE CONTRAINDICATIONS, YOU NEED TO CONSULT WITH A SPECIALIST.