Psychological Vulnerability Needs to be Handled During Pandemics and Uncertain Times
Neerja Ahuja
Helping people achieve the mind-body-Spirit connection which encourages greater clarity, joy, relaxation & achievement.
During this crisis of COVID-19 pandemic, it is quite natural to experience a wide variety of mental concerns. There is no country, skin colour, community or religion that is immune to a virus. There are two pandemics that seem to be going on in the world – the Coronavirus and Fear due to psychological vulnerability.
The initial symptoms of the SARS-COV-2 (COVID 19) are like common flu – slight fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath and fatigue.
From the data available, most of the people seem to get mild symptoms and recover (about 80%). But it can quickly become severe to critical and lethal for others, with about 1 to 4% deaths (numbers are changing).
People who are more at risk are
- Senior citizens
- Those with an already compromised immune system
- People who may be on immunosuppressive drugs
- Those with nutritionally compromised constitutions
Things to do
- Take care of personal hygiene
- Sanitize – wash hands regularly
- Keep throat moist, sip or drink hot water regularly
- Isolate self – social distancing is recommended.
Fear is bringing worry, anxiety and a feeling of being overwhelmed. Fear of the unknown owing to the prevailing uncertainty, fear about health and the fear about finances. People feel anxious, stressed, afraid, upset, and desperate, or experience grief. Ideally, we would like to feel relieved, motivated, optimistic, educated and confidently prepared. In these times of prevailing uncertainty, let us look at mental health and fear. First, we need to accept that the fear is present. Then we can identify it and find where all it comes from.
- Things are changing at many levels for all of us very fast e.g.
- The way we work, the way we socialize, the way we live.
- Financial systems, businesses, education systems.
- Nothing is the same – at personal level or at community level.
- Underlying all others is also the fear of being mortal – the fear of death.
We know that prolonged stress and fear can reduce and depress immunity. And when we don’t have any definite cure, the best thing is to enhance our immunity. We already have written about it and herbs to take and other things you can do, and you can watch this or read this.
Science of fear
Thoughts and emotions are vibrations. Vibrations on the lower end of the spectrum are negative (disease causing). Vibrations on the upper end of the spectrum are positive (health promoting).
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