7 ways to boost your psychological immunity

You are diligently washing your hands and maintaining social distance but how do you build your psychological immunity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic?

With unprecedented shocks and disruptions to your daily life, any fears, stress and agitation arising at the moment are understandable. We are all experiencing diminishing levels of control and heightened levels of uncertainty. 

Many of us are now working remotely with the dining table doubling as a workstation. The duration of this crisis is unknown and it’s disquieting. We can’t even Google some of the answers. One thing is absolutely clear now more than ever, we need to fortify our mental health.

What Is Psychological Immunity?

Staying well in the face of the current hardships needs to be a priority. Now is the time to boost your psychological immunity. The Psychological Immune System is the repertoire of inner resources that underpin your resilience, provide immunity against stress and boost your ability to cope effectively[1]. These ‘protective personality traits’ act as ‘psychological antibodies’ in the face of life’s demands and they include (Olah, 2000):

• controlling irritability: building tolerance to life’s minor frustrations so you're not on edge and grumpy
• positive mindset: a mental attitude in which you expect good and favourable results
• sense of control: the learned belief that you can and do master and shape your own life[2]
• problem-solving: the mental processes involved in discovering, analysing and solving problems
• self-efficacy: a belief in your own capacity and ability to exert control over your actions and situation
• self-regulation: the ability to keep emotions, thoughts and behaviours in check so they are aligned with your values[3]

You might recognise the need to build your stress-tolerance. While there are many dimensions of your external life that you cannot control now, thankfully you can manage your internal states and responses to these stressors.

According to Michael Rosenbaum, Professor of Psychology at Tel Aviv University if you strengthening your ability to manage your thoughts, emotions and reactions you will navigate challenges more effectively, “Highly resourceful individuals cope more effectively with stressful situations and are more capable of adopting health-related behaviours...” [4]

Build Psychological Immunity mindfully

Numerous studies show that the time-tested practice of mindfulness increases a person’s ability to manage their thoughts, reactions and difficult emotions [5] . While this brain-training doesn’t eliminate stress or anxiety, it prevents the unhelpful thought loops and painful feelings which can escalate these mental states.[6] 

Mindfulness also helps reduce anxiety and depression[7]. It teaches us to observe our mental habits and recognise habitual reactions as well the emotions and beliefs underneath them. As awareness of our physical and mental state grows, we can choose to respond more skilfully when faced with difficult situations. This ability to constructively direct the mind is key to positive mental health.

7 Tools to boost your Psychological Immunity

If you want to boost your psychological immunity, fortify your resilience and skilfully navigate this pandemic, you need to manage your glorious mind. There is no time like to build your store of inner resources through helpful daily rituals.

No doubt you have survived many difficult circumstances already and have a substantial toolkit of calming and coping strategies. Draw upon these now. You have trained for this. Here’s a reminder of strategies that will elevate your wellness:

1. Make time for meditation. Sometimes we feel time is as scarce as toilet paper but that’s when we need to create space the most. Taking 5-10 minutes each day to meditate allows us to improve the quality of our decision making,  and reduces our stress.
2. Be mindful of what we let in at this time. Stay alert and informed but obsessive exposure to coronavirus news and social media can be unsettling. Mindfulness expert and psychiatrist, Dr Judson Brewer made this useful analogy – “It’s like saltwater: we are thirsty for information but the more we drink, the thirstier we get.”. 
3. Notice when you are calm and centred. Catch yourself when you are feeling composed, caring, capable and build these inner resources. From this positive mind-state, you are far better placed to help others and ‘caremonger’ instead of becoming another person in need of assistance.
4. Offset any stress with micro-breaks. Unplug from work, news and social media. Get into nature, breathe and stretch your beautiful body which craves movement. Taking conscious breaks will boost your resilience.
5. Be kind and compassionate with yourself. This is especially important when you feel you are not dealing with this crisis heroically. Elizabeth Gilbert’s recent podcast will envelop you with love and permission to feel all the feelings.
6. Seek wisdom and reassurance: Connect with wise people and see what they have to say. Dr Rick Hanson, Neuropsychologist and best-selling author is a reliable source of insight and wisdom. You can listen to a compelling conversation with him on hardwiring resilience in our Leadium Podcast. Also here is a useful quote from Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh, “When the crowded Vietnamese refugee boats met with storms or pirates, if everyone panicked all would be lost. But if even one person on the boat remained calm and centered, it was enough. It showed the way for everyone to survive.”
7. Reach out and connect: We are technologically very well placed to connect with others in isolation and to share our concerns, jokes and offers of assistance. Taking action and engaging in acts of kindness and creativity elevate your psychological immunity.

When it comes to the pandemic it helps to remember the adage “this too will pass”. In the meantime, may your calm strength be the positive contagion that uplifts yourself and others…

_______________________________________________________________

References

[1] Bóna, Krisztina, 2014. An exploration of the Psychological Immune System in Hungarian gymnasts. Master’s Thesis in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Department of Sport Sciences. University of Jyväskylä. 93 p.

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2834184/

[3] https://positivepsychology.com/self-regulation/

[4] Rosenbaum, 1989

[5]Lynch, Chapman, Rosenthal, Kuo, & Linehan, 2006 cited in Taylor & Mireault, 2008.

[6] Dia Taylor & Gina Mireault, 2008 Transpersonal Institute 88 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2008, Vol. 40, No. 1

[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20350028