As we continue to watch the death toll from the COVID-19 outbreak rise, and as we continue to receive conflicting messages from government and health officials, citizens across the country are confused, frustrated, and above all else, afraid.

As deadly and horrific as this pandemic has been, Dr. Eugene Choi believes that the mass fear and hysteria that has been gripping the nation could be even deadlier [1].

The Fight-or-Flight Response

When you are experience fear , your sympathetic nervous system is activated. This is more commonly known as your fight-or-flight response. When this happens, your heart rate increases and blood is pumped to your vital organs and muscles.

This biological response occurs to prepare your body to either stay and fight or turn and run (Imagine our ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors coming face-to-face with a bear). 

This response starts in a part of your brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for processing emotion. The amygdala activates the hypothalamus, which in turn activates the pituitary gland.

The pituitary gland then secretes adrenocorticotropic hormone (aka- adrenaline), which causes the changes in your blood. It also reduces activity in your stomach and intestines, inhibits tears and saliva, dilates your pupils, and gives you tunnel vision and hearing [2].

Read: J.K. Rowling Says This Doctor’s Breathing Technique Helped Her COVID-19 Symptoms

Fear, Stress, and Immunity

The most significant change that your body experiences when in a state of fear, however, is an increased production of cortisol. 

Cortisol is the primary hormone that your body releases to help you cope with stress. In short bursts, an increase in cortisol can actually boost your immune system, but if you remain in a fight-or-flight state for too long, it has the opposite effect.

As your body adjusts to having too much cortisol in your blood, it becomes more susceptible to inflammation. It will also reduce your white blood cell count, which are the cells that help you fight off infection, thus making you less capable of fighting off viruses [3].

So, as Dr. Choi put it, being afraid is literally making you more susceptible to getting sick [1].

Stress and Fear Affect your Behaviour

It’s not just your immune system that takes a hit when you’re scared. Your brain also functions differently when you are under duress. Dr. Choi says that when you are in that fight-or-flight mode, you’re also in a selfish, self-protective state.

Choi explains that this prevents us from thinking clearly, and is where the racism, hoarding, and price-gouging that we’ve been seeing during this pandemic has come from [1].

Why does this happen? Because when you’re in fight-or-flight mode, your prefrontal cortex gets shut off. 

The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for your decision making, critical thinking, and creative skills. Even mild, acute stress can cause a dramatic loss of prefrontal cognitive abilities, and chronic stress can actually trigger architectural changes in that region of the brain [4].

When your prefrontal cortex is off, you can feel stuck, unable to make decisions for yourself, and you lose your ability to be empathetic. To make matters worse, your immune system also takes another hit, because this area of the brain has an impact on your central nervous system and immune function [1,5].

Read: Former CDC Chief: Vitamin D May Reduce The Risk Of Coronavirus Infection

Imagination Vs. Reality

The good news is, you have a lot more control over your brain than you might think. This is because your brain doesn’t know the difference between imagination and reality.

Dr. Choi uses a 2009 study led by Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone to explain:

In the study, he split participants into two groups and had them learn how to play a simple melody on the piano. One group practiced using a keyboard for two hours per day over the next five days. The other group, however, simply imagined themselves playing the melody.

Throughout the entire study, Dr. Pascual-Leone mapped the brain activity of all the participants and found that the exact same brain changes happened to participants in both groups [1].

This experiment shows that how you feel is completely up to you.

Read: Opinion: Why Telling People They Don’t Need Masks Backfired

How to Get Out of Fight-or-Flight Mode

During this pandemic, most of the health information we have been receiving revolves around avoiding the virus, such as practicing social distancing and proper handwashing. Of course, these practices are of critical importance and cannot be ignored.

There has been significantly less guidance, however, with regard to mental health. As you can see, if you take care of your physical health but ignore your mental and emotional well-being, you are missing a huge piece of the puzzle.

There are many ways that you can reduce your stress levels and get yourself out of that fight-or-flight state. 

Exercise is a great way to manage stress, since the fight-or-flight response is meant to be followed by a burst of activity. Exercise uses up the energy created by the body, and even breaks down excess stress hormones, effectively calming the nervous system. It also increases the production of endorphins, or happy hormones, making it twice as effective.

Breathing exercises can help to trigger the relaxation response and help you to feel calm. Mastering this technique can take practice, but there are thousands of articles and videos online that can help you get started.

Yoga, or even just some simple stretching, can help you feel more calm and relaxed. As with the breathing exercises, if you’re not sure where to begin, there are thousands of “yoga for beginners” videos on the internet, that will guide you through a whole-body stretch, and teach you how to focus on your breath and your movement.

Connect with family, friends, and loved ones. This has been a particularly difficult time for many of us because we are unable to be physically present with many of the important people in our lives. Thankfully, today’s technology makes it easier than ever before to get together remotely. Set aside some time every day to call at least one person and have a chat with them. Perhaps you can organize drinks with friends over Zoom, or have a virtual family dinner with your parents. However, you chose to do it, make sure you stay connected with the people you care about [6].

In a global crisis such as this, it is understandable for you to feel scared and panicked, but now more than ever it is important for everyone to stay calm and act rationally. As Dr. Choi says,

“Let’s make empathy and connection even more contagious than fear” [1].

Keep Reading: Don’t Just Avoid the Virus — Help Defend Yourself by Strengthening Your Immunity

The post Opinion: Why Fearing the Coronavirus Should be the Least of Your Worries appeared first on The Hearty Soul.