Emotional wellbeing in the time of corona is very important as a healthy mind can reduce the chances of one falling ill and catching an infection.
Mental wellbeing can aggravate symptoms:
Psychoneuroimmunology is a field of science that connects the study of the immune system with the central nervous system and explains the mind-body relationship. The absence of mental wellbeing can aggravate symptoms, in diseases primarily involving the body’s immunity. Lack of social support and stress can make a person susceptible to infections and result in a compromised immune system. In 1989, Lovejoy and Sisson studied that the presence of social support and successful coping influences susceptibility and progression of AIDS in HIV positive cases.
As COVID-19 is also a condition where a person with compromised immunity can contract and develop symptoms, it can be assumed that the same mind-body relation plays a role. In simple terms, a healthy mind can reduce the chances of one falling ill and catching an infection. We can employ the following strategies to foster emotional well-being and in turn boost the immune system to fight against infection in these trying times.
1.Engaging in physical exercise
2.Yoga, meditation or any form of physical exercise can improve the parasympathetic nervous system in our body which promotes calmness and relaxation. This will help us to exhaust most of our idleness and channelize it into a sense of being at ease.
3.Communicating with others
The fast-paced professional lives of people these days, limit the amount of time one spends with their families, a situation that now stands reversed due to the current lockdown. This gives a chance to foster communication and express needs and desires, that was hitherto not possible. Communication helps in building social support, empathy, and understanding among people, thus ceasing a sense of isolation. Ultimately it instills a sense of collective hope to alleviate the feeling of uncertainty and impending doom.
Trina Banerjee
Clinical Psychologist, Hutchins Road
Cooke Town, Bangalore- 560084
Mob:8777325833 Email: tbanerjee2@gmail.coma
The author is apracticing Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer and currently pursuing a Ph.D. under the guidance of Dr. K Jayasankara Reddy, Professor, Christ University, Bangalore.