Beat the Fear of Coronavirus: Do These 13 Things

A report from Goldman Sachs to investors this week reported, “it feels a lot like 9/11,” I agree completely.  We’re all scared, Coronavirus snatched our secure way of life from us virtually overnight.  But you can beat the fear of Coronavirus, let me tell you how.

On September 11, 2001 I hopped into my cab and traveled quickly thru the narrow streets of Georgetown, along the Potomac river, past our impressive national monuments.  The gorgeous day featured a picture-perfect blue sky, the oppressive heat lifted, and I was looking forward to a day of profitable business meetings.

As I sat in the conference room later that morning, my world, our world, completely changed.  We all woke-up on the morning of 9/11 expecting life to go as planned but, instead, we were forced into an unimaginable reality.

We all experienced the same shock these past weeks.  The Coronavirus changed life for us all.  Businesses closed.  Weddings postponed.  Graduation ceremonies cancelled.  The stock market panicked. Grocery isles emptied.  Work ground to a halt.  Events like this shredded our social fabric and peace of mind.

Similar to the days and weeks after 9/11, we will continue to grapple with fear and questions about our future.  We will worry about what we don’t know, and experience anxiety about what else may lurk around the corner.

These past days we lost our perception of safety and our security has been replaced by fear.

My spiritual coach Rick Warren recently brought some hope about the Coronavirus when he said, “I’ve read three books on pandemics.  This too will pass.  It will not last.”

I think we all know deep down that this is true, but we’re still frightened.  So, what can we do to help us regain emotional control?  What methods can we employ to refocus our thoughts?  How can we come out of this battle stronger than we were before?

The key is to keep the Mind, the Body and the Spirit all healthy and active.  The Mind directs the Body.  The Body talks back to the Mind.  And the Spirit brings power to both the Mind and the Body.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  Phil 4:8 NLTSE

We can use our Mind to shape our physical, mental and spiritual health.  As a refresher, our Mind, our brain, is made up of billions of tiny nerve cells called neurons.  Neurons are mini electrical switches that talk to each other through the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters.  These neurotransmitters affect our mood and our stress levels.

Here’s the good news

You can reduce your stress and improve your mood by acting and thinking in certain ways.

In his book “The Upward Spiral: Using  Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time”, Alex Korb, PhD defines this Mind-Body connection as the process of biofeedback.  The science of biofeedback teaches, “that the brain changes its activity based on what the body is doing.”

Numerous studies have shown that the actions and strategies I list below release two main neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin.

Dopamine triggers positive emotions, it makes you feel optimistic and it’s linked to your ability to change your habits.

Serotonin improves your mood and increases your motivation and willpower.

The other point I want to make is that it’s critical to manage that part of the Mind called the prefrontal cortex (“PFC”).  The PFC is that part of your brain that helps you plan for the future, regulate emotions, determine consequences, and focus your attention.

One of the most impactful actions you can take during a time of stress is to purposefully engage this part of your Mind around the ideas, emotions and goals you want to achieve.  If you don’t direct the PFC, it will instead focus and program itself on what you’re feeling in the moment.  So, if you are feeling fearful and anxious, then the PFC will focus your thoughts and actions on your fear.  This can cause you to go into a downward spiral.

With that information as background, start to incorporate these 13 actions into your daily life.  I can tell you that I do every one of these.  Incorporating these activities aligned my Mind, Body and Spirit such that I could pursue my own entrepreneurial dreams during the Great Financial Crisis of 2008.  That was a scary time for me, so I know these strategies work.

13 Strategies that Work

1. Change your environment:  Purge your environment of the triggers that cause you stress and anxiety.  Delete news websites from your computer.  Move your TV out of the bedroom.  Reduce your social media accounts.   THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY to reduce your stress, is to remove your stress triggers.  Pro tip:  If you want to stay on-top of the news or media, schedule 15 minutes on your daily calendar to check a reputable news source.

2. Plan your days:  Create a daily and weekly to-do list.  Each time you scratch a to-do off the list, you’ll feel more in control and enjoy a boost of dopamine.  The best way to get thru a difficult challenge is to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.  Pro tip:  Buy a daily planning calendar or app; writing out your to-do list increases your level of commitment.

3. Focus on long term goals:  Engage the planning power of your PFC and set inspiring goals for one and three years out.  Long range planning will give you hope and something to look forward to.  Pro tip:  Spend 5-10 minutes each day envisioning how your life is going to improve once you achieve your goals.

4. Journal your worries:  Write down your worries throughout the day.  Getting them out of your head and onto the page will stop your PFC from focusing on them.  Pro tip:  Either (1) physically scratch the worry off the page and say out loud “I’m not going to worry about this anymore, it’s nonsense” or (2) if the worry has some merit, create an action plan or put it on your to-do list so you can solve it.  In both cases you’ll free-up the processing power of your PFC and you’ll feel in more control.

5. Journal your gratitude:  Write down 4-5 positive events in your life first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed.  Expressing gratitude raises your serotonin production.  As I’ve written in this article, gratitude is proven to reduce depression.  Pro tip:  Read about my gratitude journal experience here.

6. Go for a walk:  Exercise for 30 minutes and intensify both the production and release of serotonin.  Exercise is one of the best ways to upgrade your mood and physical health.  Aerobic activity will deepen your sleep, particularly if you exercise in the sunshine.

7. Grab more shut-eye:  Sleep lifts your mood, reduces pain, enhances clear thinking and boosts productivity.  Sleep for 7-8 hours per night and develop a consistent sleep routine.  Avoid caffeine and activities that stress you out prior to bedtime.

8. Draw power thru relationship:  Make a phone call.  Send a text.  Do a video chat.  Find ways to connect with the power of others.  Know, that when you feel depressed, you’ll want to be alone.  Resist this urge!  Social interaction is a key weapon in fighting depression.  Pro tip:  Schedule in your calendar 1 to 2 people that you’ll reach out to each day.

9. Get some rays:  Expose yourself….to sunlight.  Sunshine increases the release of melatonin which improves your sleep.  Sunlight also promotes the production of serotonin, which raises your mood.

10. Enjoy a massage:  Grab a close friend or a loved one and give and receive an invigorating massage.  Massages decrease stress hormones and raise dopamine levels.

11. Stretch and relax:  Stand-up straight and assume a confident posture.  Slowly roll your shoulders and then draw a couple big O’s with your nose.  Take in a big deep breath and release your breath slowly.  Repeat this routine 4-5 times, 3 times during your day.  Through the power of biofeedback, these movements will relax your Body, improve your mood and lower your stress level.

12. Smile and laugh:  Smile and laugh at something funny.  It’s proven that your brain knows when your face is in a frown or in a smile because of the activation of certain facial muscles.  Through the power of biofeedback smile and be happy, don’t wait to smile until your happy.

13. Pray:  According to this study over 55% of Americans pray daily.  Speaking for myself, I find that turning my worries over to a power bigger than my worries provides me with hope and strength.  Praying strengthens my Spirit, slows my Body down, and calms my Mind.  Praying is the ultimate biofeedback loop.

The Coronavirus and 9/11 rattled our way of life in ways out of our control.  But you have the power to choose your response.  Fix your Mind, Body and Spirit on those ideas and actions that are good for you, and you will come out of this battle a stronger and healthier person.

Be Wise & Successful…

1. Implement.  Apply these strategies every day for the next 60 days and they’ll become habits.

2. Read.  Read this interesting article about how the “social contagion” of the Coronavirus can increase your anxiety level.  If you thought the world was going to run out of toilet paper, you’ll find this article helpful.

3. Share.  Discuss these strategies with a friend or family member.  It’s proven that if you talk about and teach an idea to someone else, it reinforces the idea in your Mind.

4. Learn.  Read about the Coronavirus from reliable sources, such as the CDC website.

5. Engage. Share this article with a friend and hold one another accountable for implementing the 13 tips.  Research shows we are more likely to succeed when we share accountability.