Stressed out?
Of course. The American Psychological Association released a report recently that said stress is the leading cause of health-related problems in the U.S. Nearly half of all Americans say their stress is rising over the past five years.
We are chronically stressed out every day.
But how much more are we stressed out today with news of coronavirus jumping from country to country, person to person, state to state?
Can we safely say the stress right now, today, is enormous?
Trust me, as a New Yorker, I get it.
Stress as an Achilles heel
We still don’t know as much as we need to know about coronavirus. But we do know with a high degree of certainty that when disease sets in, it often infiltrates through our weakened immune system.
Studies have directly linked at least 10 illnesses directly to stress-related causes.
“Stress seems to worsen or increase the risk of conditions like obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, depression, gastrointestinal problems, and asthma,” according to a WebMD report.
Indeed, studies have been so conclusive, especially with children raised in stressful conditions, that California’s first Surgeon General, Burke Harris, is focusing on getting lawmakers and the public to act to treat stress as a vital part of improving health, according to Newsweek.
But we can’t just be stressed out. It will only make us more susceptible to illnesses of all types, possibly (likely?) even the coronavirus. Supplements and getting good sleep are always helpful, but treating our emotional immune system is a missing and neglected element of our health.
“When threats are uncertain, such as the current coronavirus situation, our anxious minds can easily overestimate the actual threat and underestimate our ability to cope with it.” UC San Francisco psychologist Elissa Epel, Ph.D., said, noting that people with pre-existing anxiety conditions are particularly vulnerable.
While many of us are probably buying health supplements by bulk at Costco right now, we are leaving ourselves vulnerable in a completely different area of our lives.
We need to understand why we get stressed. We also need coping mechanisms to recenter. Otherwise, you’ll probably stay mired in chronic states of stress while downing Vitamin C and ginger, which is not going to be as effective if your emotional state is not balanced.
Emotional stabilization in a stressed-out time
In the simplest possible terms, it’s apparent we need to treat ourselves and build our emotional immunity as an important preventive measure against illness. What doesn’t feel so simple if you’re stressed out, is how to do that.
The “how” is my mission, both personally and professionally. It’s why I wrote The Five Archetypes: Discover Your True Nature and Transform Your Life and Relationships, which is set to be released next month. Just by understanding your true self and having better insight into others–especially in times of deep stress!–you can take control of your emotional state.
In less than ten minutes you can know your natural archetypal makeup and start to gain these insights (without leaving your home!). You can take our profile assessment now and it’s completely free. Just click here and get started.
I offer my Five Archetypes consultations by video conference (thanks COVID-19…ugh). You can take action to build emotional immunity without leaving your home.