If you find yourself thrown off-center by the news about the coronavirus, here are three ways that you can dismantle the primitive and survival-based emotions that are hardwired into all human beings as a functional legacy of our evolutionary past.
First: Understand the concern is not the same as fear. While measures should be taken to protect ourselves and our loved ones from infection, being scared is about “what maybe” not “what is” ultimately makes matters worse. By worrying about “what maybe” we’re suppressing the immune system and robbing the body of valuable nutritional resources (not to mention our precious peace of mind).
Second: Feeling out of control. It promotes a sense of helplessness. So, focus on a “locus of control” where you can make a difference by making the body strong. Eating correctly and eating less, supplementing and exercising all can help deactivate the stress response.
Third: Recognize the difference between the imagination and the real. Statistics and modeling are all about the future, which does not exist in reality, but does in our minds. Do not fall for the trap of believing predictions that may or may not occur. For now, foremost, everything is fine. While in the coming months it might not be, no one really knows, but freaking out about the future can have a real negative impact on the present.
