Staying Out of Trauma Brain During Coronavirus

stay sane coronavirus

“Regulation is the nervous system’s ability to navigate the highs and lows of activation (triggering) and return to calm. ” -Patti Elledge (Trauma Therapist)

Right now the world feels like it’s in chaos. With the coronavirus pandemic, and travel bans in place, the stock market plummeting, toilet paper shortages, and our jobs and economic futures uncertain, there is understandably a lot of anxiety and stress. Things are going to get worse before they get better. The news is changing daily. We’re worried about our children, our parents, our grandparents, loved ones overseas, or maybe we are the ones overseas concerned about how a developing country’s medical system will handle the crisis. Missions organizations are making tough decisions to pull their people off the field. Some of us wonder if we’ll even be able to get back into the United States.

We need to stay away from each other instead of be together.

It seems like in a matter of minutes the world was cut off from one another.

This can feel very scary to a community of global workers who may feel isolated and alone. Especially if we have unresolved trauma.

And yet global workers might be the best people to combat fear around this disease because we’ve learned to live without….things like toilet paper. (C’mon we need jokes people)

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Still, in the midst of this panic, hardly anyone has spoken about how to calm our anxiety and stay out of trauma brain during coronavirus.

Our immune system operates best when we are not in fight or flight.

But currently as a society we are very triggered and when we are triggered we fall into what I like to call “trauma brain.”

Even though it’s happening beyond our brains. This is when we enter into our old survival patterns (freeze, flight, anger, fight, shame, guilt, defensiveness, shutting down) and this can get messy pretty quickly.

It’s stressful when an item as simple as hand sanitizer is no longer available to us. Or when our kids are home from school and we don’t have childcare.

I live in Puerto Rico now (which just instituted a lockdown last night for everyone’s safety) which means we can’t go outside except for essential services. People here have endured Hurricane Maria and several large earthquakes recently. We feel trapped. We are triggered.

What we have to understand is triggering is happening below our brains in our nervous system (sub-cortical response) It is stored emotion and memory that is in our bodies.

Which is why we feel such a somatic response. Chest heaviness, heart palpitations, mind racing, shallow breathing, panicky feelings.

There is a 3 year old, 5 year old, 8 year old you that remembers this feeling and is determined to survive.

These strategies that once worked to keep us safe, no longer serve us unless we are actually in an emergency situation.

Feeling anxiety is mostly about feeling out of control. Our brains and bodies are fighting to feel safe again.

We have to engage our nervous system in order to regulate ourselves so we can create this feeling of safety.

I was recently introduced to Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory through a dear friend Erin Kirk at Girl Catch Fire. This is the model of how the autonomic nervous system works and it makes so much sense!

Ventral Vagal

Safety (Green) Where nervous system was meant to live.  Connected. Safe. Mindful. Present. Compassionate. Settle. Grounded. Communicating well. Calm. (Think of this as your highest, most compassionate self)

Sympathetic

Fight or Flight (Yellow)- Panicky, Rage, Anger, Frustration, Irritation, Fear, Worry, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Hyper-vigilant (Where most of us live on a daily basis)

Dorsal Vagal

(I know sounds kind of like a Star Trek, “Data” thing, but it’s not) Freeze- Dissociation, Shame, Numbness, Depression, Immobility, Lie down and have trouble getting back up

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Ideally, we want to stay in the GREEN! So we need to learn to regulate our nervous system.

For most of us when we are under stress this is very difficult. So how do we do this?

Ask yourself, what do I need right now to get back to Green?

This is what I am I doing to guard my mental health during the coronavirus pandemic:

I’m meditating more often in the morning

I’ll be honest I haven’t been a great meditator through the years, but recently this practice has become pivotal to my making it through the day less unhinged. One thing that’s helped is the recent updates to the Calm app. I love it! Check out the master class on self compassion with Tara Brach. It will give you chills! I also enjoyed this guided meditation by a friend Lana Shlafer.

I’m moving my body & eating healthy

Every day I’m doing some form of exercise. Some companies are now offering free workouts from home if you’re quarantined like I am. Pilates. Running. Walking. Yoga videos. I’m breathing, I’m sweating, I’m becoming more present in my body and this helps greatly reduce stress. I’m upping my vitamin C uptake as well as zinc rich foods, turmeric and ginger.

I’m getting into nature

Every morning I take a solo walk along a deserted part of the ocean. Maybe I put my feet in the sand or in the grass to ground myself. I do forest bathing. I’m lucky I live near the ocean, but even a walk up and down an (empty) street outdoors can help. Or now, with the lockdown, this might look like sitting on my back patio.

I’m laughing

Look up a funny Meme and send it to your friend. Or watch Schitt’s creek or a comedian. Turn off the news and the Facebook feed of worries and just find a way to make light of things.

I’m using the One Min Pause app

created by John Eldredge to surrender my worries and concerns to God with daily reminders to stop and do this

I’m journaling and using writing prompts

Ally Fallon who I love just posted a great one: You begin by writing out all your anxiety- all the fears and things you’re afraid of. Let your brain go where it wants to go. Then purge. Then write a list of everything that is staying the same- things you’re grateful for. Remind your brain not everything is changing. Maybe you have a loving relationship, or a sweet pet you’re grateful for.

I’m extending compassion to others

When we connect to God’s love for others we begin to feel his compassion and this compassion releases feel good hormones. Do something nice for a friend. Drop some groceries outside someone’s door. Write a note. Call someone. Give an encouraging word. Remember that our ability to handle stress and have compassion for others stems from our ability to have self compassion. If we want to remain connected to love and each other through this crisis we must begin with ourselves.

I’m making the best of it

If you are under quarantine or self quarantine, or a government lock down try and make the best of it. Read a book you’ve been meaning to read, watch a movie with your family or play a fun board game. Use it as a time to spend together as a family.

Let’s not move forward with defensiveness, let’s take care of ourselves, our mental health, and rise above this crisis together.

 

Disclaimer: I’m not saying not to be prepared, (my shelves are stocked full like it’s the Walking Dead) and I’m not making light of the seriousness of this pandemic. This is real and we need to self-isolate to help others, but our anxiety isn’t helping. We can be prepared and still take care of ourselves and each other (from a distance) 

If you need more self-care suggestions you can download my self-care ebook for global workers

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