Nowadays there are a lot of people that are very afraid of getting the Corona-virus, especially with all the news about a second wave that seems to be coming in. You are being reminded of this all the time and with everything that you do. And this is exactly what causes your immune system to weaken, so that the chance of getting it becomes even greater.
This is a situation we do not want to be in, so it is time to do something about that.
You all know about the “fight or flight” response, * the physical reaction to fear whereby your body prepares itself either for confrontation or to run away. This biochemical reaction has strong roots in human evolution; our ancestral world was teeming with life-or-death consequences. It’s easy to understand how such a system has been and still is, vital to our survival. [*Typically, now referred to as fight-flight-freeze.]
The biochemical signs that manifest, which include sweating, high adrenaline levels, and increased heart rate, are automatic and universal; however, the emotional response to fear is highly personalized, e.g. some may like the “fun” chemical reaction resulting from watching scary movies, and we’ve all heard of “thrill-seekers.”
There are other factors involved in fear-beyond-instinct for us humans. We have the capacity to anticipate, so we predict or expect that horrible things might happen even if we haven’t had any personal experience around the situation (e.g. being afraid your plane will crash or getting sick with Corona). Anxiety can trigger a strong response when we believe there is a danger or an imminent threat even when there isn’t any. Managing fears in the present can be confusing when they don’t necessarily correspond to clear, obvious danger.
The problem here, then, would seem to be F.E.A.R., or “False Evidence Appearing Real.” Certainly, we want to be able to respond to unmistakable hazards, but the repercussions of perpetually activating one’s sympathetic nervous system can be both physically and emotionally debilitating. For example, chronic fear can lead to a significantly impaired immune response; persistent epinephrine (adrenaline) surges can damage blood vessels and arteries, increasing both blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks/strokes. Higher levels of cortisol (the body’s main stress hormone) inadvertently contribute to the build-up of fat tissue and weight gain, as it increases appetite to encourage eating more for extra energy. It also increases the storage of unused nutrients as fat. Okay, what about how unfulfilling it is to lead a life where you avoid fun activities or social interactions because you are afraid of…?
What can be done to lessen the impact of the chronic fear that even you, yourself, may be experiencing? One of the best ways is to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. Unlike the sympathetic “fight or flight,” the parasympathetic is “rest and digest.” Be mindful of your breathing, do it from the diaphragm (belly breathing); visualise yourself in a beautiful, peaceful place and be sure to engage all of your senses; practice meditation; here’s an interesting one – lightly run 1 or 2 fingers over your lips (parasympathetic fibres are spread throughout them).
Overcoming fear is not always easy…If you feel your fear is becoming unmanageable or if you see this as your main stumbling block, The Neural Alignment Method® could be a great way for you to move beyond it: [http://go.dawncady.com/the-neural-alignment-method]
Another strategy is to be mindful of your thoughts since your body responds to the way you think and feel, as well as act. Gaining knowledge about the things you are afraid of helps you to think in different ways as well, although I admit that this sometimes even can overwhelm as well, because of the vast amounts of information that is available and often contradictory.
And yet another way of dealing with the fear is tapping on it, tapping takes care of the overwhelming emotion that you will feel in this case, so it will bring you back to calm, which enables you to think straight again.
This a reminder of the tapping points.
KC: Karate Chop
EB: Eye Brow
SE: Side of the Eye
UE: Under the Eye
UN: Under the Nose
CH: Chin
CB: Collar Bone
UA: Under the Arm
TH: Top of Head
For a more detailed explanation of tapping, watch this video:
So, before we start, just take a few deep and slow relaxing breaths, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Imagine that with every breath in you breathe love and health into your body and with every breath out you release any anxiety or fear you feel.
Then access that fear of getting the corona-virus and measure how intense it is on a scale of 0 to 10. 0 means you are not afraid of that at all and 10 means you are very afraid, almost sure that you will get the corona-virus.
Then, notice where you can feel that fear; is it a tightness in your stomach or in your chest, or is it in your throat. It is a place you can concentrate on when you do the tapping.
Set-up phrase:
KC1 – Even though I am so afraid of getting the corona-virus because I do not know how my body will handle it, I acknowledge and accept how I feel right now.
KC2 – Even though I am so afraid of this virus, because I am scared of whether or not I can handle it, I choose to love and accept myself as I am right now.
KC3 – Even though I am afraid of the corona-virus and I am afraid of getting it myself, I choose to relax and breathe into this moment.
EB – All this fear
SE – All this fear in my body
UE – I am afraid of getting the virus
UN – And I am afraid that my body cannot handle that
CH – I am afraid it will be very bad for me
CB – All this fear in my body
UA – It feels so overwhelming
TH – I am really afraid of this virus
EB – I do not know if I am healthy enough
SE – I do not know if I am strong enough
UE – Will I be able to handle it at my age or condition
UN – Does my age or condition even matter
CH – Can I handle it in my body
CB – I am so worried about this virus
UA – But I choose to release this from my body right now
TH – And breathe more deeply
EB – Knowing that by relaxing my body
SE – I am strengthening my immune system
UE – I choose to breathe love and health into my body
UN – And trust that I will be OK
CH – I choose to relax in my body
CB – One tap at a time
UA – All the stories on the news are so scary
TH – But there are also lots of stories of survival
EB – There are 101-year-olds that are surviving
SE – I choose to be strong in my body
UE – I choose to relax in my body
UN – Letting go of the things that I cannot control
CH – I choose to boost my immune system
CB – By breathing love and health into my body right now
UA – I can boost my immune system everyday
TH – By eating good food
EB – By making sure to get enough vitamins
SE – By moving my body
UE – And lowering my stress and anxiety
UN – I can beat this virus if I get it
CH – My body is stronger than I know
CB – I choose to breathe love and health into my body right now
UA – I choose to have faith that all will be well
TH – I choose to breathe love and health into my body
Now take a deep breath in and slowly breathe out again and feel into your body to notice how you feel about this.
Just remember this, these tap-alongs are only a guideline for you, they never include all your own thoughts, so when you have other thoughts and feelings coming up, do not hesitate to include them in this tapping, just there when they come up. There is no wrong way of doing this and your own thoughts are much better to tap on than the things that are written here.
Your subconscious knows much better what you need to do than we ever could, so follow your own feelings and thoughts here and tap on them.
One more thing: Have fun with it.
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