Dealing With Corona Virus Depression Blues

Data on the mortality statistics and the economic impact of Corona Virus has become a daily feature on all information platforms. While the numerical aspects are pertinent the so called below the iceberg psychological / mental health issues are as vital to us as a society. These issues are a bigger pandemic today because they are stealthy, widespread and have a lot of stigmatization and shaming associated.

The sparse literature on the mental health consequences of epidemics relates more to the sequelae of the disease itself than to the side effects, like social distancing. However, large-scale disasters, whether traumatic (Insurgencies), natural (earthquakes), or environmental (severe air pollution), are almost always accompanied by increases in depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder and a broad range of other mental and behavioral issues.

Let’s look at this whole mental pandemic from a mind body perspective. Science has shown that if we are having negative thoughts, these thoughts can produce emotions of stress and make the body release chemicals that are in line with that of stress response. Short-term stress is very natural and occurs in all animals for triggering the fight-or-flight response.

However, if you are stuck in an unhealthy stress/ anxiety cycle, then this stress response is no longer healthy. No organism is designed for keeping up a continuous stress-response over the long-term. The body reacts to stress by releasing the hormone “Cortisol” that triggers a rebalancing reaction or in other words, coping up with stress. However, long periods of stress, leading to lasting presence of cortisol, causes our bodies to overreact to common stressors like heavy traffic, speaking in front of a group of people, or having an argument with a spouse. Over time, these out-of-control stressors compromise our health with high blood pressure, anxiety, rages of anger etc

A lot of us have unconsciously escaped these perpetual stressors of our life by escaping through substances, food, shopping, and gadgets. However the slow-down, lockdown, knockdown, call it whatever you want has force-quit our program that was running in a loop for years. For a lot of us this has been unnerving not just because of the pandemic but also by having so much time to spend with ourselves like never before. Being with ourselves today has become being present with burdened responsibilities, fears, insecurities, anxieties, relationships, habits, beliefs, thoughts 24X7. No wonder so many of us who used escapism are on tenterhooks.

So what do you when a deeper personal mental suffering is proving to be a dampener, and what do you do when you notice someone close enslaved in the shackles of mental misery and inability to cope?

First is diagnosis. Seek help of a professional or a healer before labelling yourself as depressed. Your depression or anxiety may just be a temporary phase or needing resolution of other subconscious stuck patterns that you may be unaware of. One of the tools that come handy is Aura Analysis. Aura is electromagnetic field of energy around our body that extends upto 4–5feet (in a average healthy body). This appears to be depleted in cases of unhealthy person.

The aura of a person is directly connected to the level of health of the person. A person is considered to be healthy when they have bigger brighter aura in terms of physical vitality, mental clarity and emotional well being. Aura Analysis can help identify subconscious blocks, issues, recurring patterns, health challenges. It can even help predict future health challenges. So whether you are actually depressed or under the influence of one of the challenges above which is leading to that condition will help provide you a more holistic solution.

Though the internet is full of well meaning advice, here is a list of mantras that have worked for me and people I have supported:

1. Be someone who can listen to the other without judgements and adding your opinions. Sometimes just having someone to talk to, barriers down, can be soothing and embalming. Most people shy away from leaning on friends and family just because of the fear of judgement and adage “I told you so”.
2. Create a safe space for expression of emotions. Tears, anger, frustration all have a place in life. When unexpressed they create more harm than good, just like a pressure filled cooker. Allow the person to cry, scream, express, after all emotions are nothing but energy in motion.
3. Asking the person to be positive or practice positive thinking is a cliché. This does not work. Research shows that while repeating positive self-statements may benefit people with high self-regard, it can backfire for those lacking confidence or suffering from anxiety and depression creating a self defeating spiral.
4. While technology has permeated our life and gadgets may be the best form of distraction available, remember Gadget addiction doesn’t discriminate and impacts everyone mentally, emotionally and physically.

The science behind this is pretty simple. We release a neurochemical called Dopamine, everytime there is a rewarding stimulus like a message, like or a mail on our gadget. Research has shown that the brain gets “rewired” as excessive amounts of dopamine get released in the body on frequent interaction with a rewarding stimulus, i.e., using a smartphone app like Facebook, frequent cycles such as these cause the brain’s receptors to become more insensitive to dopamine, causing the body to experience less pleasure than before for the same natural reward. This leads the person down a spiral, where one has increased craving for the same reward to achieve normal levels of pleasure. If the increased craving cannot be satisfied, it would lead to anxiety, lack of motivation and depression. Gadget addiction is similar to addiction of alcohol or drugs since it results in similar negative consequences.

5. Maintain your circadian rhythm. This is our body’s internal clock maintained by the hormones which tells the body to react to day and night. Your circadian rhythm works best when you have regular sleep habits, like going to bed at night and waking up in the morning around the same times from day to day (including weekends). When things get in the way, like irregular sleeping hours you can end up feeling out of sorts and can make it harder to pay attention. The current lockdown may be providing a fertile space to tuck in till late but remember your internal clock is going for a toss. Also you are missing out on the benefits of the adrenaline boost which can keep you calm. So maintain a healthy sleep schedule and Exercise, Exercise, Exercise.

6. Practicising Groundedness — In the present times, one thing that we need the most to combat our fears & anxiety, is not positivity but groundedness. Groundedness is nothing else but the energetic alignment of the body with the earth. All the fears and anxiety that we are experiencing in and around our lives today is a fall out of our un-groundedness. A beautiful way to enhance groundedness in our lives is to Squat for a few minutes everyday (this comes naturally to us Indians as we were taught to relieve ourselves in the morning by squatting down). Walking bare-foot, dig in your hands in the mud, gardening, pottery are all ways to enhance this connection. When we are grounded fears and anxiety leave our body.

Good health is more than the state of not being ill! It is a radiant state of inner well-being. Physical and mental illnesses may be cured by medicines. No medicine, however, can induce that state of boundless energy which comes when every cell in the body is rejuvenated, cooperating with the mind willingly and joyfully.

Becoming our radiant self starts when you say yes to life, freeing up the energy stored in unwillingness, fear, and doubt. While time may be appearing expansive don’t forget everything in nature is designed to be ephemeral and this too shall pass.