Vaccination for CoronaStress

Regulating the voltmeter of our emotions in times of COVID-19

In times of confinement it may even seem as if we can suppress the stress: that of rushing breakfasts, leaving our child on time at school, getting to work without delay, that of traffic queues, etc. etc. - in short, the episodes of acute stress that populated our work week. Being really experienced by almost everyone as unpleasant, this kind of stress is not the worst consequence if the episodes are short and not very repeated. Stress is an adaptive response that we trigger and that puts us with the focus and energy to face demanding activities, which in the context in which we speak are our daily challenges. Acute stress, by definition short-lived, is a double-edged sword: it can be productive, and can even accelerate healing, as some studies show; but an intense episode of acute stress, such as that triggered by the horror of a scene of suffering and death, like some that come to us from television and viral media, can also trigger a cascade of reactions that culminate in cardiovascular accidents.

There is another type of stress, much more insidious, which takes root in our existence without us noticing it, and which has pernicious and long-lasting effects - chronic stress. This type of stress is the result of permanent restlessness, or so frequent that the intervals between its moments are insignificant. In modern life and the society in which we live, chronic stress is a constant state of preparation for a threat that never goes away: that of not being able to pay the instalments to the bank, the rent of the house, the children's school, debts to creditors... and now, the constant concern about the threat that hangs over everyone - the new disease of unpredictable and incomprehensible behaviour, the economic crisis and the uncertainty of the future. The information that reaches us through various channels generates anxiety and sadness.

And the news that comes to us through the visual channel are particularly powerful - they have the most effect on the triggering of emotions - because as human beings this is our predominant sensory channel, effectively on the basis of a trigger of reactions that we cannot prevent. Simply watching a movie has the ability to alter our mood, our motivation and our hormone levels, at the end of 20-40 minutes as several studies show. Because images have all this power - we must control what we are spectators of - avoiding excessive induction of anxiety and negative emotions and being proactive in selecting movies, programs and even news that guide us to more positive states.

Speaking of news - there is another effect we should avoid - that generated by repetition. The repetition of news amplifies its impact. The news can always be the same, but repeated exposure generates a familiarity effect, which biases our perception of reality. To see once the dramatic scenario of stacking coffins in Italy is not the same as to see it five times in one day. Our brain implicitly processes this repetition, effectively multiplying the weight of that information and the extent of the calamity. The person, thus exposed to the news, will be more afraid than the reasonable and adaptive fear. And over time this chronic stress is literally corrosive to well-being: the cortisol released during stress is neurotoxic and destroys neural tissue, and the individual increasingly resembles someone with post-traumatic stress.

But beware, there's no point in diving head-first into pure hedonism - the idea is not to watch comedies and present ourselves with treats and beautiful images. It is to control these unconscious effects on the brain and state of mind; it is to look for more written and less visual information, directed at the specific questions and concerns that we want to see answered, in impartial and sober websites, like the WHO. The strategy of proactively regulating the voltmeter of our emotions will keep us objective and prudent, less alienated (and yes, perhaps less joyful) than those who are still in denial of the probability of contagion from COVID-19 and the possible severity of the disease. Stay well, with slightly pink glasses, in times of COVID-19.

Augusta Gaspar, Coordinator of the Psychology Scientific Area