Importance of Mental Hygiene against Covid-19

If we observe the worldwide morbidity and mortality scenario of Corona virus, it has a clear pattern — more elderly people and people with chronic health problems are susceptible to it and succumbing to it. That means people with lower immunity are more vulnerable.

There is a lot of advertisement and focus on physical, external hygiene like washing hands, wearing masks, using sanitizers etc. People are emptying the supermarkets and hoarding the stuffs. External hygiene is very important. But more important than that is boosting one’s own immunity. As with everything else, people are focusing too much on exteriors and missing focusing on interiors.

There are several aspects like sleep, lifestyle, food habits etc. which have a great effect on boosting our immune system. Optimum sleep, balanced exercises are very useful. Indian spices like Turmeric, Ginger, Black Pepper, Lemon, Honey etc. have a proven positive effect on boosting immunity and building resistance to external invasions of bacteria/virus. Less carcinogenic foods and more antioxidants are always better.

But even more important than all these physical factors is Mental Hygiene. Modern medical science knows that 80% of chronic diseases are psychosomatic — that is caused by Mind. Below is a simple illustration of how negative emotions like fear, stress, anxiety etc. create a chain reaction and impact different organs and functions of our body.

As we can see, how our emotions, thoughts, feelings affect our brain, heart, blood pressure, respiratory system, digestive system, kidneys, endocrine glands and how small fear starts getting amplified through the negative spiral of body-mind interaction, leading to panic. A sustained unhygienic mind (with stress, fear, worry, anxiety, anger, sadness, guilt, hatred, jealousy, …) creates chronic problems of heart ailments, acidity, hypertension, diabetes, neurosis, respiratory problems and so on.

Mental Hygiene is the most important factor to boost immunity (but it takes some time) and withstand Covid-19. (As we can see from several centuries of pandemics, Covid-19 is not likely to go away by lock-down periods).

Yogic Sciences have simple but powerful tools to manage Mind and Mental Hygiene, proven since thousands of years. Meditation (Dhyana), Breathing techniques (Pranayama), Yoga postures (Asanas) have great effect on our body-mind-energy complex. There are umpteen Neuroscience Research reports which demonstrate this evidence — for example, Google’s ‘Search Inside Yourself’ program in collaboration with Stanford University Neuroscience research on impact of Mindfulness practices (www.siyli.org).

Research shows how a simple meditation technique like Breath Watch (observing breath) for a few minutes, brings down the Brain Wave frequency from Beta state (14 to 30 cycles per second) to Alpha state (7 to 14 cycles per second) to Theta state (4 to 7 cycles per second) leading to great relaxation and reduced stress/anxiety.

Research also shows that Mindfulness/Meditation practices improve Mental Hygiene by optimal production of Neurotransmitters like Dopamine (antidepressant), Oxytocin (pleasantness hormone), Serotonin (reducing fear), Opiate (reducing physical/mental pain) etc.

Research also shows how these practices change Grey Matter in Amygdala (fight or flight brain) and Neocortex (higher awareness brain) leading to calm & composed personality.

In these periods of Work from Home and lock-downs, it’s even more important to pay attention to Mental Hygiene. Here are a few simple Mindfulness/Breathing/Meditation techniques with guided audio/video instructions and recommended daily routines. But key to Mental Hygiene is regular practice!

Just like how a lotus blooms even in dirty water, a high ‘mentally hygienic’ person can be unscathed @Coronatimes

Be calm. Breathe well. Beat Corona.

[Here is a blog on probably why Corona is trying to force people to Turn Inward]

[ If you want to explore Inward further, you may find this article Unmask your Virtual Reality and expand to Infinity interesting]