Immune Strength - Strength to Make Change

                              

I hope you are doing well and beginning to really have a chance to enjoy the fresh outdoors! This is now the height of the summer months. We have finally gotten far enough out from the Covid19 restrictions that we are able to enjoy more activities without as much worry.

This has been a challenging time with the stay at home orders, precautions, and recent upsets of economical, political and social issues. While I am primarily a nurse and health educator, the recent events overlap greatly with maintaining health and wellness. Because, if you do not feel safe, from any of the previously mentioned issues, that alone can impact your health greatly.

The Corona virus obviously, directly impacts your health and wellness. To maintain your safety from this virus, as well as many other’s there are a few things to remember along with the recommended precautions as outlined by the CDC and your local Health authorities. Taking time to ensure your body’s own innate ability to protect yourself by improving your own immune response is of utmost importance.

What does this also have to do with the economical, political and social issues? The upheaval of job safety, financial security and unrest in our communities creates stress and a feeling of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the safety of our loved ones, fear of change, fear of the potential outcomes encountered individually and as a community. The fear of judgement of ourselves, of others, and fear of whether or not a place of safety and stability can return, with the worry of how this will occur. Ultimately, we all want the same things, a feeling of safety, a feeling of togetherness, and the feeling of the freedom to pursue our liberties and our dreams. A goal is to find a balance throughout our nation where everyone is treated with full equality and fairness. Much needs to be done.

How can we begin this as an individual? For starters it is important to build your own foundation of health and wellness in order to remain strong and have the wherewithal to not only endure any changes we face, but also the ability to be resilient physiologically and psychologically. This is important in building your immune system and prevent it’s breakdown, which would leave you susceptible not only to viruses such as Covid19, but also to prevent other illnesses acute and chronic.

Foundations of this are maintaining adequate sleep, hydration, nutrition, and avoiding insults to your immune response by avoiding stress, allergens, and environmental toxins. By balancing these elements your body can maintain its strongest self-defense against viral insults as well as other disease and illnesses.

While keeping your social distance and routine hygiene practices, it is also important to not feed into the fear of catching the virus. Keeping a strong mindset, decreasing worry, while taking the other precautions will also help boost your immunity. Fear unfortunately decreases your immune response by triggering your fight flight or freeze response. To explain this better I will elaborate with an example.

In nature, your body has different responses based on the immediate known danger. When you are feeling safe from any immediate danger, your body shift into long-term maintenance and protection. One part of this is your immune system. Your body builds your ability to have an adequate immune protection response from things like influenza and pneumonia for instance. But, when your body feels it is in more immediate danger, such as being chased by a tiger, it shifts into the sympathetic nervous system response. This is the “Fight, Flight or Freeze” response.

This response kicks into gear by alerting your adrenal glands to release cortisol among other hormones, to give you the jolt you need to react, and react fast! This happens because it is important when being chased by a tiger to not get eaten, so longer-term functions such as your immune response gets put on hold, so all your bodies capabilities shifts to immediate danger protection. So, it is essential for a feeling of safety to be defaulted for your long-term self-preservation.  Without being able to shift to safety, your body will wear itself out. Your immune system is weakened, and you become highly susceptible to infection, disease, and chronic fatigue.

Feeling safe, vibrant, healthy, well rested, and nourished physically, emotionally, and socially help you to remain strong and better able to meet any challenges you may have in front of you. With this strength you can pursue your greatest dreams and desires. When you share this with others around you, it helps to build a better community, a safer community for everyone.

Meanwhile, be kind, loving and supportive to all those whom you encounter. It is impossible to know what hardships others may have endured or are currently suffering from. Remember at each of our heart centers we all want the same thing. We want a healthy happy fulfilling life where we can be surrounded by our families and loved ones, thriving daily, and living life to its fullest. Be kind, pay it forward, and it will snowball across the universe. Love spreads so much more infectiously than hate.

There is a loving kindness meditation that encompasses my hopes:

“May you be happy. May you be well. May you be safe. May you be peaceful and at ease.”

This can be further extended to any and all persons, and can be practiced at any time silently, outloud, written or sung. Here is a video guided metta meditation for Loving Kindness you may enjoy:

Hopefully from this place of inner safety we can go forward to “Be the Change you wish to see in the World.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Thank you for allowing me to share with you and in the words of Spock: Live long and Prosper!

Tina

Redwood Whole Health Coaching