I don’t know if this is true for you, but I get over 10 notifications about COVID-19 in the United States a day.  The NY Times alone bombards me with notifications of “Breaking News” that is never brand new information.  It is usually a reiteration of dire statistics and information that is already known.  Add to that my family, friends, or workplace email blasts and there is not a single waking hour that I am not likely to be updated on a situation that is real, scary, and wholly out of my control.

The flood of stress response when we are exposed to a stimulus that is stressful to us, such as the coverage of COVID-19, prompts our brain and body to initiate responses to bring ourselves back to a sense of normalcy.  This process is called allostasis.  Allostasis is adaptive unless we are having to constantly engage in it.  The idea that the shutting on and off of these systems wears you down over time is referred to as allostatic load.

The challenges COVID-19 presents to the world at this time are novel, serious, and we do not have a framework of how long they might last.  The nature of our news media and the human desire to be able to control the environment contribute to an urge to be tuned in even when it costs us more than it benefits us.  The response that our body and brain have to stressful events takes a toll on our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

The costs I have seen (and also experience) are feeling on edge, tired, tense, maybe even anxious, also irritable, and at times distrustful of others. Not a great state of mind when you’re confined to your immediate surroundings with other people… other people who are also confined and also feeling on edge, tired, tense, you get the picture.

More is not always better

If you are feeling this way or feel like you are getting there soon, I would like to describe an alternative approach to life in these times.  This approach is about returning some control to you.

First – before you start – choose what your primary news sources are and how many times a day is reasonable for you to check them.  For me, mine are the Johns Hopkins website and the New York Times for national news and then my local newspaper.  I check them once a day, usually in the morning.  You will need to find how much information and how often you access it that works best for you.  If I’m using social media, I scroll past any related news stories, because Facebook is not my preferred news source.  If my husband or mother or friends message me or try to talk about it, I ask them to change the subject.  I have told them all in advance what I am doing and why, but sometimes they forget.

Once you’ve determined what your media diet is going to be, then you can move onto this exercise.

1. Start everyday new.  Think of your day like an empty jar.  You can have room in your head for the necessities of life in the time of COVID-19 AND the things that you want to dedicate space to.
2. In the time of COVID-19, there are three big things that are in your control that you can do each day. You can wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.  You can physically distance yourself from others for as long as recommended to do so.  You can be vigilant about your own health, the health of those in your home, and the overall status of the pandemic (by checking your news sources according to your media diet).
3. After you have made room in your head for those three big things, you have room to dedicate your precious mental energy into things you enjoy, things that make you feel accomplished, or things that are necessary.

For instance, if I share how I started my morning.

This morning – I had an empty jar.

Put in my big rocks: check the news, make sure our soap is refilled, and check my own temperature.

Fill up with little rocks: All the things I want to do today (e.g., tasks, reading, going for a run, meditating), all the ways I want to be today (e.g., content, loving, appreciative).

Give it a try. See if it works for you.

For more information on allostasis, check out this explanation here.