How Our Psyche Turns On Protective Mechanisms

16:44, April 1, 2020

University psychologist told us how to cope with anxiety and go through the self-isolation

The spread of coronavirus in most people causes stress (a physiological reaction to new, often extreme external challenges), says Nadezhda Tomina, senior lecturer at the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychophysiology of the Ural Humanitarian Institute of UrFU. The specialist told how the psyche defends itself, why some people buy products, while others ignore the rules of behavior during self-isolation, as well as what to do in order to survive quarantine with maximum health benefits.

“Based on life experience, our attitudes, stereotypes, ideas, the psyche ascribes the meaning of any situation in which we find ourselves. These meanings are positive, neutral or negative, which triggers our reaction to the situation, ”explains Nadezhda Tomina. - Coronavirus, only a small percentage of people perceive measures to prevent its spread as positive or neutral. For most, this situation is negative stress.”

To reduce anxiety caused by stress (circumstances), the psyche includes biological defense mechanisms. In such cases, the behavior of people is determined by three strategies: run, fight, freeze. In the first two cases, people take an active position: they try to resist, fight the situation, perform physical exercises, go shopping and are procured for the future. In the third case, the psyche gives time for awareness of the situation, and people pretend that there is no threat, nothing is happening, they are waiting for everything to pass by itself.

“These mechanisms help to cope with anxiety, calm down, but for a while. In the case of coronavirus, the situation is complicated by the fact that the pandemic has dragged on, and it is not clear when it will all be over, says the psychologist. - When everything is delayed, the protective mechanisms do not work: a person cannot “run” for a long time or pretend that nothing is happening. Otherwise, emotional and physical exhaustion may occur. To solve it is necessary to accept the existing state of affairs and approach the problem in a different way.”

Prior to the adoption of circumstances and a balanced approach, a person goes through five stages at different speeds: denial, emotions, bidding, depression, acceptance. The stage of denial regarding coronavirus most people have passed. Today, many are in the emotional (when we swear, get angry, rejoice) or bargaining stages.

“After the emotions pass, bargaining begins. People think: well, I will follow the prescribed measures and will not get sick. Bargaining is about the fact that I will do everything to return the usual way of life. But at the same time, it’s still disturbing, because there is no habitual way of life and will never be any more. After coronavirus, life will be different, states Nadezhda Tomina. - If you can’t agree, the next stage begins, and it is most likely - if the situation with the coronavirus lasts a long time, we are waiting. Stage of Depression: Fatigue and Despair.”

When a person gets tired of despair, he will accept a new state of affairs and change his attitude towards him.

“Acceptance is about the fact that I see all the pros and cons and I accept the situation as it is. It’s a kind of revision of losses and the restoration of everyday life in new conditions, ”the psychologist explains.

The faster a person accepts a new situation, the faster he begins to use the opportunities that he has. He more rationally assesses losses, including emotional, and makes decisions more rationally.

To get out of emotional captivity, you need to understand what I'm really afraid of, a psychologist advises. To do this, ask yourself the question: what scares me and causes strong emotions? Then carry out an audit of resources and opportunities: what I have to live in the new conditions, what resources are missing. In addition, it’s not a bad idea to identify quarantine tasks and draw up an action plan; see if this reduces the risks of the new situation. And by the end, try to look at the situation from the other side, as new opportunities.

“When the level of anxiety is too high, we stop thinking calmly, logically. The appearance of emotions on stress and their expression is normal. It’s not good when the reaction to stress causes aggression that can splash out on loved ones, ”says Nadezhda Tomina. - When the pandemic passes, people will begin to more carefully solve problems, including domestic issues. But the experience of this situation will remain with us, and in the future we will make decisions based on, inter alia, what we have experienced."

If you can’t cope with anxiety and emotions on your own, psychologists advise you to seek help from specialists. So, in Yekaterinburg and other cities there are helplines and psychological assistance for adults and children. Many psychologists switched to an online format and reduced the cost of consultations.

“If you understand that panic is covering, you need to perform breathing exercises. We cannot control the work of the heart, but by calming our breathing, we can try to regulate the heart rate,” the specialist advises.

The Ministry of Emergencies of Russia also published practical advice in Russian that may help to cope with emotions in crisis situations.