Taking care of emotions is a way to improve immunity in difficult times
That emotional balance directly influences the quality of life, everyone already knows. But what about immunity? What is the relationship between physical and emotional health and why is it important to think about it in times of a pandemic? I invite you to understand more about it and how you can take care of yourself during this period.
Emotional integrity is harmony and awareness of one's feelings. Through it, you can achieve well-being and happiness in all areas of life. When our routine is affected, integrity is also influenced and needs to adapt so that its ability to regulate emotions continues to be exercised.
Due to the new coronavirus pandemic, involving social isolation and quarantine, the habits of people around the world have changed. With that, the feelings also became others - involving, mainly, fear and anxiety - and the mind had to adapt to new situations to stay healthy.
But do you know how emotional illness can affect your immunity? When you fail to strengthen your mind to prevent moments of change from taking your energy, feelings like stress and tension are likely to become a part of your everyday life. This means that the production of hormones and substances in the body is deregulated and, thus, the body's defense cells are more vulnerable.
In this way, the imbalance becomes the “natural state” of the brain and the immune system becomes less effective. The body starts to respond more slowly to threats to the body and the possibility of getting sick increases. Hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline — responsible for protecting the person — are produced in greater quantities and increased blood pressure, heart rate or rapid breathing become part of the routine.
Therefore, it is essential to develop emotional intelligence. This is a skill that increases our quality of life as it regulates emotions and finds positive ways to express them. So, instead of repeating patterns of behavior without being aware of your own actions, you will gain control over what you do and use your feelings to your advantage.
Creativity at this point is essential. It is through it that you will be able to innovate in your routine and prevent negative thoughts from being predominant in your mind. After all, we still have uncertainty about when everyday life will resume and what will be the “new normal” we will live after the coronavirus. So, check out our article on “How to keep creativity during quarantine?”.
If your pace before the pandemic was accelerated, find ways to adapt, transforming yourself with each passing day. Your body and mind are connected and need to stay healthy and in balance for you to have well-being and harmony. Several factors influence your emotional integrity and they all need to be aggregated.
One of them is the relationships we build throughout our lives. After all, the human being has as one of the main characteristics the ability to interact with others in a conscious way, unlike other animals.
family relationships
Interpersonal relationships are a fundamental factor in our life. It is through them that we learn to evolve and exercise our ability to self-knowledge about the behaviors and feelings we have. The first group that influences the individual's identity, moral values ​​and personality is the family.
Through it, we learn how to express ourselves and what interactions are healthier with other people. In this period of the new coronavirus pandemic, this is the social group with which we have the most contact and, therefore, it is essential that it is in balance so that our emotional integrity and immunity are also in balance.
So how can you make sure that family members are supportive of each other? Or so that hypercoexistence, caused by social isolation, is not a reason for disharmony and conflicts? The first step is to rethink habits and routine – individual and collective.
Although the home is being shared more now than when each member left for their duties, such as work and school, it is essential that everyone has their moments of privacy. Exercising one's individuality is a very important factor for healthy group dynamics. Everyone should have their time for chores and hobbies respected. We are in a period that demands more tension and, therefore, everyone must find alternatives to release them.
But of course collective activities should also be encouraged. After all, emotional integrity — and, consequently, immunity — depends on the bonds that are created and strengthened throughout our lives. Create family moments like meals and even division of tasks to keep the house in order.
Caring for the organization of the environment is a way to let energy flow and harmonize and, if done together, can promote more respectful and synergistic relationships. Here you can learn some simple bedroom organization techniques to improve your sleep routine, for example.
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Communication is the keyword to preserve the emotional integrity of individuals in all relationships. If you want to avoid conflicts at home or manage them in a healthy way, you must know how to express your feelings and discontent. In this way, the stress generated by fights can be softened and the routine is more balanced, generating a harmonious cycle of habits and behaviors in times of a pandemic. In this article, you can check out how to improve your relationships through assertive communication.
Did you like these tips? In the coming weeks, we'll bring you some more on how you can take care of your emotional integrity and immunity during this time — and also prepare for the "new normal". Self-care is essential to keeping yourself well and filtering the information that comes to you. In addition, you need to have control and knowledge of your own emotions and actions in order to make them more positive.
