The Covid19 Irony : Fear weakens our immune system

[Amity Island]

Hi everyone,

It's pretty fair to say many people are worried, fearful and anxious about covid19. However, herein lies the irony. In the articles i've attached below, it's quite clear that constant fear or worry can itself lower ones immunity. That fear, doesn't have to be of anything real, just a perceived threat is more than sufficient.

Given the relentless 24hr press coverage of covid19, I do wonder what sort of impact this fear of covid19 is having on people's health and well-being. For people with a pre-existing health condition like diabetes, what can we do to avoid unnecessary worry and prevent putting more strain on our health than we already have?

Any thoughts on this, please share...

Impact of Fear and Anxiety | Taking Charge of Your Wellbeing

Fear is a human emotion that is triggered by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism that signals our bodies to respond to danger with a fight or flight response. As such, it is an essential part of keeping us safe.However, people who live in constant fear, whether from physical...

www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu

The fear of coronavirus is changing our psychology

The threat of contagion can twist our psychological responses to ordinary interactions, leading us to behave in unexpected ways.

www.bbc.com

 

[grovesy]

I personally don't stress about ifs and buts and maybes, I leave till I have something to stress about.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I certainly felt a degree of caution earlier in the year (not sure I would describe it as fear or anxiety though)

We did have a lot of new arrivals at that time who did seem clearly worried, but I think over the weeks and months most people have just adapted to whatever the new guidelines have been. And certainly the relaxations over the summer have meant lots of things have felt more normal (though slightly changed) for me.

I don’t live in one of the areas with a localised lockdown, and I certainly never felt the need to do anything approaching shielding (though I respect the choices of those who took that approach)

When I leave the house I don’t really think it is all that likely that I will come into contact with the virus... but I am behaving as if I might, washing hands... keeping to 2m distance etc.

Are you anxious in your day to day life @Amity Island ?

 

[Amity Island]

I certainly felt a degree of caution earlier in the year (not sure I would describe it as fear or anxiety though)

We did have a lot of new arrivals at that time who did seem clearly worried, but I think over the weeks and months most people have just adapted to whatever the new guidelines have been. And certainly the relaxations over the summer have meant lots of things have felt more normal (though slightly changed) for me.

I don’t live in one of the areas with a localised lockdown, and I certainly never felt the need to do anything approaching shielding (though I respect the choices of those who took that approach)

When I leave the house I don’t really think it is all that likely that I will come into contact with the virus... but I am behaving as if I might, washing hands... keeping to 2m distance etc.

Are you anxious in your day to day life @Amity Island ?

I think there is definitely a vast diference in peoples attitudes to it. Some (like me) are like as you describe have shown a bit more caution, particularly about washing hands. For many it seems nothing has changed in their approach to life and yet others which I have seen are extremely fearful. I was out in Whitby, North Yorkshire not long ago and I happened to pass someone in the street who, as they saw me approaching, literally backed up against the wall, hands gripping the wall and crept along as I passed, even though there was plenty of space between us. You could see the absolute fear in their eyes. To be honest, if I felt like that about it, I probably wouldn't venture out. But as I was saying in my post, living with that amount of fear is going to have a negative impact on your immune system.

 

[Sheffguy]

Hi everyone,

It's pretty fair to say many people are worried, fearful and anxious about covid19. However, herein lies the irony. In the articles i've attached below, it's quite clear that constant fear or worry can itself lower ones immunity. That fear, doesn't have to be of anything real, just a perceived threat is more than sufficient.

Given the relentless 24hr press coverage of covid19, I do wonder what sort of impact this fear of covid19 is having on people's health and well-being. For people with a pre-existing health condition like diabetes, what can we do to avoid unnecessary worry and prevent putting more strain on our health than we already have?

Any thoughts on this, please share...

Impact of Fear and Anxiety | Taking Charge of Your Wellbeing

Fear is a human emotion that is triggered by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism that signals our bodies to respond to danger with a fight or flight response. As such, it is an essential part of keeping us safe.However, people who live in constant fear, whether from physical...

www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu

The fear of coronavirus is changing our psychology

The threat of contagion can twist our psychological responses to ordinary interactions, leading us to behave in unexpected ways.

www.bbc.com

Very interesting ! Whilst the virus can be serious especially if someone catches it and get's ill with it, there are still many health issues that can be serious too if not picked up and treated early enough! I thought the other day the media especially BBC have made the nation as much as obsessed with the virus!
I have been informed that the annual diabetic eye screening are only seeing people already with retinopathy ! That makes sense in some ways however it does in itself place people like myself at risk of maybe developing retinopathy and not being picked up early!
The whole Covid situation has impacted my mental health as many of my routines have been none existent and have autism the whole thing really has done my head in so my physical health has declined thus impacting my mental health! Ah stop the world I want to get off! Summer has been better though but with things I have found challenging! I am hoping that the Government don't impose another national lockdown again! I lastly long for the day when we can travel and shop without wearing masks!

 

[grovesy]

I think there is definitely a vast diference in peoples attitudes to it. Some (like me) are like as you describe have shown a bit more caution, particularly about washing hands. For many it seems nothing has changed in their approach to life and yet others which I have seen are extremely fearful. I was out in Whitby, North Yorkshire not long ago and I happened to pass someone in the street who, as they saw me approaching, literally backed up against the wall, hands gripping the wall and crept along as I passed, even though there was plenty of space between us. You could see the absolute fear in their eyes. To be honest, if I felt like that about it, I probably wouldn't venture out. But as I was saying in my post, living with that amount of fear is going to have a negative impact on your immune system.

That could have been the first time that person had been out or had been in the shielding group.

 

[Docb]

Having had a quick look at the articles I think I might take issue with the idea that "it's quite clear that constant fear or worry can itself lower ones immunity." That's not taking issue with you Amity, its taking issue with the tone of the articles which you have summarised in the phrase I have quoted from your post.

Quite accept that fear is a powerful emotion and that some people are more fearful than others but it is a bit of a logic jump to say that immunity to disease is affected by that fear. It's the continuous use of the words "may" and "can" instead of "will" that raise my bull pooh antennae. Whenever I read that something may do something I give equal emphasis to the idea that it may not do that thing. I don't mind somebody suggesting a risk and then quantifying that risk by a probability of it occurring but saying something "may" happen is just woolly thinking and does not help things.

 

[Amity Island]

Very interesting ! Whilst the virus can be serious especially if someone catches it and get's ill with it, there are still many health issues that can be serious too if not picked up and treated early enough! I thought the other day the media especially BBC have made the nation as much as obsessed with the virus!
I have been informed that the annual diabetic eye screening are only seeing people already with retinopathy ! That makes sense in some ways however it does in itself place people like myself at risk of maybe developing retinopathy and not being picked up early!
The whole Covid situation has impacted my mental health as many of my routines have been none existent and have autism the whole thing really has done my head in so my physical health has declined thus impacting my mental health! Ah stop the world I want to get off! Summer has been better though but with things I have found challenging! I am hoping that the Government don't impose another national lockdown again! I lastly long for the day when we can travel and shop without wearing masks!

I had bbc news 24 on in the background the other day, honestly, it was constant covid19. It's all switched from 24/7 brexit to 24/7 covid.

There must be lots of other things going on in the world, we've still got lots of good people doing lots of good things.

 

[Amity Island]

Having had a quick look at the articles I think I might take issue with the idea that "it's quite clear that constant fear or worry can itself lower ones immunity." That's not taking issue with you Amity, its taking issue with the tone of the articles which you have summarised in the phrase I have quoted from your post.

Quite accept that fear is a powerful emotion and that some people are more fearful than others but it is a bit of a logic jump to say that immunity to disease is affected by that fear. It's the continuous use of the words "may" and "can" instead of "will" that raise my bull pooh antennae. Whenever I read that something may do something I give equal emphasis to the idea that it may not do that thing. I don't mind somebody suggesting a risk and then quantifying that risk by a probability of it occurring but saying something "may" happen is just woolly thinking and does not help things.

Me too DocB, as soon as I see MAY or COULD in any news story I question the validity of it. Not only that, I question why they are even reporting a MAY or COULD be story.

 

[Amity Island]

Very interesting ! Whilst the virus can be serious especially if someone catches it and get's ill with it, there are still many health issues that can be serious too if not picked up and treated early enough! I thought the other day the media especially BBC have made the nation as much as obsessed with the virus!
I have been informed that the annual diabetic eye screening are only seeing people already with retinopathy ! That makes sense in some ways however it does in itself place people like myself at risk of maybe developing retinopathy and not being picked up early!
The whole Covid situation has impacted my mental health as many of my routines have been none existent and have autism the whole thing really has done my head in so my physical health has declined thus impacting my mental health! Ah stop the world I want to get off! Summer has been better though but with things I have found challenging! I am hoping that the Government don't impose another national lockdown again! I lastly long for the day when we can travel and shop without wearing masks!

Also you made another important point which was discussed in the second link. It's not just the worry of catching covid that can effect people's health it's the way in which this whole episode is changing people's way of thinking and behaving. Many haven't visited their elderly relatives through fear of passing the virus on. This isolation and lack of close human comfort and affection often effects people's wellbeing.

I think there has to be a point where you have to weigh up the negative effects of all the lockdowns, isolation, destruction of businesses, jobs is doing way more harm than the virus is.

 

[trophywench]

Things like not being able to make a GP appointment in a sensible manner was never foreseen by either of us. That one is especially galling - at 70 odd, never having ever in our lives been known to bother a Dr with anything trivial we are no longer able to judge for ourselves that we have a medical problem which needs sorting eg an existing properly diagnosed condition becoming worse and not responding as well as previously to existing medication. Things like not being able to socialise properly even outdoors. Things like not being able to hug babies and toddlers in our family - our own daughters, granddaughters and Great grandchildren, let alone they us. Things like the knowledge that our Prime Minister is incapable of stringing a coherent sentence together in an emergency.

The knowledge that this could/might/looks like it probably will be the norm for the foreseeable future.

Explain to us please do, how this won't affect our mental health? Surely it's that which reduces our immunity to 'stuff' as much as the worry/anxiety/fear in the first place?

 

[Ditto]

I'm feeling a tad fearful and stressed due to the news which is all dire today. Apparently the immunity wears off. I was banking on that to keep me and family safe. Might have to lock down tight again, shop local, stop visiting family, tell son to lock down too. He was only just thinking of easing up. 🙄

I'm also feared because I've just read a list of celebrities who have got it, had it or died from it. So many.

It's quite obvious to me that being fearful and stressed would make a person less able to resist infection and everything bad really.