THE COGNITIVE EDIT
HELP EASE YOUR BRAIN BACK TO TOP CONDITION
For those of us at home, we’re mostly in ‘low-power mode’, says neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart, author of The Source: The Secrets of the Universe, the Science of the Brain. ‘The brain isn’t as resourced as usual; there’s no mental stimulation, not much variety – it’s like Groundhog Day. It decreases your motivation. When we re-enter being social, there’s going to be a lot of fear short-term,’ she says, including a hesitancy to touch others.
There is also a serious mental health component. While some have experienced stress responses from which they will likely rebound (poor sleep, excess worry), others will need more attention, says Dr Kathleen Pike, a professor of psychology and scientific advisor for Maybelline’s mental health initiative Brave Together. Given the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, many are falling prey to issues such as anxiety, depression and OCD – either for the first time or with worsening symptoms. For frontline workers in particular, Pike says ‘this is an acute crisis’. Studies of past pandemics and epidemics show that some will exhibit psychological distress – such as burnout, insomnia, anxiety and depression – up to two years later. Yadegar says he wouldn’t be surprised if ‘the suicide rate of health care workers dramatically increases [over] six months or a year or many years.’
Those who have experienced dramatic economic upheaval are also vulnerable. ‘Severe economic stress can be associated with increased risk of substance use, mood disorders and suicide,’ Pike says. She also stresses how much harder this pandemic has hit women than men, taking an additional toll on their mental health.
Even if you’re able to rebound, it may take time to feel truly connected again, particularly if you’ve been living alone. ‘The loneliness aspect has been a serious problem,’ Swart says. ‘There’s a reason that solitary confinement is the worst punishment anyone can have.’ And we are experiencing grief – individual and collective mourning for souls passed and the loss of our previous lives, livelihoods and selves. ‘As long as it took you to get to this stage, it will take you [that same amount of time] to get back to how you want to be,’ Swart adds.
So how can we help this re-entry along? Dr Caroline Leaf, communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist, and one of the first people to study neuroplasticity in the 1980s, sees the mind’s adaptability as a healing force. ‘We’re not stuck with a Covid brain,’ she says. ‘We can direct the neuroplasticity in the direction we want through mind management.’ She suggests focusing on three hopeful thoughts for every negative one to
‘create a healthy energy flow in the brain, increasing theta waves. It’s like a healing boost: it changes the chemistry of the brain and also sends a message to your body. Cortisol levels drop and the heart starts functioning better; we respond incredibly well to one little boost of hope.’
She has developed a five-step process to ‘manage your mind’ that has been proven in clinical trials ‘to increase your control of depression and anxiety by 81%, no drugs involved,’ which is outlined in her new book, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess, and on her apps Switch and NeuroCycle. ‘If we don’t manage and direct how our mind and brain are changing, we get tossed around,’ she says.
Swart suggests journaling – voice or video – to help release troubling thoughts and reinforce positive mantras, so negativity-carrying neurons don’t wire together. She also says that a warm bath can trigger oxytocin, which we’ve been missing – an especially good tip for those living alone. And, to help the brain overturn negative thinking, be sure to get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, exercise, meditate and eat healthy foods.
Pike explains that there is one way our brains may have actually changed for the better: post-traumatic growth. ‘It’s the hero’s journey: when we live through extremely challenging and difficult times, we come out stronger than we were before,’ she says. We develop a sense that new opportunities emerge from struggle – renewed relationships, deepened spiritual lives, a greater appreciation for life in general.
Another silver lining is a new simplicity. We may question what’s really worth our time, Eagleman says.
‘Our perspective is going to be forever changed.’