Remote Work – Accompanying health measures in the home office

This article is about fear. The only reason why this word is not in the title is that it subconsciously triggers a whole cascade of associations. My article is about this cascade and its effects. This fear is actually a factor in the effectiveness of the virus.

Corona forces a change of perspective

Why am I writing this article? Because I am a health expert and have been studying salutogenesis since 1990. This is the science of health. And there you generally look at the situation from the cause level, not from the problem level.

It’s good that Remote Work aka Home Office is now more strongly perceived as an opportunity. But it is not the solution to the health problem. It is also not comprehensive protection against infection. Rather, it should open our eyes to what individuals can do to protect their health.

We are under constant media fire as far as the frightening aspects of the current crisis are concerned. On the political side, it is unclear who has what responsibilities in the federal system in this situation. There are no clear instructions for action, but recommendations.

These recommendations relate exclusively to the defense against infection – i.e. to protect against the outside world. Hardly anyone explains how we can arm ourselves inside. At best, a vaccination is mentioned for which there is no vaccine yet.

How experts deal with the situation

They’re at odds. In the media, you can find headlines and statistical calculations of every kind: From the expert who predicts a frightening number of deaths because the virus is so extremely dangerous, to the expert who recommends “letting the epidemic run its course” to achieve rapid herd immunization because the courses are usually without complications.

How we handle the situation

There is no doubt that infection-preventing measures are useful. Everything has already been said about this. We know that the virus is particularly threatening for those groups of people who suffer from an already weakened immune system. These are chronically ill people, cancer patients, the elderly.

We must therefore talk about how to strengthen the body police – the immune system. That is the set screw that everyone can turn themselves.

How our immune system deals with the situation

And this is where fear comes in. Psychoneuroimmunology has proven that fear lowers immune function. So how sensible is it to focus exclusively on the dangers without pointing out the possibilities of strengthening the immune system?

We could use the situation to focus more on prevention and strengthening the immune system. Instead, we just paint black and throw money into the problem.

So back to the solution level.

Fear is the most dangerous thing about this virus. According to the Federal Ministry of Health of Germany, the course is mild in 4 out of 5 patients, some have no symptoms at all. One of those five has a weakened immune system and a severe course.

Fear is acute stress and as such weakens the immune system. In the case of stress, the organism reduces the functions of all systems that are not directly vital to survival. This also includes the immune system. Because of the approaching saber-toothed tiger, an impending cough is secondary. This stress reaction is biologically determined and is supposed to ensure survival since primeval times.

Concrete measures to strengthen the immune system in the home office

The knowledge of this biological mechanism should help to find a way out of the fear of hysteria. Let’s concentrate on strengthening the body’s defenses. Here are 3 concrete tips.

Using heart coherence to reduce the effect of anxiety

Getting out of fear is the first and most important step. Don’t let yourself be drawn into the panic. But how can you do this? The body regulates stress when we learn to focus on positive emotions. There is a scientifically proven and simple exercise for this – heart coherence.

This technique from the Heartmath Institute reduces the consequences of stress by creating heart coherence. In 3 steps the heart rate variability is aligned to coherent waves:

1. Heart Focus
   Close your eyes and direct your attention to the heart region. If this is difficult, place one hand on the sternum and focus there.
2. Heart Breathing
   Imagine how your breath flows in and out through this area – your heart. Breathe gently and slowly, counting six with each breath. Breathe until the breath flows calmly and evenly.
3. Heart Feeling
   Keep breathing through the heart region and remember a positive feeling, gratitude, or appreciation. Take a reminder to help you if you find this difficult. Keep breathing until you feel more relaxed and peaceful.

Support immune activity with vitamin C

Chinese physicians are testing high-dose vitamin C as a remedy against the virus. To this end, China reportedly imported 50 tonnes of vitamin C from Europe in February. Orthomolecular physicians recommend high-dose, high-quality (sic!) vitamin C as a virus defense. My entire family follows this recommendation.

I advise you to seek clarification only from an expert in orthomolecular medicine.

Building the microbiome for a strong immune function

A measure that is worthwhile in several ways is the improvement of the microbiome – that is the totality of microorganisms in the intestine. There live 10 times more microorganisms than we have human cells. These are metabolically active and represent the immune system – our body police, which is a healthy person keeps all harmful pathogens at bay.

An intestinal cleansing once a year is part of standard prevention. The healthy, basic intestine contains a microbiome that weighs 2 to 2.5 kg. If the balance is disturbed, for example by over-acidification, the weight can be up to 15 kg. A bulging belly is already a visible indication that corrective action is required.

The intestine likes basic foods – these are all green (because they are rich in minerals) foods, fresh and unprocessed. Everything that is processed is metabolized by oxygen. Sugar, simple carbohydrates, alcohol, food chemistry should be avoided. Here, too, I recommend getting advice, because health is created in the intestine.

The positive summary

The recommendation to stay at home also has its good sides. Let’s back off for a while. Get out of the rush. Not into the cave of fear, but the silence of contemplation. It’s good for us and brings us back to basics.

The whole corona crisis has the potential to focus our attention on what is important: prevention, precaution, and personal responsibility. Fatalism is not helpful. Health is not a matter for the health insurance company or the employer. Health is my concern and in my hands. That too is part of the much-vaunted agility. Let us allow the virus to open our eyes to what is really important.

Ava Hauser

Ava Hauser navigiert Führungskräfte durch die Stromschnellen massiven Wandels. Ihr Fokus liegt auf der Selbstführung als Basis für erfolgreiches Führen. Mit über 20 Jahren Erfahrung als Coach, Trainer, Speaker und Therapeutin hat sie ein Programm entwickelt, das Menschen stark macht - nicht nur für Führungsaufgaben.