{"id":420,"date":"2023-08-16T12:02:45","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T11:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pcrest.com\/blog\/?p=420"},"modified":"2023-09-13T12:25:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T11:25:29","slug":"psychological-immunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pcrest.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/16\/psychological-immunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychological Immunity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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“According to a growing body of research, the brain has a remarkable capacity to make the best of bad events: when we encounter negative situations we subconsciously activate what is known as our psychological immune system. A self-protective mechanism analogous to the body\u2019s own immune system, the psychological immune system is a series of processes that our brain initiates to help us make sense of the adverse environment we might be in, assign meaning to what is happening, and ultimately find positives for the future. ‘The psychological immune system is an incredible buffer against the inevitable stresses of life,’ author and resilience expert Anne Grady says. ‘It doesn\u2019t prevent bad things from happening to us, but if we can learn to develop it, we can put our brain back in control and monitor our responses.'”<\/p>\nThe psychological immune system: four ways to bolster yours \u2013 and have a happier, calmer life<\/a> by Ammar Kalia Aug 14, 2023 in The Guardian <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

There is a mentoring skill, maintaining balance<\/em><\/strong>, that lends itself easily to familiar metaphors such as that of a tightrope walker or a ship at sea during a storm, both situations where stability must be maintained if catastrophe is to be avoided. In both scenarios, you work to actively balance the bad with the good, losses with gains\u2014if things shift too far right\/starboard side, you add weight to the left\/port side. You can learn and improve <\/em>the skill of maintaining balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recently came across the article quoted and cited above about psychological immune systems<\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Wonderful,” we thought, “It’s like binocular vision\u2026an additional perspective increases what we can see!” (We must admit that this idea also made our nerdy little eyes light up.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The metaphor of a psychological immune system is rich in its implications\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One is that it is an internalized and individual skill\u2014something within us that is based on our personal experiences and skills. This means we work with what we have and who we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another is that we can do something to increase our immunity, as individual as it may be. The metaphor even suggests how <\/strong>we can increase our immunity, if we think about how physical immune systems work. Immunity isn’t the result of avoidance but of the body learning how to best deal with problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exposure gives the immune system an opportunity to strengthen itself by overcoming a problem. Immunizations are similar to exposure in that they introduce an antigen that imitates the problem, priming the immune system to strengthen itself in preparation for overcoming that problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re immune to a disease, your body hasn’t learned how to AVOID a problem, but rather knows how to DEAL WITH IT to keep you from becoming seriously ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was an awesome metaphor! It allowed us to think a bit differently and gain some insight. It also lets us reframe the critical questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does our psychological immune system deal with a problem?<\/em><\/strong>
What must it be able to DO in order to deal with a problem?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are the same questions as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do we maintain balance?<\/em><\/strong>
What must we be able to DO in order to maintain balance?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And even:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we best deal with the negative hits of life?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly enough, the answers recommended by those writing about the psychological immune system align beautifully with what we’ve learned in working with and coaching self-growth<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Move from negative to neutral<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Access the present moment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Find your meaning<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Practise acceptance<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    We put it this way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Do what you can to step back from negative emotional reactions so that you can deal with the problem as rationally as possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Be mindful and aware of what you’re thinking and feeling so that you can be reflective and intentional in how you proceed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. See the problem in the context of your life journey and life vision, appreciating what you already know that can help you to deal with the problem AND so you can learn from what you’re dealing with NOW to improve your future.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Deal with the problem; don’t ignore or push it aside. Problems that aren’t solved are likely to show up again, making it difficult, if not impossible, to move on.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Remember, this is about TRAINING the psychological<\/em> immune system (or MAINTAINING balance in your life<\/em>). There’s no shot for that\u2026just an ongoing process that holds the promise of a better life.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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