How to Deal with Anxiety & Fear & Boost Your Immunity Naturally
(photos are an ode to Italy during calmer times)
Anxiety and fear are closely tied to our immunity in very interesting ways! This means ironically that the more afraid and anxious you are of becoming sick, the more likely you will be to become sick! There are two helpful things we can do about this: one, lower our anxiety and two, boost our immune system!
First of all, did you know that fear and stress (which is prolonged fear) shuts down the immune system? Our ability to fight off antigens is reduced and we become highly susceptible to viruses. Stress decreases the white blood cell “killer cells” (named that because they fight viral infections) which are the main type of immune cell that fights infection. Ultimately stress leaves you more vulnerable and at risk to catch a virus such as coronavirus. Stress also compromises the body's response to inflammation which also damages the immune system. For me, because I’ve been working on my health for a while now, I almost never get sick, but when I do, it has always been because of high stress and lack of sleep. I’ve experienced the affect of stress on the immune system first hand.
If you’re interested, read on! Here’s a little synopsis from the website If not, skip below!
“In the early 1980s, psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., and immunologist Ronald Glaser, Ph.D., of the Ohio State University College of Medicine, were intrigued by animal studies that linked stress and infection. From 1982 through 1992, these pioneer researchers studied medical students. Among other things, they found that the students' immunity went down every year under the simple stress of the three-day exam period. Test takers had fewer natural killer cells, which fight tumors and viral infections. They almost stopped producing immunity-boosting gamma interferon and infection-fighting T-cells responded only weakly to test-tube stimulation.
Those findings opened the floodgates of research. By 2004, Suzanne Segerstrom, Ph.D., of the University of Kentucky, and Gregory Miller, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia, had nearly 300 studies on stress and health to review. Their meta-analysis discerned intriguing patterns. Lab studies that stressed people for a few minutes found a burst of one type of "first responder" activity mixed with other signs of weakening. For stress of any significant duration - from a few days to a few months or years, as happens in real life - all aspects of immunity went downhill. Thus long-term or chronic stress, through too much wear and tear, can ravage the immune system.”
Do you know what can magically boost your immune system? Gratitude!
As I’ve been contemplating all of this I’m finding it easy to become worried and unsettled. Are you? I’m feeling for those of you who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, as I have in the past! It’s easy to allow the vortex of fear and panic sweeping our country to pull us in. Fear and panic won’t help anything, though. “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (MT 6.27, LK 12.25) When we are afraid and anxious, our thinking is not clear. We aren’t able to act in our or other’s best interest. We can’t allow fear to rule over our minds. God says “I have not given you the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (TM 1.7). This means that in the absence of fear, we can handle the situation wisely, effectively, and in a loving way. How do we handle this lovingly? We will care for ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors as best we can. How can we handle this with a sound mind? Because we are clear-headed and using common sense, we will do what we can to mitigate effects. Love and a sound mind together will be powerful indeed. (If you’re interested in learning more about how to effectively fight the spiritual battle of stress and fear, I highly recommend the book “Fear” by Henry W. Wright!)
So, what can we do? First things first we’ve got to cast out fear if we want to do any of it at all. It has no place in our lives. Reject it. If you’re like a lot of us and feeling nearly overwhelmed with uncertainty or are being affected by fear, you can pause right now and give that over to God…to your Abba. Let Him carry that burden for you, and let go of it. You’ll feel much better, promise. I know from experience, many, many times. I’ll give a little pause in this article to do that, right now, if you wish.
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Quiet space
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All you have to say is “Abba, I’m feeling a little afraid and uncertain of everything right now. This anxiety is weighing heavy on me, I feel suffocated by it (or whoever it is affecting you right now). I no longer want to carry this burden of fear around with me throughout the upcoming days and months. I give it to all to You. I commit to giving it to You again if I take it back on — please help me to be aware of my thoughts so that I can. Please show me how to approach this situation with love and with a sound mind, every step of the way. Give me wisdom and guidance in my thoughts and actions. In Your name, amen.”
A P P R O A C H I N G T H I S W I T H A S O U N D M I N D :
Now that we aren’t allowing fear to rule us anymore, what practical things can we do? You’d think every influencer and organization has turned into our mothers charging everyone to “wash your hands!”. Ok, we get it. We’re grownups! It’s sensible advice and necessary to say I suppose, though. I’m sure you’ve heard safety measures a million and one times recently, so I’m not going to repeat them here. There are a few things that might really help, though, that you’re probably not hearing about. Sally Fallon Morell (author of the Nourishing Traditions book) says:
“Like any virus, coronavirus is no match for someone with a strong immune system. Here are ways you can bolster yours:
Vitamin A-rich foods: Vitamin A is our number one protection against viruses. So take your cod liver oil, one that contains natural vitamin A and eat liver about once a week.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D works with vitamin A to give us a strong immune system. Best sources are cod liver oil, egg yolks from pastured hens, butter from grass-fed cows, fish eggs and lard from pigs raised outdoors.
Coconut Oil: The coronavirus is a lipid-coated virus that pegs out in the presence of medium-chain triglycerides–and coconut oil is our best source of these healthy fats.
Gelatin-rich bone broth: Supports the immune system and helps us detoxify.”
Read her full article here:
Dr. Axe, a favorite, well-rounded website of mine, has a great article about boosting your immune system too: The time to start boosting it is now, so that your body can effectively fight any virus off. He explains why all of these things work as well as how the immune system does functions. Dr. Axe recommends these top 10 immune system boosters: echinacea, elderberry, colloidal silver, probiotics, astragalus root, ginger, ginseng, vitamin D, myrrh and oil of oregano.
As Sally said, coronavirus is no match for someone with a strong immune system! The ones I’ll be doing and already take regularly are:
elderberry (I swear by elderberry, I’ve seen it prevent me miraculously from not getting sick many, many times. I’m in awe.I get fermented elderberry by Ancient Nutrition but it’s sold out now so I linked another one that I’ve heard has the highest content of elderberry instead. I’ve used this brand before too and love it,)
fresh garlic
(These are the supplements I use daily and love and swear by. If you are considering purchasing any of these and click through my link any of these from amazon your effort goes to support The Modern Gentlewoman as I am trying to get off the ground and it enables me be able to keep running it! Amazon will approve me to be an associate after 3 purchases are made through my links, and I’ll be really excited when that happens! I’m grateful that one my last post, I had a purchase but didn’t know who it was and so didn’t know who to thank! If you purchase anything, I’d love if you could comment it below so that I can know who it was and thank you!!!)
Getting a good nights sleep each night is important for your immune system as is fresh air and wholesome, nutritious, foods! Most importantly, keep surrendering your fear and activate a sound mind!
A P P R O A C H I N G T H I S W I T H L O V E :
Our church was canceled this Sunday and in the notice was included a wonderful list of things we can do to serve our community with love which I thought was so good and so helpful. Here is the list:
“Ways To Care:
Friends, the church has a long and robust history of caring for others during times of sickness. Now, what shape might that take for us?
Praying on our knees for each Other & for Neighbors: What if, as anxiety in our city heightens, we spend more time on our knees praying (not for our own protection) but for the health of others?
Food & Sustenance for Each Other & Neighbors: What if, when some of us are quarantined at home, we drop off food, hydration, and basic over-the-counter medicines for each other.
Writing Real Letters: What if, when some of us are separated from one another, we take up that old practice of putting pen to paper and writing real letters to one another.
Make Real Phone Calls: Texting is easy, phone calls take more effort. What if, when we are apart from one another, we do that old-fashioned thing where we pick up the phone and call for no other purpose than just to talk? Additionally, our friends at ForRichmond.org have sent out a list of helpful steps in loving our neighbors.
Make a list of your neighbors – the neighbors on your block and the folks in your broader network. Take 5 minutes to think about who might need your help right now.
Do you have a 65+ neighbor? Call, text, or knock and keep a safe distance and ask if they need anything – groceries, a prescription refilled, a good book to read to pass the day.
Do you have a nurse, doctor, EMT or a first responder in your life? Mow their lawn while they’re at work. It one less thing for them to think about and a simple way to show you care.
Do you have working parents with school-aged children who need childcare support now that schools are closed? Offer to watch their kids for a day. Ask other neighbors if they would be willing to help too.
Do you have a sick neighbor that is quarantining him or herself? Call or text to find out what they might need and leave it on their doorstep so they can access it without exposing you to sickness.
Do you know someone in a nursing home or hospital who no longer is allowed to have visitors? Give them a call and let them know they’re not alone.
Do you have neighbors or friends who struggle with anxiety? Check-in on them and encourage them to embrace self-care strategies like limiting social media and news consumption. If they are open to prayer, pray with them.
Do you know a family that struggles with food insecurity? Share some of the groceries you picked up for own family.
Do you have Asian-American neighbors? Many are experiencing a lot of ignorant comments and racism right now. Talk to your kids about why that’s wrong and if you hear others saying racist things, gently but firmly confront it.
Are you a block captain or an admin on a neighborhood message board? Use your existing network to reach out and see if there are neighbors in need.
These are just a few, simple starters. No doubt you will think of many more creative ways we can care for one another and for our neighbors outside our church family.”
I’m already brainstorming ways I could perhaps serve in these ways. I thought it was a helpful list. Maybe something will resonate with you, too!
Another thing on my mind is all the small businesses and individuals that are being impacted by things being shut down. My heart is with the people who are starting to worry about how they’ll provide for their families. I saw a great Instagram post which I shared about helping those people out which said, “[…] help those out who aren’t so fortunate. For example: buying gift cards to the local businesses and service providers that you normally frequent but aren’t right now - hairdressers, yoga studios, coffee shops, etc. It’s not much but gives them some much-needed revenue in a tough time. You can use the gift card when life is back to normal. We want all those small and local businesses to still be around when this is over.” I thought this was a great point!
I hope this will give you a framework to process all of this through. I know all this info has been helpful for me. Do what you can, don’t stress about the rest! This too shall pass.
M A K E T H E M O S T :
One parting thought on my mind is this: what kind of opportunities does this situation present? What if we are quarantined in our own homes for two weeks? Whether or not that happens, it looks like we all will be staying in a lot more as events are being canceled, businesses are being closed, and we are all stocked up on groceries like it’s doomsday. This means we will be having the luxury of free, peaceful (if we surrender fear) quiet time in abundance! This is a beautiful gift we don’t often get handed to us like this. How might we make the most of this? Probably the worst thing we could do it anxiously follow the coronavirus around the world. Staying informed is one thing, feeding your fear is another. So what could we do that will truly benefit our lives both now and in the future after all of this has passed? We could spend quality time with our families, or read the books we’ve been wanting to read for a long time, or take quiet time to restore our hearts and souls, or enjoy our passions and hobbies. Imagine if the whole world, everyone who was quarantined, chose to make the most of it like this? How much more enriched and beautiful a place it would be? Challenge yourself to make this an enriching, pleasant, time and you will look back on it as something that brought value to your life and maybe even changed the course of your life in some way! You’d be amazed what two weeks of daily dedication to something can do! Carpe diem! What if we did a little “Quiet Space Challenge” together? I personally am making it a goal to finish one of the numerous blogposts I have already written per day for the next two weeks, so that I can keep up with regularly posting and hopefully be able to serve you all better. That is my passion and it will also be a big challenge for me as it takes a lot of time and love to pour into something that I hope will truly benefit - even if it is just one person, that will be enough for me. Also, after I was thinking about what opportunities this time provides, I noticed some of my favorite artist on instagram saying the same thing - I reposted their ideas in my stories, if you’d like to see!
Thinking of all of you, praying for our nation and the world, and wishing you the best as you cast off fear and approach this with love and a sound mind!
Sending Love and Sunshine!
Juliet
