The importance of having fun during the lockdown

This article has kindly been provided by MedicAlert, the UK’s only charity providing medical ID service to keep those with underlying medical conditions safe in emergencies. MedicAlert aims to provide peace of mind to all their members and has worked with the author, Rosie Hancock to highlight how to retain a positive outlook during the Coronavirus outbreak.

We’re living in a scary time: locked down without any clear idea as to when restrictions will lift while we continue watching the infection death rate rise. It is exactly this kind of experience that can trigger all kinds of negative emotions: anxiety, fear, desperation, loneliness, worry. For those with genetic illnesses or rare conditions the lockdown might compound these emotions even further.

How can we cope with all these difficult feelings?

There are some basics, which you likely already know, that can help mitigate these feelings. These include getting enough sleep, regularly exercising, eating a nutritious diet and connecting with other people.

However, there is an additional, surprising approach that has the potential to have a greater impact on your health than you might expect. Alongside the above basics, it might be beneficial to specifically make time to do things that make you feel good. The more frequently, and intensely, you experience positive emotions like love, passion, laughter, joy, awe, inspiration and all-round happiness, the more likely it is that you will not only feel good in those moments, your mental and physical health will be positively impacted on a longer term basis.

In the last two decades, multiple scientific studies (1-6) have evidenced that many different aspects of our mental health can be improved by an abundance of positive emotions. Resilience strengthens and wellbeing is enhanced. The bigger picture? We feel more deeply connected to others, our reactions to stress improve, depressive symptoms may reduce and we develop healthier coping skills.

Building a strong immune system

Perhaps even more importantly, an abundance of positive emotions in our daily lives has been shown to be associated with improvements in our physical health (7-12) such as:

• lower blood pressure
• reduced risk for heart disease
• healthier weight
• better blood sugar levels
• longer life

A particularly interesting by-product of increased positive emotions is the observable link to stronger immune system functioning. In fact, two research studies have even shown that such emotions have the potential to reduce your likelihood of catching a virus (13-14).

Over 400 healthy men and women, aged between 18 and 54, were recruited with the explicit goal of investigating whether individual emotional experience would impact the chances of catching a cold or flu virus. The participants were taken through a thorough medical screening process in order to qualify them as healthy adults with no underlying medical conditions. Those who successfully passed this screening phase were then assessed for their, amongst other things, level of positive emotions. Following this, they were placed in quarantine and exposed to a cold or flu virus via nasal drops.

The subjects remained in quarantine for a week and were continually monitored for any signs that they had contracted the virus. Physical measurements, including weighing the amount of mucus they produced, were used to help determine this. A month later the subjects had their blood tested for antibodies. The results were clear: the participants who experienced higher levels of positive emotions were less likely to develop a cold or flu. Across the two separate studies and against the three viruses used (two rhinoviruses and one influenza virus), the results remained consistent.

Of course, this is not a miracle cure. Some of those who experienced high levels of positive emotions still developed symptoms. However, compared to the participants with less or lower levels of positive emotions, fewer of them caught the virus than was expected.

So what can you do?

If the above studies and evidence tells us anything, it’s that having fun is not just a ‘nice to have’ right now – it’s a key element of staying healthy, both physically and mentally. So plan ahead and implement as many opportunities into your days as you can to cultivate intense positive emotions. They don’t have to be major things. For example:

• watch a comedy that makes you laugh out loud, rather than the type of movie that makes you hide behind your hands
• listen to upbeat music that gets your body moving and that you can sing along to (if you like to express yourself in this way)!
• turn to an inspiring biography or a light and easy read, rather than slog through a heavy tome or something depressing
• pay attention in situations and events that fill you with joy: anticipate them with delight, savour them while they’re happening and reminisce about them (ideally with others) to wring out every positive emotion you can
• find, read and share jokes and humorous stories that are reported in the news or posted on social media
• escape outside and focus on the beauty of nature
• enjoy silly games with your children, partner, friends or pets
• cheer yourself up with phone/video calls with your friends and family – and don’t forget about people you’ve been meaning to get in touch with for a while!

The bottom line? Plan to have as much fun as you possibly can. Why? Because it feels great and it might just lower your chances of catching Covid-19.

About MedicAlert UK

MedicAlert UK is the UK’s only charity provider of medical ID services and jewellery. Their comprehensive service provides complete peace of mind to anyone with underlying health conditions that may put them at risk in an emergency.

MedicAlert UK provides a safety net, allowing you to lead the life you choose, without having to worry about what might happen in emergencies. Medical professionals are trained to check for, and quickly recognise, the MedicAlert symbol on your jewellery and to use it to retrieve your full, professionally checked medical record to ensure accurate care decisions are made according to your needs.

To find out more about MedicAlert and how their service can support you, please click here.

About the author

Rosie Hancock has been working and teaching in the field of positive psychology since 2006. She coaches individuals to build resilience and well-being while developing their careers and leadership skills. She also develops and teaches workshops on resilience, career development and positive leadership to executives in organisations of all sizes. Rosie has taught in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology programme at the University of East London, and on the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania under Martin Seligman.

Rosie holds a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania; a Master’s degree in Education with Certificate in Counselling from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, NZ; a Graduate Certificate in Career Development from AUT University in NZ; and a Master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge.

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