How to cope mentally with a pandemic

What can help you remain able to act in a confusing crisis?

A global crisis changes familiar routines. This historical text from October 2020 asks about meaning, adaptability and social connection in an uncertain time.

Huberman’s reflections offer a practical approach: noticing progress, understanding expectations and finding direction again in the next manageable step.

28 October 2020 · Neuroplasticity. The brain and nervous system are like an adaptable machine. On a gravel road, it needs different qualities from those required on a Formula 1 track. This image represents the capacity to learn from experience and adapt to new tasks. It also offers strength for dealing with crises: repeated small steps can build new patterns of action.

Finding meaning in a global crisis. How we judge goals, expectations and progress affects motivation. Huberman connects this idea with the reward system, in which dopamine plays a part. He refers to Viktor Frankl and Nelson Mandela, who held onto meaning and an inner direction under extreme conditions. The message for difficult times is to notice what you act for and recognise even small advances as progress.

Finding meaning in life in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Living with disappointment and setbacks. Huberman explains reward prediction: when an expected result fails to appear, disappointment can follow. During the pandemic, hopes were repeatedly interrupted by new waves. Especially then, it helps to examine expectations, identify the next step you can influence and notice progress along the way.

How friends and family positively influence the brain. In difficult times such as a pandemic, chemical messengers including serotonin and oxytocin help create wellbeing and emotional closeness. They are released, for example, when meeting loved ones or looking at meaningful objects. They activate neural circuits linking heart and gut with the brain, creating a warm feeling in the upper body. These neurochemical processes are particularly important during the pandemic.

Stress and the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people felt overwhelmed because familiar routines required new decisions. A door handle, shopping, meeting others: suddenly much had to be planned, increasing cognitive demands. How long would the crisis last? How would we get through it? What would come afterwards? At the same time, changed circumstances opened room for new routines. Reliable daily structures and conscious small actions could help build orientation during uncertainty.