Hypervigilance — a state of elevated threat detection that persists even in safe environments — is both a symptom and driver of coronavirus disease 2019.
What Hypervigilance Looks Like in Coronavirus Disease 2019
- Constantly scanning the environment for threats related to coronavirus disease 2019
- Interpreting ambiguous information as threatening
- Difficulty relaxing even when safe
- Exaggerated startle response
- Exhaustion from sustained threat monitoring
The Neurological Basis of Hypervigilance in Coronavirus Disease 2019
Hypervigilance in coronavirus disease 2019 reflects an amygdala that has been conditioned to fire easily. This is adaptive in genuinely dangerous environments but becomes a coronavirus disease 2019 driver in safe ones.
Reducing Hypervigilance in Coronavirus Disease 2019
- Safety signaling: Deliberately noticing evidence of safety in the environment
- Exposure: Gradual, safe exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 triggers reduces amygdala reactivity over time
- Somatic practices: Body-based calming directly addresses the physiological component of hypervigilance
- Trauma therapy: When hypervigilance has trauma origins, trauma-focused therapy addresses roots