The implications of this pandemic are extensive and although the health concerns about the virus itself are important in media, the interaction between physical and mental health is also being documented. In addition to your physical health, your mental health matters too. And although times feel dark, and daily life feels like a drag, one psychological factor that can help you is hope.

Hope as a construct exists in a form of the current state (the hope you have in the present moment about this situation), and in the form of a trait (your general outlook at life). In either form, it can help not just your mental health, but your physical health as well. Optimism, a related factor where you are able to see positive potential outcomes, has additional benefits.

Hope can reduce your physical pain. Several studies have shown that those who report having more hope in the form of a trait, also report less physical pain. This could be because people with higher hope are less likely to think negatively about the pain, which in turn diminishes a negative outlook. Your perception of pain is a classic example of a process that seems solely physiological, but instead has a lot to do with your emotional interpretation

Optimism can help improve cardiovascular health. Research shows that optimism is good for your heart health. Analyses have shown that an optimistic outlook reduces your risk of having a heart attack, and the data is so significant that many cardiovascular experts believe improving your mental health is an important preventative treatment for heart disease. This correlation may not be considered surprising, since the stress response, a direct connection between emotional health and physical health plays such an important role in long-term heart health. Another factor is blood pressure. Hope and optimism can have positive effects on blood pressure, increasing treatment efforts for hypertension. When blood pressure is managed and maintained within healthy levels, the benefits extend beyond just your heart, helping prevent your risk of stroke as well.

Hope may boost circulation and respiration. Hope, optimism, and a positive outlook, in general, have been associated with defending against chronic illness. This may be in part because the absence of depressive symptoms or negative emotions is important in its own way. You might know that those factors can impact your health negatively. It could also be that people who are more hopeful and optimistic are more likely to practice positive mental and physical health behaviors and take better care of themselves. With that, it is suggested that hope has a positive effect on physiological processes such as circulation and respiration, probably because of its stress-reducing properties, which help keep other bodily systems from being over exhausted.

As you observe your thoughts during this stressful time, try to catch yourself in before thinking of this situation as catastrophic. Try to manage your anxiety on a daily basis in ways that help you feel more in control of your body and emotions.