Couch Potato Counseling

We have been “social distancing” now for over three years, since the time that Cindy no longer could walk. Given her overall health and will to live, we could be social distancing even after restrictions are lifted. Just when I was running out of inspiring or informative material to share about caregiving and brain health, here comes this golden opportunity to offer my counsel as an expert couch potato.

First, a precaution. Folks, there is a downside to becoming accomplished at sitting in front of a television. In this time when the health of your immune systems becomes critical, being a couch potato can be very bad for your health. I feel like I should add a warning “don’t try this at home,” but that does not quite fit here.

As a nation this is something for which we need to be particularly mindful. The last I knew we were 43rd in the world in life expectancy. When I went to double check on that statistic I discovered I am wrong, we are 46th. When I first researched this statistic more than a decade ago, as part of researching how our social systems worked, we were 35th. An article in Lancet projects the USA to be in the sixties for life expectancy by the year 2040, based on United Nations data. We are by far the worst of any developed country, even worse than some less developed countries, and trending down.

I am not aware of world rankings for immune systems, but there is other data to suggest this is correlated to our life expectancy. Measles are ten to a hundred times more fatal in this country, depending on the dataset, than they are to someone in Japan. Not all infectious diseases are the same, but that provides a good reason and a projection that our younger population is likely to be affected more by COVID-19 than any other developed country. If our immune systems are lower, our fatality rate will be higher.

One of the major factors undermining the immune systems in this country is stress. Certainly economic stress has risen with five decades of increasing wealth disparity, but we also tend to become stressed over a number of divisive issues. This includes tackling a pandemic, or acknowledging that one exists. Other factors contributing to a weakened immune system are being sedentary and socially isolated. The potential solution to COVID-19 is also one of this country’s biggest problems.

That is why I caution, if you join me in a couch potato revelry, that you still go for nature walks if you can, the best kind of walk for your health. I also suggest you snuggle with whomever you are quarantined. Never mind if there is awkwardness or you fear the wrong message is being sent, agree that this is best for your health and put your arm around the person sitting next to you on the couch.

Regardless of your normal preferences, choose shows more likely to release dopamine than adrenaline. Adrenaline and cortisol are our fight or flight hormones, very useful in small doses, but toxic in quantity. Dopamine and oxytocin are the hormones you want to encourage right now to boost your immune system. Go ahead, watch a chick flick! Or an inspirational story! No one needs to know.

Being a couch potato also might alleviate your stress by distracting you from the antisocial, stressful combativeness of divisive issues on “social” media. I am guilty of this as well. As I share with you my couch potato expertise, and as I prepare for an eventual new phase of life, I have ideas for changing this.

On Facebook I am starting a Couch Potato Corner geared mainly towards trivia, such as what show has won the most Emmys? Polls such as best sitcom romance will be solicited. I am working out some other activities as well. Meanwhile, this blog is not designed for social media activity and I will be fixing that. I am looking into BuddyPress as a companion to the WordPress I use. I welcome anyone with BuddyPress experience to give me some tips.

When converted, my blog will not be a social media platform, at least not like the ones that so often become antisocial platforms. Instead I aim for a social, positive and active media platform. You know, like the main ingredients for good brain health. One idea is to use the symphony I am composing about American Discovery as a starting point for people sharing the beauty, culture, kindness and joy of their own personal journeys.

In addition to this blog, I am working on a series of writings that provide a model for finding our way through the complexities of society, based on a destination of combined brain and social health. I hope to make the esoteric yet practical readable. I include approaches towards knowledge, society, freedom, addiction and wisdom that will assist on a journey towards wellness.

Why not assist me with these writings? Help me make the esoteric yet practical for wellness readable by reviewing my writings on finding our way. Just send me a message and I will provide a copy of the first essay to read. If that engages you I will send you the next one.

After all, reading is a respectable activity for a couch potato.