Just as we need a vaccine to protect against a virus, we need ways to immunise ourselves from inner emotional turmoil. Prolonged, seemingly endless disruption and loss routinely leave us feeling disoriented, anxious, and exhausted.

Cultivate a sense of equanimity

We need to build inner stillness so external events don't easily disturb us — it doesn't mean we're unaffected, just that we raise the threshold at which we experience an emotional hijack. That requires deeper emotional self-awareness: learning what makes us happy, sad, insecure or excited, how often our states shift, and what triggers those shifts. When we're attuned to that, we can catch ourselves early and choose, without self-judgment, to respond differently — that's how a pattern of reaction gets broken.

Learn to deal with unexpected outcomes

A major source of stress is attachment to a specific outcome — a promotion this year, possession of a flat this year. The problem is attaching so strongly that any deviation causes anxiety. The solution is to stay open-hearted and flexible toward whatever outcome actually emerges, accepting the natural process of evolution rather than clinging to fixed outcomes.

Our ability to deal with setbacks

We fear and hate setbacks, but shouldn't underestimate our innate capacity to handle them — we are more resilient than we often believe. Almost nothing is purely as good or as bad as it seems; we can ask what the situation is trying to teach us, since it's typically in such situations that we learn and grow the most. We simply need to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

If we practise all of this, we can be confident our “vaccination” is working. If we've built the mental strength to control our emotions, we'll realise our existence must carry value, worth and importance — for ourselves and for society. Having reached that milestone, it's time to find our Purpose of Life and achieve it.