COVID-19COVID-19 is presenting many challenges to many people. Those with compromised immune systems are confronting their mortality en masse; hospital staff are either bracing for or in the midst of the most pressing medical concern of their professional lives; small business owners, musicians, service industry workers, and many others who were already living on extremely tight budgets are losing their livelihoods before their eyes; domestic violence victims are dreading being locked down with their abusers for weeks on end; families in poverty are wondering how they’re going to feed their kids. And there’s so much more.

There is no doubt we are all impacted—either directly by the virus infecting ourselves or loved ones, or indirectly through our society’s overwhelming response to it, or both—and an event of such unprecedented (in our lifetimes) magnitude is understandably causing many to experience a stressful response.

There has never been a better time to practice mindfulness.

Mindfulness may not be a cure-all, but it is an excellent tool for mitigating the stress response. While it is not unreasonable to be experiencing stress at this time, it is important to understand that being overly stressed has a lot of negative consequences: on our health, our relationships, and on our decision-making. If anything, at a time like this, we want to improve each of these things, not diminish them. And this is where mindfulness can help.

Here are some ways to practice mindfulness, and hopefully manage your stress better, during this testing time:

  1. Sit with your fear. If you are experiencing fear, firstly accept that there is nothing wrong with fear—so long as it doesn’t overwhelm you. Now, allow yourself some space and sit in the fear. Invite it and experience it. What sensations do you notice? What emotions do you feel? What thoughts arise as you live in that fear. Where do you notice tension? Try and watch all these things impassively and nonjudgmentally. As you watch your fear, also notice how the very act of observation causes some of these things to shift. Allow for any shifting that occurs, and watch that as well. Whether it is fear, discomfort, or any other experience really, this kind of nonjudgmental awareness is the very essence of mindfulness meditation.
  2. Don't just do something, sit thereExperience boredom. Similarly, if you are experiencing boredom from being locked down, try the same type of observational activity. What is boredom actually like? We spend so much of our lives in busyness, and now many of us are being forced to stop and do nothing. Make the most of this opportunity. As we like to say at InStill, don’t just do something, sit there. And don’t worry, you won’t do nothing for long—as you sit in stillness observing your boredom, plenty of thoughts will arrive, and it won’t be long before one of them reminds you of something you need to do!
  3. Develop some relationships. Social isolation is just a physical thing. Who haven’t you contacted recently? Who means a lot to you, but hardly ever hears from you? Now is a great time to make some phone calls and write some letters. Turn that social isolation into social interaction.
  4. Get outside. It’s nearly spring, and this winter has been unseasonably warm. If you have a garden—or want to start one—now is a great time to put your hands in the dirt. All those microbes will do you good, too!
  5. No mistakeGreet honorably. If you do find yourself out in public interacting with people you know, handshakes and hugs are no longer viable ways to greet one another. In India, they bow with hands in prayer position and say, Namaste. This translates, essentially, to may the divine in me see the divine in you. If you like, you can abbreviate this to no mistake. At InStill, we feel this is one piece of cultural appropriation we can get behind in these no-touch times.
  6. Start that hobby. Certainly, a hobby can be a way to avoid boredom and stay busy, so we’re not recommending that. But a hobby can also be a great way to find flow and immerse yourself in something you love. And it’s a great way to get your head out of your computer or tv, and to get you out of your head.
  7. (Not) touching your face. You’ve probably noticed by now how hard it is to not touch your face. This provides a great opportunity to practice mindfulness! Think about why you’re typically touching your face: there’s an itch or some other minor irritation. What’s the worst thing that could happen if you didn’t touch your face? Maybe the itch would stay a while, perhaps even get a little itchier. But that’s just a sensation. It’s not like a spider is crawling across it and about to bite you on the eyelid—even if it feels like that’s what’s happening. So every time you catch yourself wanting to touch your face, allow yourself the opportunity to observe the sensations that prompted it. Just watch. What happens? Observe as the sensation moves and changes, as nonjudgmentally as possible, and let it do its thing. It may be challenging, but we can assure you it won’t be unbearable.
  8. Experience your hands. Your hands are one of the main potential transmitters of the virus. You want to know where they’ve been. A helpful practice right now is to place a lot of attention into your hands, especially when they’re touching something (like your phone or your mouse or your keyboard). Notice the sensations of your hand touching objects. Notice, perhaps, certain sensations lingering after you stop touching something. Notice other sensations related to holding or touching or moving something with your hands—what do you notice in your arm, shoulder, back, neck? And as you wash your hands after touching something, give yourself a 20-second meditation, noticing the lather of the soap; the temperature, sound, and flow of the water; then the sensations and sounds of drying your hands. If you’re using paper towels in a public restroom, you can also notice everything involved with dispensing them. So many opportunities!
  9. Check your sources. There is a lot of misinformation being spread about the virus right now. As understandable as that is, it is unwise—even irresponsible—to believe or spread unverified information, especially when we have some very reliable sources at our disposal. If you want the right kind of information, we recommend authorities that specialize in crises like this, such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.

And finally, we encourage you to take the middle path with the virus: please, be concerned; and please, please, please don’t get caught up in the hysteria. As Peter Sandman has pointed out: (Perceived) Risk = Hazard + Outrage, because “Risks that you control are much less a source of outrage than risks that are out of your control.” We encourage you to help shift the perceived risk in the direction of the actual risk by quelling your ‘outrage’, in whatever form that may take. If enough of us do this, we’ll help everyone around us approach this current crisis in a rational manner, and we’ll all benefit as a result.

And wash your hands. A lot!

By Published On: March 15, 2020Categories: Mindful Musings, News

2 Comments

  1. Trish Reynolds March 15, 2020 at 3:49 am - Reply

    Great post Jamie. Wonderful reminders and practices.

  2. Pat March 19, 2020 at 12:10 am - Reply

    Thanks, Jamie—-great connected reminders!

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