So… How are ya?
Scared? Anxious? Stressed? Overwhelmed? Bored? Lonely? Restless?
Or are ya chillin’, getting some needed rest and enjoying binge-watching Netflix? I hope it’s the latter.
These are difficult and scary times for most people, to be sure. It’s not going to end on Easter, of course, but we also can’t say exactly when it will! Know one knows. This could go on for months.
Most attention these days is focused on physical health — which certainly makes sense! This is a deadly pandemic. But physical health is only part of the picture. Mental wellbeing is critical too, probably now more than ever with our entire society forced into physically distance and isolate from one another. Millions are sitting home without paychecks now. And then there are friends and loved ones who are sick or worse. These are hard days!
Mind, Body & Soul
There’s a lot that needs to be said about the politics of all this, how we got here and how we go forward. I’ll get to that down the road. Right now this post will be looking at mental wellbeing. Starting with this post I’m beginning a new series here on my blog: ‘Mind, Body & Soul.’
Like everyone, I’m under my own stress scenario in this crisis. To cope, I’m turning to a practice I’ve dabbled in a long time but never fully adopted I’ve got the motivation now!
This week I’ve begun taking little breaks several times throughout the day to meditate very briefly for 5 or 10 minutes. I’ve always found meditation and mindfulness helpful, and particularly now. You might too.
If you’ve wondered about meditation and mindfulness, are interested or intrigued, I encourage you to check out the videos below.
What is Meditation?
This TED Talk was delivered by Andy Puddicomb, founder of Headspace.
Try It Out —
A Guided 10-Minute Meditation for Stress
A Talk by Tara Brach —
“Facing Pandemic Fears with an Awake Heart”
I’ve always loved Tara Brach. I think she’s wonderful. Her talks are insightful, empowering and frequently quite funny. She was once a tenant-rights organizer. She’s a Buddhist and has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
The notes accompanying this video at YouTube read, “While it’s natural to feel fear during times of great collective crisis, our challenge is that fear easily takes over our lives. This talk explores how the mindfulness and compassion of the RAIN meditation can help us find an inner refuge in the face of fear, and deepen our loving connection with each other.”
Tara talks here about the crisis, the uncertainty, the feelings all this evokes, and how we can deal with it.
More Will Follow…
This is the first of many posts that will focus on mindfulness and meditation, and stories to inspire and cheer us in these difficult times — stories of human kindness, compassion, empathy and goodness. I hope you’ll come back.
A Request to my Facebook Friends: If you have a comment I encourage you to enter it below instead of on Facebook. This way everyone can participate in the conversation!
