Finding peace and calm – staying mindful in challenging times
What’s the impact of the current crisis on our lives and our minds?
Giving our minds and bodies a chance to rest and feel calmer is a good thing, most of you would probably agree with that! You may be having to adjust from feeling like you don’t have enough time to do everything - especially giving yourself time to rest - to now feeling that you have too many hours to fill.
You may be finding that your mind feels just as busy when you have less structured activities in your day. Or perhaps you’re finding you have more time to churn things over, over-think and get lost in your thoughts. This may be affecting your mood and usual levels of motivation.
Or you may be in a job that feels the busiest it’s ever been with less people to help. Maybe you’re a key worker and this means you find it really hard to pause.
Our current situation has affected everyone in different ways.
The human brain is wired up to react to new situations (especially situations that trigger many emotions such as fear, anxiety, grief) by trying to problem solve, fix or worry your way out of a problem. The brain does this by attempting to gather as much information about the situation as possible. This was very helpful when humans lived much simpler lives.
With the current global crisis, you will have endless access to worldwide information. Each piece of information about the virus perhaps creating more anxiety and fear, triggering you to feel that you need to plan and ‘do’ more. Yet at the same time, you’re having to live with so much speculation and uncertainty about what will happen in future.
What can you do to feel calm and mentally ‘fitter’?
Take a PAUSE…
Try and aim for a mix of planned and unplanned ‘mind settling’ moments and pauses throughout your day…
Becoming ‘everyday mindful’ – take time to be more aware of normal activities such as making and drinking tea, eating a piece of chocolate, walking around, the sounds of birdsong. Try a mindfulness or relaxation podcast or app. Stop, relax and notice.
Notice your emotions – sit with your emotions and pause before reacting in your usual way, eg. clicking on another link for information … and, as you pause, ask what do I really need now? Maybe you need to connect with someone, or do some stretching or other exercise?
If your emotions are around loss, grief or the anticipation of loss, give yourself space to acknowledge those too.
Reduce ‘social contagion’ – reduce your contact with global news updates and online information. We are in physical isolation from the virus but not the emotional impact. Try distancing yourself from screens for a few minutes or even a few hours every day.
Gratitude – pause to focus on something you’re grateful for now rather than on what you can’t do.
Be kind – take care of yourself, that helps you when it comes to showing kindness to others and our brains love it too!
“Don’t just do something, sit there!”