If there is one overwhelming lesson we are learning from this pandemic of Coronavirus it is MINDFULNESS. BE AWARE. We are being forced to be aware of our daily practices: our hygiene habits, isolating ourselves, washing surfaces frequently, watching for symptoms, etc.
MINDFULNESS. Mindfulness is an action that is practiced through meditation. When you meditate, you are asked to focus or in other words, be mindful in the moment on a sound or guided meditation. This trains your brain to be mindful under certain situations. This pandemic is forcing us to do the same thing. Use the benefits of meditation to lower stress, anxiety, and worry. Meditate by focusing on a recurring environmental sound such as the hum of an A/C unit, music or sounds of nature. If you aren’t practiced in meditation, use a guided meditation. There are many you can find on YouTube. I like The Honest Guys. They have many guided meditations on their YouTube page that have many different focuses such as anxiety, worry, sleep problems, etc. They are a professional guided meditation company. Some other mindful practices I am taking during this pandemic are: taking my temperature daily, drinking a cup of hot lemon water every morning after I wake up, staying hydrated during the day, eating nutritious foods to boost my immunity, using a nasal irrigation system every day (Netipot), taking Emergencee 1000 mg Vitamin C, and getting plenty of rest.
FOCUS. Place your focus on your environment. Events beyond our control in America are forcing us to distance ourselves from others. The Governments, nationally and state-wide, are commanding that we maintain social distancing and have forced businesses to close down and operate from home where possible to achieve this result. This is forcing us to be mindful of social interaction. It is not pleasant, but it is necessary in slowing or stopping the spread of the virus and ultimately protecting us.
AWARENESS. We are aware of the primary symptoms of the Coronavirus: fever, dry cough and fatigue. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you need to isolate yourself from the other people in your household to prevent getting others sick. Designate one adult to bring food to the quarantined person and place food and fever-reducing drugs (not ibuprofen) outside of the door: On March 14, the French minister of health, Olivier Véran, issued a statement recommending that people infected with the novel coronavirus, which causes a potentially deadly upper respiratory disease called COVID-19, not use ibuprofen or aspirin to treat symptoms of the disease. Instead, he urged followers to take acetaminophen, noting that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen could actually worsen the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Be aware if the person is becoming worse and having breathing problems at which point call 911.
POSITIVITY. Try to maintain a positive mindset. Meditation will help with this. On a moment to moment basis, focusing on your breathing will be the beginning to create positivity and then focusing on something that makes you happy will further create positivity. Envision hopeful and positive thoughts that extend beyond the moment that you are living.
HOPEFULNESS. Life is a cyclical nature. There are ebbs and flows to life like there are in the tides of the ocean. Remembering this will help you to remain hopeful through this stressful event. Nothing lasts forever and this event won’t last forever. Hope will carry you through this moment.
TOGETHERNESS. We are ALL in this together. EVERYONE in the world is living the same experience. For some, it is less stressful than others, but for all, there is the uncertainty of the duration and the outcome. Although we may be separated from social distancing, we are together through an experience. Reach out to others through social media and Facetiming. We are lucky that we have the technology to keep us together during a moment that is so isolating.
Peace and Love Always~
