In the Time of Coronavirus

Coronavirus. COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2.

You might be a bit surprised to see our Mindful Monday post start off like this. And - OF COURSE it's starting off like this! This topic is everywhere and it's very emotionally charged... making it a PERFECT topic for mindfulness and the start of a new week.

How is this a perfect topic for mindfulness? (You might ask.) Well, it's something that we cannot escape as being a part of our lives right now and it triggers a lot of FEAR, which gets paired with worry thoughts and frantic action --> PANIC.

Even if you were not initially experiencing fear or worry, it's likely that others' fear and worry triggered a thought in the family of, "Well...I wasn't worried, but everyone else is...so maybe I should be...I don't want to be the one WITHOUT ANY TOILET PAPER!" (Tell me I'm not the only one who had this thought...anyone? Anyone??!)

So how do we manage as the schools temporarily or "indefinitely" close, events are canceled or postponed, and the grocery store shelves quickly become bare of the "essentials"? We NOTICE fear. We ALLOW fear (it's here anyway). We GET TO KNOW fear.

Ask yourself - "How do I know when I'm fearful?" You might notice particular fear thoughts you have or the physiological reactions in the body (e.g., heart racing; chest tightening; etc.)...or possibly particular behaviors in which you engage. Moving from words like "anxious" or "panicked" to observing and describing the experiences you have when you use these more global words helps us to shift our relationship these experiences.

What happens when we "invite" fear to be here instead of pushing it away? (Or "TRYING to push is away" is likely more accurate.) What happens when we let go of the struggle with it? When we acknowledge and allow the (already-existing) reality that we cannot control everything...we then have the space to take a step back and make value-based decisions about our actions.

Check out some of these great resources (links below) to further support shifting your relationship with fear:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mindfulness-fear_b_4799611

https://www.tarabrach.com/blog-turning-toward-fear-with-rain/

https://www.tarabrach.com/rain-practice-radical-compassion/

Wishing everyone an intentional, value-driven decision-filled Mindful Monday! (And LOTS OF PROPER HANDWASHING!)