The Pandemic the New Worldview and How Do We Manage it?

I cannot believe I am actually doing this but I decided that today is the day. I have always maintained a low profile in all of my endeavors, however at this time of my life I am feeling the warrior within. For me and I am guessing for others this is a time in our lives that feels very unstable and unknown. As someone who has been dealing with anxiety for most of her life, I have begun to feel the overwhelming underlying pangs of uncertainty and doubt for all beings in this world.

We have certainly been exposed to this theme of pandemic in movies, and novels, but now fantasy has hit reality. Yes, suddenly the world we live in has become unsafe and very scary. We are all being asked to do things in our lives that we have not been asked before. Stop socializing with others, stay at least 6 feet away from each other and stay indoors except for necessities. When I first heard this directive I took it very calmly and agreed with the message, that this is necessary to keep the virus at bay. But today I am really feeling the pain of the world and a deeper sense of loss in my own life.

I attended an online retreat this weekend with 80 other attendees and the theme was,  how we are dealing with this “pandemic”? According to the definition of pandemic it is a disease that is prevalent over the entire country or the world. This is indeed a pandemic according to the news that is disseminated daily. Keep in mind that we are all exposed to the network news, online news and social media. This exposure is resulting in a surge of anxiety and panic among us. This heightened sense of anxiety/fear in our lives causes inflammation. Inflammation causes disease.

 So my question to all of you is what are you doing to take care of yourself during these stressful trying times? The reason I ask this question is because this is what I do for a living. I  help others to deal with difficult moments in their lives. We are currently all experiencing difficulty in our lives.
I too was asked this question over the weekend. I wrote it all down and I will now share it with all of you: First of all my philosophy has always been one of looking at the whole being not just parts of who we are. Therefore I approach myself in the same way, I am comprised of mind, body and spirit.

1. For me it has been very important to be mindful of my fears and my internal messages. Being mindful means looking at what is going on in my mind, write it down in my journal and meditate to go deeper.
2. Meditate: Meditation is not just about feeling good it is about going deeper. If we get focused only on feeling better we have missed the meaning of meditation. Most of the time when I recommend mediation to my clients their first response is “I can’t do that. It does not work for me. I cannot stop my mind from thinking.” When we start meditating we all feel we are doing it wrong it’s our natural response to doing something that is foreign to us. To meditate is one of the best things we can give to ourselves. Meditation is a transformative process that assists us in relating to difficult situations in our everyday lives. Meditation provides the pathway to our souls without being unkind, critical and deceiving ourselves with our negative habitual patterns.
3. Emotional Freedom Technique also known as tapping. This is a very effective way to assist us with anxiety, sleeplessness and pain. I have been utilizing this technique since the 90’s and I am also certified in this technique. I have personally used this for anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain.
4. Every morning I participate in writing what is known as morning pages. Morning pages is usually three pages long. Usually I write for 45 minutes to 1 hour a day. This is very helpful in getting my worries and feelings out on the page.
5. I read something spiritually inspiring daily and there are many great examples out there.
6. Working out has always been very important to me in managing anxiety and painful tight areas that need to be addressed.
7. Yoga is an integral part of my life and has been since 1975. I always incorporate yoga into my daily workout. Sometimes I add one at the end of my day before I meditate it is really helpful.
8. Music is very helpful and soothing to me and depending on my mood it could be pop or classical.
9. I love lavender and I find it very soothing especially before bed.
10. I always end my day with a gratitude practice. But it is helpful to put that anywhere in your day. I have a plaque in my office that reads, “gratitude turns what we have into enough.”

Each and every one of us can benefit from having a routine in our lives. Humans love having structure, it gives us a feeling of safety and security which is very calming to our mind and body. Anxiety and depression can cause a lot of pain in our lives. This time of uncertainty due to the coronavirus is resulting in a lot of anxiety, panic and depression in the world. There are things we can do to help ourselves deal with this pain.
The reason I decided to take this leap forward today is because, we need each other to get through this pandemic and since we cannot reach out to each other we have to look for other ways to connect. I believe there are a lot of us out there searching for connection and meaning. I am here to be most helpful it is my purpose in this lifetime.