Undoubtedly we are living in unprecedented times, and as a collective we haven’t faced a challenge quite like this before.
Stress, anxiety and worry are heightened and prevalent in our homes and throughout our communities.
These times call for a great deal of resilience, compassion and mental muscle.
Personally, I have been feeling ALL the things. It has certainly been a deep dive into my own self-care toolkit.
Here are some tools that I personally use and want to share that might help you to navigate these times.
Mindfulness (or present moment awareness) is the ability to be fully present in the moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
This can have numerous benefits, delivering everything from decreased stress and sadness, to increased levels focus and happiness.
Mindfulness doesn’t eliminate stress or other difficulties; instead, by becoming aware of unpleasant thoughts and emotions that arise because of challenging situations, we have more choice in how to handle them in the moment.
It allows us to be more thoughtful in how we want to respond, with a better chance of reacting calmly and empathetically when faced with stress or challenges.
MINDFULNESS ‘NOTICING’ EXERCISE for present moment awareness
When we’re stuck in a thought vortex, we become totally disconnected from our environment and caught up in our head with spiraling thoughts of worry, grief and despair.
To press pause on the thoughts, and to come back into the present moment, try this following practice:
Pause and take a deep breath, and immediately turn your attention to finding:
- 3 things you can SEE,
- 3 things you can FEEL,
- 3 things you can HEAR, and
- 3 things you can SMELL (this last one can be quite a stretch and flexing of our mental muscles!)
Often when we are experiencing worry and heightened stress we are pulled out of the present moment and into catastrophising and worst-case future scenarios.
By simply returning our thoughts and experience to the present moment, we can turn off the body’s stress response.
To get out of heads and back into our bodies, the quickest way is to access our breath
‘BOX BREATHING’ EXERCISE
Start in a seated upright position with your feet flat on the floor, hands relaxed in your lap with your palms facing up.
- EXHALE: Slowly exhale through your mouth for a slow count of four, expelling the air from your lungs and abdomen. In this step, count to four slowly in your head.
- HOLD: Hold your breath for another slow count of four.
- INHALE: Slowly inhale deeply through your nose to the count of four. Feel the air fill your lungs, one section at a time, until your lungs are completely full and the air moves into your abdomen.
- HOLD: Hold your breath for another slow count of four.
REPEAT > EXHALE. HOLD. INHALE. HOLD. EXHALE …
Note: If you find the technique challenging to begin with, try counting to three instead of four.
When we are suffering, worried, or feel inadequate, rather than ignoring our pain or flagellating ourselves with self-criticism, we can practice self-compassion instead.
With self-compassion, we give ourselves the same kindness and care we’d give to a good friend or child.
Self-compassion involves acting the same way towards yourself when you are having a difficult time, fail, or notice something you don’t like about yourself.
Instead of using distraction, ignoring or numbing your pain, you stop and remind yourself “this is really difficult right now, how can I comfort and care for myself in this moment?”.
That might look like taking a walk outdoors, phoning a friend to talk, meditating or journalling it out.
There are many FREE mindfulness meditations, visualisations and resources available on Insight Timer App.
Search for ones on ‘Loving Kindness’ or ‘Self-compassion’. I also love ‘Body Scan’ meditations for bringing attention to any stress or tension that I might be holding in my body.
The paid App that I use for the kids is the Calm App (especially the sleep stories).
To offer you support during this time I am offering a FREE, ONLINE Women’s* circle ONLINE this coming Sunday afternoon.
It will be small and intimate, and spaces are limited.
We’ll share, process, release and expand into this experience that is life in the time of Coronavirus, and the challenges and opportunities we face.
We will allow ourselves to really feel our experience, and to share and receive support as we navigate these unprecedented times.
More details and sign up for this FREE event here
*If you are a man and would be interested in a similar Men’s circle, then please email me and let me know.