Anxiety and fear are dominant emotions in the world due to uncertainty posed by the COVID 19 outbreak. However, it can be reduced with the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the remembering or constant awareness of the present moment by being in touch with our body, feelings, and thoughts without judging. According to Harvard, when we practice mindfulness, it stops us from repeating past experiences and thoughts. Instead, our minds are brought into the present to be aware of events happening in our inner and outer worlds right now.
Mindfulness is a technique to accept and observe our thoughts, actions and behaviours purposely. There are times when random and unwanted thoughts race at a constant speed in the human brain. The phenomenon can occur due to multiple reasons in a person’s life. The problems could be social, work-related, health, or economical. The overthinking in the brain can cause anxiety which affects and unbalances the whole emotional and physical system of a human body. According to the Mayo Clinic, mindfulness can reduce anxiety. As for now, the world is going through a global health crisis of COVID-19 pandemic; the fear of Coronavirus has been a significant cause of global anxiety in people of various age groups be they are adults, teenagers or children. Mindfulness practice can be a helpful source to minimize anxiety and reduce the uncertainty of the fear causing people to overthink and becoming fearful.
Most of us are suffering anxiety attacks and disorders with social distancing measures and lockdowns. As social animals, we are unable to socialize and communicate with coworkers or loved ones in close proximity. Besides mindfulness, our fears and anxieties can also be reduced by cutting down on reading the news daily, setting up a daily routine and taking time out for short meditations to calm the mind.
You can simply start meditating by sitting on a chair, or on the floor in a full or half-lotus posture. Keep your spine straight and relaxed. Start by taking three deep relaxing breaths. Don’t force your breath. Remember that your body breaths whether you want it or not. Let the body do its work to breathe. Bring your attention to your abdomen and feel the breath sensations pushing your abdomen up and down. Every time your mind is distracted by thoughts and the impulse to get up and do something, acknowledge it. Don’t push the thought away. Just let the thought go by relaxing your breath and tensions around the head and bring your attention back to your abdomen.
These short 10 to 15 minutes of sitting breath meditation can be enhanced in daily activities. Mindfulness is remembering to be in the present moment. Our bodies are always in the present. In your daily activities, try as best as you can, without stressing yourself, to bring your mind to your body when doing yoga, cooking or lying down to listen to music at home. To understand how to train yourself in mindfulness, you can attend our online mindfulness course. Due to the COVID 19 crisis, we have reduced our course fees for those who want to learn the skills to wellbeing by changing their habits in 8 weeks.
