Finding Opportunity in Challenge: Staying Well Amid COVID-19

by Grace Edmunds

In times of difficulty, it is easy to get swept up by anxiety, panic, and fear. Our world is facing one of those moments right now with the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. I have felt a wide range of emotions over the last few weeks of uncertainty witnessing event cancellation, schools shutting down, and the widespread frenzy that has resulted. In these challenging moments, I take refuge in my mindfulness practice to return to the present, and what I know to be true, to stay calm so that I can identify the opportunity to learn and grow through this struggle. I invite you to try the same and offer here a few ways that you can stay connected rather than isolated and take care of your mind, body, and heart at this time.

Meditate

Meditation helps us to regulate our emotions and nervous system when we cultivate a kind and curious mind. If you are feeling anxious, fearful, or overwhelmed, the practice of mindfulness invites you to make space for all of those emotions, not to push them away or bury them down, but rather, to allow them to be a part of your experience. When you make this perceptual shift, it becomes easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You move from, "I am anxious, or I am overwhelmed" to, "I am experiencing anxiety and overwhelm in this moment." This shift is liberating because it releases your mind's tendency to think that something will last forever while acknowledging the truth of your experience. So, if you are feeling panicked about the effect this pandemic will have on your community, see what it's like to acknowledge your emotions as valid parts of this moment, knowing that they won't last forever.

Meditation has also shown to have positive effects on the immune system. Our thoughts and emotions have a direct impact on our immune system. When we are stressed, it impairs the proper functioning of our immune system. You can use daily meditation to help regulate your emotions to keep your immune system functioning well.

One practice that I love to work with when I am experiencing difficulties is called "RAIN."

The acronym stands for:

Recognize
Allow
Investigate
Nurture

When you feel a difficult emotion arising, I invite you to take a moment to go through this process. You can practice this for a minute the moment you feel anxiety or overwhelm, or you can extend it as long as you'd like as a formal meditation practice.

Recognize

First, recognize the emotion you are feeling by sensing it arise in your body. You may want to add a deep breath to soothe the nervous system here if it feels overwhelming.

Allow

Next, instead of fighting it, trying to fix it, or pushing it away, make space see what it's like to allow the emotion to be there, just as it is. You can do this by saying internally, "It's okay."

Investigate

Once you created space for the emotion, then you can investigate the details of it, observing where and how you feel the emotion. Ask what this feeling may want to tell you about your current experience. What are you believing in this moment that makes this emotion so powerful?

Nurture

Lastly, I choose to apply Tara Brach’s version of "N" as nurture with self-compassion rather than the original "non-identify." Especially in our times of struggle, self-compassion is an important skill to apply as we cultivate resilience. Once you have arrived here, imagine you were caring for a friend who was experiencing this same difficulty. What would you say or do for them in that moment? You may offer yourself some comforting words such as, "I love you, it's okay, I'm here for you" and perhaps place a hand gently on your heart or your cheek. Take as long as you need to linger here in the nurture as this is where you offer yourself healing compassion.

Slow down to Find the Opportunity

Many of us may now be working from home, some with the added challenge of kids in the background home from school. How can we take this perceived challenge and see it as an opportunity for growth and connection? Perhaps this is an opportunity for you to start or deepen a meditation practice. Copper Beech Institute has several live and archived online mindfulness opportunities, so join in the broader community of practitioners to feel supported and connected in this time where it's easy to feel disconnected and isolated. Though this may not have been an ideal choice for you, you can take this as an opportunity to slow down. If you had plans to go out on the weekend, try staying in, putting on a few guided meditations throughout the day, journaling, making food, reading a book. Engage in activities that make you feel happy and present. Now, if kids or a partner are in the mix, you can take this as an opportunity to connect. Have a board game marathon, bake something together, create an at-home cinema, take a walk through the park, put on good music, learn something new, be creative! These moments of connection in our busy world are precious, take this opportunity to savor them.

What is new about this particular challenge we are facing is the immediacy of our access to information (and misinformation) online. It can be overwhelming when browsing online, seeing contradicting messages, and looking for hope. However, it is essential to be mindful of the information you consume and to notice its effect on your mental and physical wellbeing. Take breaks from information consumption, go take a walk outside or practice meditation, and remember that this too shall pass.

Connect to your communities

If there is one thing this virus has reminded me of, it is the profound interconnectedness of our world. The wellbeing of people across the globe can affect those in our backyard, and vice versa. It serves as a humble reminder of our impact on one another and the importance of empathy and connectedness. With this awareness, how can we now look at this challenge with tenderness, care, and compassion? How can we show up for each other in this time of need? Your answer may be dropping off groceries on a neighbor's porch who's quarantined or simply face-timing a friend to let them know they're not alone.

Although we may be rightly worried or concerned for our wellbeing, this is also a significant moment to consider the most vulnerable in our communities. Many people are at risk of the economic impact it will have on their families. With countless children home from school, some parents cannot afford to provide three meals a day, especially if they lose their paycheck while they are at home. It may not be the best time to volunteer, but if you have the resources, you can donate to your local non-profit, which supports vulnerable members of your community. For those local to CBI, Hands-on Hartford has been doing this work for over 50 years providing food and housing to those in need, including meals for children whose parents cannot afford to feed them when they are not at school.

If we as a community are asking ourselves, "How can this challenge serve as an opportunity to grow, learn, or awaken? How can it deepen my connection to others and my compassion?", we will emerge from this challenging time stronger, wiser, and more connected. I hope that your practice will serve you as you find the answers to these questions. Remember, we are stronger together.

May all beings be healthy and strong.
May all beings be safe and protected.
May all beings be happy and live with ease.