Tips to reduce coronavirus stress and anxiety with meditation
The anxiety surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic is widespread and people are more and more afraid as the death toll rises.
And because we’ve never had a situation like this, people are feeling uncertain and unsafe. When confronted with emotions like this people need simple ways to cope with their anxiety.
Naturally people react in a different ways during any tense situation, and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception.
How people will respond to the epidemic really depends on their personal backgrounds, what they’ve been taught and of course, their mental strength.
Now one of the simplest ways you can reduce your anxiety is with meditation.
If you’ve never meditated before, or if you’re one of those that says, “Oh I don’t have time for meditation..” well now you do.
Being stuck in the house for a few weeks gives you the unique opportunity to try some new things, work on new projects and relax – after all chances are you’re going to be at home for at least 2-3 weeks.
On top of all the uncertainty, and anxiety cause by the coronavirus, many people are already dealing with other stress inducing concerns like:
• Worry and Fear about their and loved one’s health or life
• Changes in eating and sleeping patterns
• Difficulty in concentrating and sleeping
• Worsening of severe health issues
• Enhanced use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol
How can you decrease your stress in your life right now using meditation
Meditation is the best way that can release your stress because it’s free, takes just a few minutes and is easy to do.
Spending just a few minutes in meditation restores your inner peace and calm, resets abnormal hormone levels and lowers blood pressure.
You can practice at home, in your car, taking a walk or even on your break at work. And best part is that it doesn’t require expensive equipment, gym memberships or even much training.
There are several different types of meditation practice such as Transcendental meditation, Mindfulness meditation, Guided meditation. All accomplish the same goal and which you use is really a personal preference.
If you’re just starting out, we suggest Guided mediation as it’s the quickest to learn and there are some really good meditation apps out there that you can put on your phone.
Let’s look at how each method works and how they can help you overcome any stress and anxiety you might feel as a result of the current coronavirus situation.
1. Mindfulness
The focus of mindfulness meditation is to help bring you and your thoughts into the present moments and allowing you to experience your thoughts, feelings and sensations in the moment instead of in the future. This is particularity helpful as “Fear” such as the fear people feel about the corona virus happens in a future “What if?” scenario. Staying “in the moment” allows you to stay calm and think rationally.
2. Transcendental Meditation (aka TM)
The TM technique method uses a silently-used sound called a mantra, practiced for 15–20 minutes twice per day. TM is one of the most popular mediation techniques and is used by millions of people daily. The TM method permits your busy “monkey mind” to settle inward without any conscious effort, calming your thoughts until you experience the a silent and at ease level of your own awareness.
3. Guided Meditation:
Using guided mindfulness and guided stress reduction meditations you learn to remain anchored in the present moment to which you live and not in some future (and scary) moment. Guioded meditations focus on learning to observe what’s happening in the moment, right here, right now resulting in a internal feeling of relaxation and ease.
Lastly be sure to take a break from listening, reading and watching news stories including social media. Limit your exposure to the news whenever possible as constantly hearing about Coronavirus in the news and social media can easily make you feel anxious.