You can’t calm the storm, what you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Reality is hitting us: sheltering in place is the new normal. Yet, while many find their stride in creating new routines, others are stuck, struggling to cope. Whether we are frazzled, stoic, or going with the flow depends on our emotions. They can be our salvation or our demise.

Emotions can be as contagious as any virus. Therefore, being conscious of our emotional state is imperative to staying healthy. Fear, anxiety, and panic will undermine our well-being if we let fear, anxiety, and panic go unchecked.

Understanding the importance of managing our emotions is critical. If what we feel is not contributing to a peaceful state of mind, it is time to adjust our outlook.

During these unsettled times, we are bombarded with a variety of emotions. Fear is one of them.

Fear is a crucial part of our survival mechanisms in response to danger. But, unfounded fear leads to anxiety, which is a response to something uncertain or we have no control over.

If left unaddressed, the fear and anxiety become stress, immediately putting our sympathetic nervous system on overdrive. Our bodies’ reaction is to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal glands. As a result, the stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline are released, compromising our immune system.

When the stressors continue for a prolonged time, our bodies lose their ability to defend themselves. Fatigue, burnout, and overload appear, and our nerves become frayed. If the stress is not managed, it turns into panic, leading to irrational behavior.

So, how do we circumvent these emotions?

Ignoring them is not the solution. They can fester when hidden beneath the surface, under a shield of denial.

Then with the slightest trigger, they are unleashed, and a disproportional response is expressed, the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Identifying the fear, anxiety, and stress in our bodies is essential. We must accept, embrace, and release it before those emotions harm our health.

We may feel powerless in the face of the current global pandemic, yet we are not. Our power lies in how we respond.

Being proactive and implementing the safety protocols mandated will help us stay physically safe, which leads us closer to a feeling of balance.

For our mental state, it is essential to quiet our minds. We can alleviate many stress factors that compromise our physicalities with a peaceful mind. In addition, calm minds bring other health benefits, including improved memory, stimulated brain growth, and fights insomnia.

Many techniques facilitate quieting the mind, for example, walking in nature, observing silence, hatha yoga, gardening, and being creative such as knitting, painting, playing music, hugging a dog, helping others, and mindful breathing.

Here is one technique for focused breathing.

Grounding:

It can be practiced anywhere, alone or within a group.

Find a quiet place. Sit in a chair, on the floor or ground, inside or outdoors. Be comfortable. You can lie down, arms and legs away from your body if you like. Do not touch anything or anyone. Look around, get your bearings, and know you are safe.

Close your eyes. Do nothing. Listen to your breath. Allow it to come and go. Observe it. Is it shallow, quick, deep, or long? Are your inhales longer or shorter than your exhales?

Please inhale deeply through your nose, down to your belly, and exhale it through your mouth.

Do this three times.

Bring your awareness to your feet. Feel the solid earth or floor beneath you. Stable and secure, allow yourselves to let go.

Release the tension in your legs, hips, lower back, middle, and upper back. First, allow your shoulders to let go of everything they have been carrying. Next, relax your neck and now your face.

If your mind wanders, return to your breath. Don’t try to control it. Just be the observer.

When you are ready, begin to reawaken your body. Wiggle your toes and fingers, and gently roll your arms and legs from side to side. Feel the energy.

Take three deep inhales and exhales.

Open your eyes slowly.

SMILE.

A quiet mind provides the tools for a more balanced and harmonious being. Trust your ability to reprogram how to react to our new normal.

This pandemic will pass.

“Happiness is an internal choice 

not an external condition.”   ~ J.D. Rappaport