During COVID-19 frenzy, practive grounding and coming back to yourself

To cope with the collective COVID-19 anxiety, practice coming back to yourself. Close the latest news article and take some time to get grounded. It’s easy to get swept away by the collective anxiety and fear. There’s plenty to worry about.

I’m usually quite diligent about putting up boundaries and only consuming as much news as I can handle. Generally, my tolerance is low because I feel each article I ready so deeply.

With COVID-19, I’ve been reading a lot and trying to stay informed. The problem is that past a certain threshold, and only you know what that is for you, the external search creates anxiety. Our sense of how we are doing becomes informed by external factors like the growth in cases, numbers of deaths etc.

To stay strong, we need to stay connected to our breath and to our fullness from within. Of course, wash your hands, practice social distancing and all the other recommendations but when you turn off your screen, practice being with yourself.

During your breathing practice repeat affirmations such as, “In this moment, I am safe” or more simply, “I am breathing in, I am breathing out.”. Pay particular attention to the tendency to obsessively check the news. Watch for feeling frozen or unable to do basic tasks, both of which suggest you are overwhelmed and need to give yourself a breathing time out.

Go for a walk and just let all the fears move through you. Taking care of your inner world is as important right now as all your other self-care. I’ll be leading some guided meditations appropriate for this time in my Facebook group, Presence Heals. Feel free to join me there.