For many individuals with a history of trauma, depression, or anxiety, the novel coronavirus pandemic’s added stresses have led to increased panic and stress incidents.
If you find yourself facing unexpected moments of stress or trauma related to the relentless bad news cycle, there are ways that you can silence fear and recapture peace through mindfulness practices.
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Add The Gift Of Mindfulness To Your Daily Life
In today’s never-ending cycle of bad news, it can seem as though a dark cloud of despair follows you from the moment you lift your head from the pillow to the second you close your eyes at night. No matter your role or situation, it is likely that the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the landscape of your life in many unexpected ways. For countless individuals worldwide, the pandemic has brought new daily levels of acute stress rarely seen except in wartime.
While it may seem helpful to simply push through the stress, living your life with little hope for joy or purpose is no way to live! Flying through your day without a moment to stop and breath will lead to burnout, breakdown, and an increased risk of physical, mental, and spiritual illness.
During these difficult times, you must begin to implement practices that can aid in your resilience and inner strength. By adding short moments of habitual wellness to your hectic day, you can keep yourself well while serving others – no matter your job. One of those short, helpful methods of keeping sane is to bring mindfulness into your daily life – through simple methods of easy and light meditation.
Implementing A Five Minute Meditation For Acute Stress
Even in the days before the pandemic struck, it wasn’t easy to find a moment to collect yourself and find peace in daily life. If you are ready to recapture your day, then it is time to add the practice of mindfulness meditation to your day.
Below is a quick five-minute meditation that you can do anytime, anywhere. Simply find a place to sit for a moment for yourself on your next break, and walk through the following process:
- Find a place to be by yourself, and take a seat. Take the first 30 seconds to quiet your mind and surroundings.
- Sit tall with your spine straight and your chin held up level with the ground.
- With eyes closed or looking down your nose, begin to breathe in slowly, repeating in your mind or out loud, “Earth below. Sky above. Peace within.”
- Hold your breath for a few seconds before breathing the same mantra out once more. Continue this routine for several minutes, drawing your mind back to your breath and mantra if it wanders away.
- When you finish, whether on your own or by using a timer on your favorite device, allow yourself to slowly come back to the center of yourself and open your eyes. Take a final breath and take in your surroundings.
Once you completed the session, think back on your experience.
What did you notice?
How do you feel?
What thoughts have come to mind?
Having a simple meditation practice like this can mean a world of difference in a stressful work environment. We can rest knowing that the world around us will continue to spin – even if we stop for a brief moment of peace and clarity.
With this in mind, you can begin to move forward in your day, having taken a moment for yourself to breathe, find your inner strength, and prepare yourself to tackle whatever comes your way.
Implementing Small But Life-Changing Practices Can Make All The Difference
As a psychologist and mental health professional, I have discovered that helping clients implement small mental health breaks such as the mindfulness meditation above can have a massive impact on daily mental health and wellbeing. While this tactic can help in moments of acute and unexpected stress or panic, in many situations, it is only one of many methods necessary to increase your personal wellbeing. These practices and many others can be learned with the aid of a licensed, experienced therapist.
As a leading therapist and trained psychologist that works with many clients facing unimaginable stress and past trauma, I am ready to help you discover the path to freedom from fear, anxiety, shame, and guilt. If you are ready to learn more ways to take control of your daily life, contact me today to set up a worry-free consultation. I am ready to help you walk toward the healing that will bring you to new places of hope in the midst of dark days.
