Meditation for Stress Management During the Pandemic

Los Angeles CA

27 December, 2020

8:37 AM

Description

The year 2020 has been the most challenging ever. The coronavirus pandemic came like a flood and swept the entire world indoors- leading to a global lockdown and a change in lifestyles. Apart from limiting the level of socialization, the coronavirus pandemic also brought uncertainty,  fear, and anxiety. Currently, this deadly virus has killed over 1.7 million people, and over 35 million people are on the sickbed, fighting for their lives. For this reason, the entire world is living on the verge of fear. Everyone is scared of contracting the virus. Healthcare workers are working overtime, under physical stress and emotional stress, and fear of getting infected. Many of them have watched their colleagues die of this virus, but they continue working. People living with preexisting depression, anxiety, or psychosis may become overwhelmed due to the additional fear that the pandemic brings. People who were struggling with substance abuse may relapse deeply into their addiction in their bid to cope with anxiety. People have lost their careers, businesses, and loved ones. Families have become confined in a small space, and children no longer enjoy the outdoor activities that made life beautiful for them. With every passing day, the number of infected people keeps increasing, and so everyone is fighting with anxiety and depression as we keep asking- who would be next? As the pandemic rages on, it is necessary to find a way to cope with stress. Stress management can be done in various ways. Nature helps, but spending time with nature has become difficult with restrictions on social places. The other option is engaging in creative pursuits but so far the best option to deal with stress during the new-normal is meditation. For many people, even before the pandemic began, Meditation has always been a great way to cope with stress, anxiety, and depression. Right now, as fear continues to spread, many more people are turning to Meditation in the bid to find some balance and stabilize their mental health. How Meditation can help you Manage Stress During the Pandemic While working from home, you may become easily distracted and less motivated to be productive. Also, being separated from your loved ones may cause a relationship strain, make you lose your support system, and throw you into constant fear of what the future holds. As these negative emotions continue to build up, Meditation can help you manage them better by causing you to realize that these emotions are real and transient. This way, your mind begins to let them go such that they will no longer wield so much power over you. Dedicating a little amount of time to meditate every day can significantly improve your mental wellbeing, focus, productivity, relationship, and even sleeping pattern. The exciting thing about Meditation is that it is inexpensive to practice; anybody can practice it anytime and anywhere. However, Meditation is the best way to start your day, especially during this period. So, when you wake up in the morning, instead of picking up your phone and checking your notification, try to start your day with Meditation instead. There are many different types of meditation, however, most of them aim at calming the mind and improving awareness of the present state. We will discuss three of them here. You can practice these kinds of Meditation at home to manage the stress associated with the covid-19 pandemic.  1. Mindfulness meditation: Mindfulness meditation can help you manage stress by keeping you aware of the present while not focusing on negative emotions for a long time. Mindfulness meditation involves breath awareness and promotes relaxation by drawing attention to tension areas so that the body can soothe the tension away naturally. Mobile Apps are excellent for practicing mindfulness meditation while at home.  2. Loving-kindness Meditation The goal of loving-kindness Meditation is to train your heart to feel love and kindness towards yourself and the people around you. In stressful situations like this period, loving-kindness Meditation opens your mind to receive loving-kindness. It helps you focus, not on the negative, but the positive side of life, and to appreciate the little things that the pandemic hasn’t taken away. You will have to repeat the message severally during loving-kindness Meditation until it becomes deeply rooted in your heart.  It helps in the management of frustration, anger, resentment, and fear you can easily practice loving-kindness Meditation from home. Concluding Thoughts: The coronavirus pandemic has entirely changed the world. It has put everyone on the verge of fear and depression. Meditation provides a way to cope with these negative emotions and achieve mental stability. This article has suggested some kinds of Meditation that will help you manage stress during this pandemic. The use of the above listed mobile apps will also guide you in practicing Meditation while at home.