Yes, we will all die... eventually.
None of us has experienced something like this before. Living in a world of uncertainty, waking up to breaking news stories every day and eagerly waiting for some vaccine to be made or hoping for a cure to drop out of the sky.
Could it get any worse than this!?
Firstly, RELAX.
Take a deep breath, you need it.
TBH, there's not much we can do. A popular quote says, "do not stress over things you can not control," but that's easier said than done.
This is a time that we all need to live in the present and stop worrying about the future because quite frankly, we can't control it.
I'm not saying don't prepare for the future.You should still keep working to improve yourself and learning new skills.
During all this madness, we need to take a step back and just BE PRESENT.
I learned this technique during a Stress Management class and it has been really helpful.
I learned to just be mindful and live in the present moment.
We are all so used to being busy. Either going to work, going to the gym, going for class, attending a meeting, whatever it is. We are always jumping from one activity to another and tend to ignore so many things. We probably don't even hear the birds greeting us in the morning anymore, because we're just trying to get things done.
We are always in 'flight or fight' mode and treat every situation like its a do-or-die affair.
We miss out on so much in life because we just don't stop!
Now we've all been forced to STOP.
There are many different ways to handle stress during this time, but I'll focus on the "Mindfulness" technique in this post.
Mindfulness Meditation Exercise
This has to do with using all the five senses to consciously observe your environment without judging.
Steps:
1. Sit comfortably. Preferably in a place where you can observe nature.
2. Employ all your senses (touch, smell, sight, taste, hearing) and just BE PRESENT.
3. ask yourself these 5 questions:
What do I see? do you notice anything you've never noticed before? Any flowers you've never seen? Any trees you've never noticed?
What do I feel? how's the weather? is it windy? humid? hot? What are you holding? what material are you wearing and how does it feel on your skin?
What do I hear? are there birds chirping? are there cars driving past? construction nearby?
What do I taste? what do you taste?
What do I smell? is the air polluted? do you smell flowers? is there a lake or river nearby that you can smell?
You can choose to write down as you observe. Don't think too much about these questions. In fact, don't think about them at all. Just sense your environment. Clear your head, forget the 1001 things you have to get done. Just BE PRESENT in the moment.
Making Mindfulness Part of your everyday life:
As you carry out daily activities from brushing to bathing, walking to driving, talking, eating, whatever you are doing, BE MINDFUL, be present, and use all your senses. Live your life to the fullest by being present in every moment. Be conscious of your environment at every point in time. Take things easy. What's happening around you? Why are you tense? Why are you breathing so heavily? Just BREATHE, OBSERVE, & LIVE.
For more tips on mindfulness, meditation and stress management, check out these sites:
More on Mindfulness: takingcharge
More on meditation: mayoclinic
More on stress management: helpguide
Thanks for reading WrittenbyIsi
-Isi Ijewere.
Bible verse takeaway: "God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the ocean depths; even if the seas roar and rage, and the hills are shaken by the violence."- Psalms 46:1-3 (GNB)