Tools for anxiety of cronavirus delta & omicron
Tools for anxiety of coronavirus
I’d like to begin by letting you all know that I’m deeply committed to supporting you all mentally and spiritually during this time. I will continue to regularly give you tools for self-regulation and anxiety relief.
We’re all in this together. The more we can stay centered, the more we can support our loved ones, our community and our overall well-being. Our spiritual practice is more important now than ever. This is an opportunity to surrender to your own faith and recognize where your true power lies.
Right now we’re living in an anxious time. If you feel anxiety, fear and a sense of powerlessness around the coronavirus (aka COVID—19) pandemic, this post is for you.
Below I share 7 spiritual tools to help you positively manage your coronavirus anxiety. And I’ll continue to update this post with more resources. You can also check out my post about how to show up as a spiritual activist right now.
Recently I started meditation challenge through Gabby Bernstein and reading inspiring books. On this blog I am sharing the tips I’m personally using to stay calm amidst what is happening with Covid-19 delta, so keep reading for a breakdown.
Spiritual Tools To Relieve Anxiety
The tools I’m sharing in this post are ones that you can bring into your day-to-day life to alleviate anxiety and feel better no matter what’s going on.
So here’s the breakdown…
1. The Choose Again Method
First things first, I want to give you a method I’ve been practicing for a really long time now. This is the Choose Again Method from book Super Attractor Gabrielle Bernstein and we’re going to apply it to coronavirus anxiety.
This method has three steps:
Notice the fearful thought
Forgive the thought
Proactively choose a better-feeling thought
NOTICE THE THOUGHT
So the first step is to witness your fearful thoughts getting out of control. In any moment we can notice that that coronavirus story is on loop in our minds. We’re feeling pressure and uncertainty and fear. Just be gentle with yourself about having the thought: “Okay, there it is. Of course I’m having it.”
Let yourself be really present with the thought, and identify where you feel it in your body. When we have a fear-based thought, there’s also a physical response to it, so we want to make sure we don’t neglect our body on our journey of getting back to a place of ease. For me, I feel it in my chest and my jaw, and I just feel an overall sense of tension.
Give yourself a chance to notice where you feel the anxiety, uncertainty, fear in your body. Then take a deep breath. Breathe into that space in your body. Honor the feeling, honor the thought. That’s the first step.
FORGIVE THE THOUGHT
The second step is to forgive yourself for getting caught in the thought — and forgive the thought altogether.
You may be thinking, “Why do I need to forgive myself for having a thought about something that’s real?”
We want to forgive ourselves for getting hooked into the obsessive ideas, panic and catastrophizing. (For example, maybe we’re completely healthy, but we’re constantly thinking about being unwell.) So just forgive yourself for going there. You can simply say, “I forgive this thought.”
Forgive the fear-based thought.
Abraham-Hicks say a belief is just a thought you keep thinking. If you have a thought on repeat and you’re repeating it over and over again, then you’ll start to believe that thought is your reality — that it’s who you are. Yes, there is a pandemic going on and it is our reality. But you can choose how you perceive your situation. You can choose the how you think of your experience.
We can release our thoughts by forgiving them.
CHOOSE AGAIN
The third step is to choose again. This is a very powerful technique of lifting yourself out of that hole of that fear-based thought. Maybe the thought is something like:
“I’m going to get the coronavirus and I’m terrified.”
“I’m scared because somebody was coughing.”
“I can’t sleep because of these stories.”
Whatever the thought is, once you’ve witnessed it and forgiven it, you then want to reach for the next best-feeling thought. The best-feeling thought, in this case, can be something very simple, like:
“I’m healthy right now.”
“I’m taking proper precautions.”
“I have what I need in this moment.”
One by one, reach for the thoughts that make you feel better. Whatever it is that helps you to feel good, keep reaching for those thoughts and guide yourself out of the chaotic state.
If we keep perpetuating the fear-based story, what happens is that it builds up a lot of momentum. And frankly, it already has. It’s already built up a tremendous amount of momentum, and that momentum is just going to get stronger.
As people on a spiritual path, we have the ability to change it. We can undo the negative momentum and start to create momentum into a higher-vibration energetic state that feels better. We want to be seeking solutions rather than creating more momentum around problems. Let’s continue to bring positive energy to this issue.
2. Be conscious of your sleep hygiene
Coronavirus anxiety will affect your sleep if you’re not very conscious of your sleep hygiene, but let me give you the No. 1 tool that you can apply tonight.
If possible, turn off your phone, your computer and your TV around 7 p.m. I don’t care what time you go to sleep, turn it off at 7, or at the very least turn off all notifications. That way, if you’re going to watch a show or something, you don’t see any popups of news headlines, texts, social media posts, etc.
Clear your mind before you rest, because the momentum of that fear-based story is perpetuated while we’re sleeping. It’ll make it hard for you to fall asleep, it’ll wake you up throughout the night and it’ll affect your energy the next morning.
Clear your mind before you sleep so you can rest and let go.
We want sleep to be a time when we can rest, restore, let go and feel the peace that we may not be able to feel throughout the day because we’re hit with all this coronavirus anxiety.
If you can’t follow this tip for whatever reason, at least turn off all your electronics 30 minutes or an hour before you go to sleep. Put your phone in another room and set an alarm clock instead. With iPhones you can put the app on that blocks notifications.
If you’re anxious before bed, do some journaling before you go to sleep. Just get out whatever you’re feeling so you can move it through it and then fall asleep more easily.
(You can also read up on my spiritual tips for better sleep.)
3. Meditate to relieve coronavirus anxiety
As much as I’ve been practicing all my spiritual tools, I still feel pangs of coronavirus anxiety. Throughout the day I’ve been turning to this meditation to relieve my anxiety.
You can also keep reading for a breakdown
You watch how this meditation is done link below https://www.facebook.com/gabriellebernstein/videos/651200162331373/
This meditation is for clearing and protecting. It’s a fantastic visualization meditation that helps us feel safe and well, regulating and calming our nervous system so we don’t panic.
When we shift our energy with this practice, we don’t just help ourselves — we also have a ripple effect. As we raise our vibration, we positively affect everyone around us.
(If you’re totally new to meditation, you can also check out my Beginner’s Guide to Meditation.)
BREAKDOWN OF THE MEDITATION FOR ANXIETY RELIEF
Sit comfortably.
Place your right hand over your heart and your left hand on your belly.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in. Feel your diaphragm and your heart expand.
On the exhale, let your diaphragm contract and relax.
Inhale, breathing into the part of your body where your anxiety lives. Don’t judge it or question that feeling. Just be present with it.
On the exhale, release.
Continue this breath cycle. Allow the anxiety to slowly dissipate as you breathe.
In your mind’s eye, envision yourself standing, sitting or lying down underneath a waterfall of light. Each golden drop of light cleanses you mentally, physically and psychically.
You smile as this waterfall of light pours over you, from the top of your crown down your face, your neck, your chest and your upper back, down to your stomach and lower back, to your hips and pelvis, down your legs, down to your feet and toes.
Inhale and breathe in that light.
On the exhale, see it flowing down through your body.
With each breath and each exhale, you allow the cleansing light to pour through your body and clear your energetic field.
This is the greatest contribution you can bring to your own well-being as well as to the world. This is where your true power lies when you feel powerless — your capacity to relieve yourself of feelings of anxiety, stress, fear.
Continue this cycle of breath, envisioning this cleansing light pouring through you.
Center into any sense of relief, even if it’s slight.
See the light begin to expand outward from your heart. It’s becoming a golden shield of light protecting your whole body.
With each inhale and exhale, the golden light shield becomes bigger and stronger.
This is a shield of protection and safety that also supports everyone who comes into contact with you.
Breathe in, feeling the shield of protection around you.
Exhale and release.
Breathe in… and release.
Breathe in… and release.
Open your eyes, keeping your hands on your heart and your belly. Continue your cycle of breath.
Breathe into the new vibration that you’re in. Even if there is still some lingering discomfort, trust in your protective shield.
Commit to taking this new energy with you wherever you go. And commit that anytime you feel misaligned, you will return to this practice.
May we be healthy.
May we be happy.
May we be protected.
May we feel safe.
May we feel guided.
May we seek solutions rather than problems.
We can always turn inward for safety, serenity, health and well-being. The more we tune in, the more we’re a force for positivity and love on those all around us.
Close your practice by shaking out your hands. Feel that new energy around you and feel supported.
If you feel called to share, leave a comment on this post and let me know how you feel after this meditation.
You can also practice Gabby’s video of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) for anxiety.
4. Be mindful in your conversations
When we feel unsafe, we want to talk about it because we don’t know what to do about it. As a result, right now there are a lot of conversations centering on coronavirus anxiety.
The best thing to do is to use the Choose Again Method in your conversations. For example, in the midst of a conversation you shift the focus to something positive that’s happening here and now.
Use the Choose Again Method in your conversations.
Or you can just say, “You know what, I really don’t want to get too heavily into this right now because I’m working on some projects and I want to focus with a clear mind.” Or, “I don’t want to go too far down this road because I want to go to sleep in a couple of hours. Can we just pause this conversation for a moment?”
Remember that you can be kind and loving while also setting the boundaries you need in order to protect your energy.
Finally, be mindful of media. Stay aware and pay attention to what’s going on, but manage your news intake — because it’s pretty much the same reporting over and over again. And all that’s doing is just imprinting that coronavirus anxiety deeper into your mind.
5. Say the Serenity Prayer
This is a situation in which we’re relatively powerless. We have control over our immediate circumstances, but it’s important to accept that we cannot control everything right now. For this there is a beautiful prayer called the Serenity Prayer, which is regularly used in 12-step programs:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Write that down. I’ve been relying on this prayer more than ever right now because the feeling of being out of control is probably the most triggering for us right now.
You may be thinking, “No, the biggest trigger is that I’m afraid of getting the coronavirus.” In fact, the most triggering thing is the feeling of being out of control. Take this opportunity to practice acceptance and reframe your thoughts. We can’t control everything that happens around us. What we can control is our experience of our experiences.
6. Tap on the gamut point
I’m committed to writing blogs daily right now to offer more support, guidance and anxiety-calming tools during this crisis. Keep reading for the breakdown.
On the back of your hand, between the ring finger and the pinky finger, there’s a spot known as the gamut point in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). I also call this the “holy sh*t point.” When you tap on this point, you regulate your vagus nerve, thereby regulating your whole nervous system.
You can repeatedly tap the gamut point as you repeat, “I am safe.” Just repeat it and breathe. You can close your eyes if you want. Relax your jaw, your shoulders, wherever you’re holding tension.
Continue to tap the gamut point and repeat the affirmation “I am safe.” Pay attention to how you feel as you practice tapping. Feel your anxiety lower and settle into your new vibration. In these times we have a beautiful opportunity to witness our spiritual practices working in the moment.
7. Cut the energetic cord
Follow along with me below to practice a cord-cutting meditation. You can cut your energetic cord with another person (including someone you don’t know, like a politician or a news anchor) or with a negative story.
Cord cutting meditation by Gabby Bernstein
Take Responsibility For Your Thoughts
Try out this meditation below
These spiritual tips I’ve shared here are simple practices for changing the way you experience your experiences. You can decide, “I’m going to let this be an opportunity to practice the power of positive thinking. This is an opportunity to strengthen my spiritual faith and trust the voice of my Higher Self.”
We have to take responsibility for our thoughts because we actually have a very big impact on everything that’s happening around us. You’re reading this right now because there’s a part of you that believes you have the power to change your circumstances through your thoughts, beliefs and energy. Take that seriously and be part of the solution during this time of coronavirus anxiety.
Trust that you have the opportunity right now to change the energy. You can shift the energy in your household and your community. When you take precautions, take them with faith and positive intention. You do this by saying things like, “I’m washing my hands right now and that’s keeping me healthy and safe.”
It’s very different to wash your hands with that energy than to wash your hands from a place of, “I’m washing my hands because I’m terrified.” There’s a very different energy around it.
When you’re in a great energy of positivity and safety, it will help you not to get hooked into that fear spiral. Fear creates stress. Stress creates inflammation. Inflammation creates a compromised immune system and it makes us more susceptible. So let’s not let fear take over. Let’s stay in the solution, not the problem. Be very proud of yourself right now because you’re ready to feel better.
I feel a big responsibility to show up and support you right now as we move through this crisis as a global community.
Covid-19: Three ways to feel more in control
https://sharing.mentemia.com/shared/linkid-covid19-three-ways-to-feel-more-in-control
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