There comes a time when it’s best to just turn off the news. With all that’s going on in the world it is easy to get caught up in the 24-hour news circus. However there is also a point when hearing more about what’s happening is no longer giving you any new information, it’s just adding to your stress level. When that happens, here are a few suggestions for finding inner calm during the pandemic news maelstrom.
In talking with friends and family, there seems to be two prevailing methods of reducing stress: moving, doing, and engaging in something physical and practicing mental and emotional self care.
Get Physical
Try leaving your phone or tablet in another room, unless the tech is the method of connecting with others to play games, have virtual happy hour or just keep up with family and friends.
- Break out a good old fashioned board game or deck of cards
- Exercising, Moving, Dancing, and Singing
- Play with your pet. Maybe try teaching your dog some new tricks or make something for your cat to play with:
101 Dog Tricks. Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge and Bond with your Dog by Kyra Sundance
Catification: Designing a Happy and Stylish Home for Your Cat (and You!) by Jackson Galaxy
Give yoga a try. Yoga is sort of a half way activity between the physical and mental. Practicing yoga puts you in a good place to meditate; heavy emphasis on the practicing part of yoga. You really have to try it several times before you reach the “Aha!” moment. That moment is when you understand when the instructions says “relax your eyes”.
Practice Self Care
This second approach is more about maintaining inner health and happiness. Meditation is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. Meditation is a simple concept, but takes lots of practice to master. The good news is that studies show that even very short, daily meditations are very good for your brain.
- Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris. This book made me laugh out loud.
- Beginners Guide to Meditation & Visualization by Sally-Ann Taylor.
- The Joy of Meditating: A Beginner’s Guide to the Art of Meditation by Salle Merrill Redfield.
If the term meditation puts you off, how about mindfulness. That is the practice of being in the moment and fully focusing on that moment.
- Mindfulness by Ellen J. Langer
- Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing by David A. Treleaven
- Modern Mindfulness: How to be More Relaxed, Focused, and Kind While Living in a Fast, Digital, Always-On World by Rohan Gunatillake
This is a time when we should be practicing kindness above all else. That includes being kind to ourselves. Give yourself and everyone else a break. None of us have ever experienced anything like this before. So breathe, and remember it’s much easier to be nice to yourself and others when you’re not stressed out. We are going to get through this together.
You can use Hoopla to stream up to 15 movies or television shows per month to your computer or mobile device. Hoopla currently offers bonus borrows with 153 titles across movies, music, comics, and television through April 30th.
You can now sign up instantly to receive access to e-books and e-audiobooks through OverDrive. To sign up for this service, you have to be 13 years of age or older, live in Seattle, and have access to a mobile phone number in order to verify your account.
~posted by Kathryn J.
Leave a Comment