As the world struggles to cope with coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading faster and wider every day, it’s clear that people are beginning to show the strain of unrelenting stress. Children are being taken out of schools, stock markets are crashing, elderly parents are being quarantined, travel bans have been imposed, and nearly everyone has been instructed to work from home if not mandated to shelter-in and stay at home. How do we cope in these uncertain times?

Finding ourselves in a constant fight, flight or freeze mode as a coping strategy for rising global tensions is not a wise choice for survival. Stress is meant to be dealt with in spurts and one-off events to quickly alleviate pending danger or threats. The issue is when stress becomes a chronic reaction to unwanted external stimuli. When stress is regularly experienced, we set off a chain of internal events that profoundly affect the way we function. 

 Likewise, it is equally important to understand how chronic stress affects our mind and brain: 

Stress creates long-term damage to our body and mind. This is not the way we were meant to live. If this global pandemic is teaching us anything, it is that we as humans need to rise up and take responsibility for our state of consciousness and our everyday lifestyle and habits.

If we are stuck at home, then what better time than now to discipline ourselves?

Though the Coronavirus has us all a bit on edge, we still have the ability to consciously choose how we respond to any given external stimuli by being proactive and intentional with our time and energy. It is the quality of our consciousness that determines our reality.

10 Ways To Create Internal Peace & Calm Now

1. Limit news and media updates. Limiting your exposure to the relentless media updates will help you take a step back from the growing mass hysteria and fear. A half hour to an hour maximum of TV, radio, news articles, YouTube, or social media updates should be more than enough to keep you suitably informed.

2. Move your body. It is imperative to stay active as much as possible as stress gets locked in the body and can wreak havoc on sensitive hormonal, digestion and nervous systems. For those that have access to on-demand exercise programs, own personal gym equipment or regularly practice yoga now is the time to be active at home. For those that rely on gyms or classes, it’s time to adapt and develop a new routine. Go on YouTube and find a program that gets you moving, go for a run near your home, or stretch/flex outside to get the blood pumping and the muscles warmed up. Daily exercise will boost one’s mood, relax the body, release tensions and alleviate the stress response.

3. Meditate. There is no better time than now to maintain your meditation practice to cultivate greater mental clarity and higher awareness. This is crucial for long-term well-being and health. For those that do not have a meditation practice already established one can find any number of guided meditations to fit any preference online. The aim is to set aside anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes daily to connect to our greater Self, training the mind over and over again into a single one-point focus.

Long term meditation has been proven to reduce stress, sleep better, enhance memory, concentration and perception, increase levels of happiness and compassion, boost the immune system, improve alertness and ability to focus, control anxiety, develop awareness, and increase mental processing. It’s time to start meditating!

4. Connect. Many people have been instructed to work from home or even shelter-in as mandated by their government officials. We not only have the time but the means to create a deeper connection with our immediate loved ones at home. Now is a brilliant opportunity to take advantage of this time to reconnect, talk, clear past grievances, develop a stronger connection, explore the depth and breadth of your family members from a new perspective, ask questions, be curious, play games, be affectionate, and love one another.

5. Cook or Create Wholesome Meals. With extra time on our hands we can now dedicate more time and attention to creating nutritious wholesome meals at home and/or take the time to research and investigate other vegetarian or raw vegan dishes that offer the body greater energy. Make a conscious decision to learn and educate yourself on what nutrition your body needs and is craving and take the time to create higher energy meals for yourself and your family. Food is fuel for our bodies and brains and affects our moods and emotions.

6. Get your daily sunshine. Going outside and sitting in the sun is nature’s little energy booster and mood lifter. All we need is ten minutes and we already feel lifted, perkier and happier. Go outside for a walk without your phone and just reconnect to the simplicity of nature and life. Take a moment to look around. Sense the environment. Look up at the trees. Marvel at the sky. Smile at the sun. We are alive. We are experiencing. We are here. At the most basic level, this is enough. Go outside and spend time in nature to remind yourself that you are simply life – this will stop the chatter in your brain and bring a natural stillness to your being. Go ahead – try it.

7. Be creative. With extra time on our hands we can now investigate and spend time in a hobby or craft that we’ve always wanted to do but didn’t previously make the time for. Painting, woodworking, rock art, reading, sculpting, landscaping, baking, home repairs, dancing, writing, practicing speeches, puzzles, cleaning out closets, etc. Whatever takes your fancy – you now have the time for it. 

8. Gratitude and Appreciation Journaling. Taking time daily to write or sit in gratitude or appreciation has shown to alleviate stress and open our hearts towards greater receptivity to love. When we appreciate what we have, we are grateful, and when we are grateful, we are more kind and loving to ourselves and others. There is always something to be grateful for. There is always someone to show appreciation for. Creating a gratitude journal or simply sitting, smiling and thinking of all the ways that one is thankful can cultivate high vibrations and bring a sense of peace and calm to your being. 

9. Help someone. The entire world is struggling to cope at the moment. Some of us are handling this better than others. If you have extra ‘energy dollars’ to spare then offer your love, appreciation and energy to the world. Call a family member or friend and cheer them up. Laugh together. If someone cannot go out and get groceries, then offer to help them. Send someone a cheerful card or letter telling them that you love them. If you have financial resources, then donate to those that are less fortunate. When we offer our life energies to alleviate another being’s suffering, we too are healed in the process. This offering is sacred and very powerful. Think now of someone that could use a kind word or some time and attention. Willingly offer this to them with no strings attached – this is true service work. 

10. Be kind to yourself. These are unprecedented times. We know not how this pandemic will play out, how many lives will be lost, or how long we will need to stay home and socially distance ourselves. It’s imperative that we remember to be kind to ourselves. We are all doing the best that we can. We are all trying our best with what we know how to do. Treat yourself with love, patience, and appreciation. 

As humans we have the ability to rise above confusion, anxiety and fear through greater mindfulness and higher awareness. Let us consciously choose to take control of our bodies and minds and respond to this growing crisis with clarity. Take advantage of the additional time you have in order to enhance your life!