4 Tips to Stay Calm During The Pandemic

Spring 2020 is not the perfect time to keep calm. Every day, the bad news is coming from every way. But that overwhelming feeling is okay to be felt.

There are some things to make peace with your mind. I will not tell you, “Don’t be sad; there is no reason to be sad.” No, there is, it is a pretty uncertain situation, and we cannot see the future. We don’t know what will be going to happen in the next 15, 30 or 60 days. But to make peace with our minds, we will follow the principals of meditation.

Headspace, the meditation app, explains meditating as “Meditation is not about “emptying the mind,” “clearing the mind,” or “stopping thoughts.” The mind’s nature is to think. We meditate to see those thoughts more clearly.” We will do certain things to see our thoughts about anything.

I will list some actions for you to try to see your thoughts more clearly. Let’s start with the most obvious one;

1. Meditation

It doesn’t matter when you want to meditate, but if you feel like you need to meditate, just do it. Time is irrelevant when you want to do it.

I choose to meditate in some instances. I am excluding my daily meditation sessions here. When I feel lost, overwhelmed, tired, or bored, it is my signal to listen to myself. At the end of the session, I won’t be the happiest person in the world. But I can clearly say that I will become calmer. Meditation gives you time to think about the things that you are escaping, and while doing it, you have nowhere to escape.

My choice of app for meditation is Headspace. I am pleased with it for the last three years. But also, I heard and read great comments about Calm. Another option might be Naval Ravikant’s suggestion;

“No apps, no noise, no guidance. Sit in a comfortable position first thing in the morning, back upright, but ok to use cushions, etc.. One hour at a time, no less. Just surrender to and accept whatever happens. No energy for and no energy against. Resist and reject nothing. No effort. You’re just going to sit there and let whatever happens to happen. Sixty days minimum. If you have thoughts that are perfectly ok. Let the thoughts happen. The keyword is Surrender (to whatever is happening). Tell yourself when you sit down, “my job is to do nothing. I’m taking a well-deserved break from myself.”

I haven’t tried it yet, but it is in my list of should tries. As a result, meditation is a great way to listen to yourself. It is not about finding a solution to a problem; it is about admitting that the problem is real.

2. Communication

I know that it is impossible to meet someone in these times. However, we have the technology to remove the barriers. Call your friends, chat with them. Ask them how they are feeling. That way, you can also share your thoughts.

Communication is essential because it is a great way to express what is going on in your head. As you express your thoughts, you will feel the warm feeling coming from your stomach. It is a relief. It is a relief to be understood.

If you have someone with you, that is great. You can create little sessions every day or every other day to talk about your insecurities, your stresses, your thoughts about anything. It will also improve your relationship with the other side since it is a pretty personal thing to do.

3. Journaling

If you have nobody to talk to, nobody to express your feelings or you don’t want to meditate; journaling is the best option. Whenever you feel stressed, bored, or overwhelmed, open an empty page, and start writing. There is no limit to what you want to write. If you’re going to write about your sleep, that is okay. If you want to write about your memory from 10–15 years ago, that is okay. The only thing you should do is to express your feelings.

I choose to write journals at the end of the day, but sometimes, after waking up, I want to note my feelings. Yours may be different. By trial and error, you will find the best way to express your feelings.

4. Focus on a hobby

Another way to listen to your thoughts and feelings is by focusing on something other than your work. This may be drawing, playing video games, knitting, or, in my case, playing with legos. If you are aware, I am suggesting hobbies that you don’t need to use your brain to perform. That way, while you are focusing on easy tasks, your mind will start to spend its energy on thoughts and feelings.

By giving enough space to your brain, you will start to think about your problems and insecurities. However, as you are already focusing on another thing, this thinking will take place in the background. That way, without overwhelming, you will go over your feelings.

You shouldn’t blame other people for your thoughts. Create an excellent medium to cope with them. I know that we are going through pretty hard times, but this will pass, and we are going to be stronger than before.

During this period, don’t forget to wash your hands, stay at home, and be calm.

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