Many spiritual teachers spend a lot of time talking about the fear of death as a our biggest source of existential anxiety. Even psychologists have spoken about death anxiety for a long time and tie extreme anxiety disorders to a potential fear of death and dying. For the most of us, however, fear of death has not been on our conscious minds as we have been busy living our lives.
That was until Coronavirus happened. We are now living in a situation where jobs, bills, finances, education and access to medical care are all being threatened at the same time. We are officially living in a time where external sources or symbols of security will not abate the overwhelming feelings of anxiety any longer. We are facing the news of death every day and now living without any security.
As mother nature put us in a major time out, many of us are being faced with our other biggest fear: The fear of poverty. To me, the fear of poverty has been a bigger threat to our overall mental health for centuries than the fear of death. The fear of poverty keeps us in jobs that kill our souls. The fear of poverty encourages us to do things we may not normally do to earn money. The fear of poverty has effectively kept our financial institutions, political systems, and our economies operating in the same fashion for thousands of years. Overnight, that system has seemed to change. When we are faced with a crisis and change we can do one of two things: 1) Hold on to what we know; 2) Try something completely new.
We are collectively being faced with a choice. Do we fight for systems that have shown, over time, that they are not really meeting the need of the general public OR is it time we truly begin to innovate and try new strategies? In either case, as an individual we will be living in this transition moment where there is no external security. We have to rely on ourselves to cope. Here are some ways to begin to think about taking care of yourself rather than relying on our government, politicians, the banks, and other people to take care of you.
Yoga and Meditation Help but Only if its the Right Practice
When I first started my yoga journey during the time I lived in California, I gravitated (perhaps intuitively) to yin and restorative yoga. My nervous system was burned out from work and I didn’t know what to do with myself any longer. In California, there were few “bad” yin or restorative classes and I always seemed to benefit in some way from a class. Years later, I would embark on my yoga teacher training at ISHTA yoga (where Sarah is still Deepak Chopra’s yoga instructor) and learn that in a Hatha style class, the sequencing of the poses made a difference in how I felt. Still, in New York, I could figure out how to benefit from most classes and I learned how to modify my practice when needed.
Fast forward to my time in Vancouver pre-Coronavirus and I learned pretty quickly that not all yoga is created equal. I was attending Hatha style classes that skipped sun breathes, started in a restorative pose that lasted 30 minutes and ended in warrior 2. I was leaving angry, irritated, and foggier than when I arrived for class! In speaking with my friend Salma Allam, founder of Ankh Body, I realized I was not alone. We figured out that in a city where the energy was ungrounded, that the majority of physically oriented yoga instructors were matching this energy RATHER than grounding the energy. Everyone was leaving the classes completely all over the place for a reason.
The lesson from this story is that not all yoga is created equal. During a time of crisis, you need your yoga class to ground your energy into your root chakra — the area where your survival needs are located.
Meditation has the same problem. In most meditation practices, you are actively moving energy up your spin to the middle of your brain. While this will help you focus and concentrate, if you do not ground yourself with some movement or consciously bring the energy back down to your feet, you’ll leave meditation like a space cadet. Meditation only relieves anxiety when you are feeling grounded to begin with. When we are in uncertain times, there needs to be more emphasis on physical movement of your body before or after your practice.
If you still feel fearful and anxious after your practice — it may not be the right practice for you at this time and you should listen to your body NOT what an “expert” tells you.
Be Wary of Spiritual Quick Fixes
During times of uncertainty, we will automatically seek out help to relieve anxiety as quickly as possible. It is very difficult to sit with it when we are worried about our overall wellbeing. We, however, all need to remain vigilant as a blossoming of new intuitive healers, psychics, and energy workers will emerge promising a quick fix for your anxiety. Be careful. Unless you have a personal recommendation to a healer, you should be asking whether their practice existed pre-Coronavirus or not. There is no quick fix on a healing journey and doing a deep dive into spiritual healing while you are feeling ungrounded is not recommended. Why? The benefit of exploring your spirituality cannot be integrated if you are constantly scared of where your next meal is coming from.
Any spiritual practitioner with a sales pitch claiming to have the answer to our crises should not be engaged with. True spiritual teachers will be the calm in the eye of the storm and will patiently wait for you to make your choices on what is best for you. YOU are your own guru not someone who claims to have become enlightened during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Monitor your Television and Social Media Habits
I am still shocked that the movie Contagion is number 1 in Canada and high ranking on Netflix in the US. Misery loves company and if you are already fearful, watching the news or a movie that mimics reality is not going to calm your nervous system down. Staying grounded in a crisis requires BALANCE. If you are going to choose to watch these kinds of shows or stay up to date on social media, find some balance with your self-care. Taking a bath, mindful eating and watching something funny afterwards are all good ways to balance the things you are allowing to enter your mind. This is especially true if you have children. You working on your calmness benefits your children greatly even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment.
Prepare for the Long Term
Rolling with a crisis is really an opportunity to find your self-discipline. Pull out that creative project, keep your work schedule while at home, or create a schedule so that you can achieve your goals. The habits you cultivate in quarantine could catapult your future success as an entrepreneur if you are forced to find a new job after this crisis is over.
When to Seek Professional Support
Most of us will be okay with a couple of weeks of quarantine. It will feel like a vacation for some people. If, however, this lasts longer than we would all like, here are some signs you need to seek professional support to learn how to get through a crisis:
- You are angry, irritable, and yelling at your family members.
- Your marriage is about to explode and you don’t know what to do.
- Your concern about money is adversely affecting your children’s or spouse’s mental health.
- You can’t seem to sit still and its annoying your family.
- Quarantine has triggered depressive symptoms and you are worried things are going to get worse.
- Any flare up of trauma or post-traumatic syndrome symptoms.
- Difficulty sleeping through the night more nights than not.
- You are chronically anxious about your spouse or family member dying and don’t seem to be able to control your thoughts and feelings around your family.
- You can’t get out of your head and you feel like your thoughts are getting darker every day.
- Your emotions are flip flopping all over the place and you or your family members are worried about you.
Trust your Intuition on Who is Supportive
The biggest mistake we can make when we are in a crisis is assuming someone else knows what is best for us. We have been presented with an opportunity to stay home and listen to the wisdom of our intuition and our bodies. If you think you need support, trust your own wisdom about the type of person that you think can be helpful. If you are at a loss, contact a licensed mental health provider for a consultation. Don’t be afraid to ask for a reduced fee or a referral to a practitioner offering free service. Everyone is willing to help but sometimes you need to ask for help.
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Previously Published on Medium
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