In her latest column, Australian pioneer of the practice of mindfulness, Charlotte Thaarup, explores what can help people manage stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 lockdown.
We are living through a very difficult time right now, with many of us still in lockdown and so much uncertainty and upheaval due to this COVID-19 pandemic.
The stress of living this way certainly takes a toll on the body.
When you are constantly feeling stress or anxiety lingering just beneath the surface, your whole experience of life can suffer.
A small dose of anxiety is part of life. It is when it becomes an ongoing way of functioning that it takes its toll on our bodies, relationships, and our mental health.
Right now most of our bodies are picking up that things are depressing or uncertain; there is a context of danger and therefore we are not safe.
Part of this is COVID itself, part of it is the stress from disagreements people are having about how to handle the pandemic, part of it is generated by the media, but also as we are all contagious in terms of ideas and feelings, we pick up the anxiety from each other.
Mindfulness can assist in recognising and dealing with anxiety by reminding us that all we have to do is manage the moment, one moment at a time.
If you haven’t tried mindfulness before, or you haven’t practiced it in a while, a little support can really help you step gently into it and feel the benefits of a calmer approach to the day.
To help people with this, The Mindfulness Clinic is hosting free guided group mindfulness practice over Zoom every Tuesday and Friday.
The sessions are designed to provide you with simple steps to help calm and soothe the body and help you handle whatever happens in your day.
Think of these as a mini-retreat at home, 15 minutes of mindfulness training twice a week to reduce stress and help you feel much better.
More information is available at themindfulnessclinic.com.au/mindful-mornings/
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.