Calm in the Storm - Simple Practices to Get There
For the past 15 months, here in the Yukon we have felt like a bubble of surreal relative normalcy in a very disrupted world. We had less than 100 Covid-19 cases in total over the past year, and would go months at a time without a single case. We’d had no community spread, and I think the most cases we ever had at once was maybe 5. In the past 2 weeks that has changed dramatically. We are now at 87 cases and counting, mostly within our secondary school students, and some in younger ages.
Even though I always said, and felt, that our situation could change at any time, the fact that it had NOT “struck us” until now had perhaps lulled us into a sense of security. And with our high vaccination rates for 18 and above, and Summer right on our doorstep, the whole “the future is looking bright” slogan seemed to be reliably upon us. So this outbreak comes as a shock, and a worry, to us all.
For those in isolation, or worried about our children, friends, family, and our community, I wanted to reach out and offer some small and accessible supports at this time. And no, I’m not going to tell you to meditate or do Tai Chi or Qi Gong - if you’ve already got a practice and can lean into it at this time that’s great! But when you are in the midst of a storm, or already experience anxiety, or can’t stop pacing the floor (or scrolling the phone), I think it best to pare down to very simple and effective and do-able tools. And even telling an anxious kid to “just breathe” can be too much.
When we are in an anxious, alarmed state, our body and mind can experience the Fight, Flight or Freeze response (or sympathetic nervous system response). This is 100% natural when we are in a state of danger, it’s a normal response. It’s also exhausting, and can interfere with our ability to think, sleep, digest, and be generally healthy and balanced. To help with THOSE areas, we can help our body into the Rest & Digest response (or parasympathetic nervous system response), to recover from the stress and remain resilient within it.
So here are my favourite, do-able practices for adults and children, for creating calm within the storm:
Stand and hug someone you trust (in your bubble and not increasing anyone’s risk) for 20 seconds or longer. Another term for the parasympathtic response is Tend & Befriend, which I love.
Lightly touch your (just washed!) finger back and forth across your lips. (And then wash your hands AGAIN, if you do have symptoms and don’t live alone…)
Hold a very cold, wet washcloth to the forehead or the back of the neck. (Can be very effective for kids and quickly preventing meltdowns)
Lie down and place a hand on your (or your child’s) belly, just below the ribs. As you breathe in, notice the hand rising. As you breathe out, notice the hand falling.
Try “box breathing”. Sit up comfortably and look at a square (picture frame, window etc). First exhale naturally. As you inhale, count to 4 and move your eyes up one edge of the box, from bottom to top. Hold your breath for 4 as your eyes travel across the top of the box. Exhale for 4 as your eyes descend down the other side of the box. Hold your breath for 4 as your eyes travel across the bottom on the box to your starting place. Repeat 4 times.
Laugh or sing!
Take a walk (around your yard, street or ideally forests).
Stand outside, on the grass or earth, in your bare feet. As you stand, shift your attention between each of your senses - how does the ground feel? What can you smell? Notice three things that you see. Three things that you hear. Describe them to yourself.
Years ago, I attended a lecture by Tibetan lama Khentrul Lodrö Thayé Rinpoche. He was teaching about meditation, and what it is, and what it is NOT. One of the things that stuck with me was him saying that when you sit down for a 20 or 30 minute meditation session, the goal is not to be in a truly meditative state for 20 or 30 minutes. You have to be a very high lama to get there, he said! Even seven breaths within that time is “it”. You’ve got it. Then he changed his mind, interrupted his translator (and therefore himself!) and said “Even three!” That’s it!
In each of the above practices, be fully present in the experience, for those few moments. Breathe. Feel. Hold. Touch. That’s it! You’ve got this.
