How to remain calm during the coronavirus pandemic
By Ocean Noah
We understand that the coronavirus pandemic affects everyone in different ways.
Maybe your kids are learning at home and you are adjusting to sharing the space all day. Or, maybe you had summer vacation plans that are now up in the air. Or, perhaps your job is either difficult, gone or impossible to do while practicing social distancing.
The bottom line: Everything has changed suddenly and this is stressful. It’s natural to feel anxious in reaction to all the change. Nonetheless, you may be wondering how to remain calm in the face of the COVID-19 lockdown.
And, while the recent uncertainty is totally out of your control, you can control your reactions by practicing mindfulness and Pretzel Kids yoga. You can also find power in the ability to accept the uncertainty. In fact, yoga teaches us that change is the only constant. All the while, you can keep busy with the kids at home.
To help you out, here are ideas on how to remain calm during the coronavirus pandemic:
1. It’s All About Framing Your Mindset!
Our mindsets control our experiences. When I first heard about the coronavirus, I was reasonably cautious. I practiced frequent hand-washing to prevent illness and I participated in social distancing.
But as the situation escalated, there were police officers at my local beach enforcing social isolation with tickets, and there were science-based articles being published every day. My perspective shifted into fear. I didn’t go outside at all, even when I needed to. I started having nightmares and feeling paranoid about how safe my own home was.
That was my story.
Yet, we all go through our own multiple stages when processing this situation – often laden in trauma-based fear. For me, I had to approach my feelings differently as my fear did not serve me at all. It didn’t make me safer and it certainly didn’t make me feel better.
While there are many ways to help allay fear, you can practice mindfulness to keep fear at bay. Mindfulness helps you pay attention to your feelings and your body. You begin to notice what fear feels like in your body. Do your muscles tense? Do your sleeping patterns change when you’re stressed? When you practice mindfulness, you notice these sensations and acknowledge that you’re feeling afraid. That’s okay! When you recognize your feelings, you have the power to change them.
2. Take Safety Seriously
Even while reframing your fear-based mindset, you should still take safety precautions. It’s all about balance.
It’s important to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing food, before eating; before and after you care for a sick person or touch a wound; after using the bathroom or changing a diaper; after touching an animal, animal feed or animal waste; after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; after handling garbage; and before inserting or removing contact lenses.
Again, you can balance taking serious safety precautions and prioritizing your mental health.
3. Self-care in Light of a Pandemic
Speaking of mental health, let’s not forget about self-care in this hectic time. In fact, self-care is even more important now!
Although it may be impossible for you to go hiking or to a spa, there are still countless ways to take care of yourself at this time. For example, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule makes a huge difference in your well-being. You may not need to wake up as early as before, but your body is still affected by oversleeping and undersleeping.
And, whether you are going outside or not, continuing to style your hair and change your outfits each day can help you feel better about yourself. This is a crucial time to understand your worth outside of your level of productivity. You are a human being, a mother, a yogi. You deserve to feel happy and fulfilled every day – regardless of how productive you are.
So, wear your favorite dress on movie night at home! Put on lipstick when you go for a walk around the block (remember to don your mask!) Treat yourself like a queen.
4. Stay Busy, Stay Happy
The best way to refrain from going outside and obsessing over the news is to keep busy!
If you are inspired, try picking up a new skill like learning a new language, learning how to code, or taking an online course, like learning to teach the Pretzel Kids Yoga Method!
We all have that stack of books we “should read” and the list of podcasts we “should listen to”. But this time is 100% yours! So, pick something that interests you and dive in. The time will go by much faster.
If teaching yoga is something you’ve always been interested in, Pretzel Kids is here to help you out. We offer an incredible online yoga teacher certification course that will prepare you to teach yoga to kids in as little as 12 hours! Teaching yoga classes for children can be a fulfilling side hustle, part-time job, or even your next full-time job. You can keep yourself healthy while teaching kids yoga, and truly make a difference in the lives of children.
Teaching Pretzel Kids yoga is especially helpful during the COVID-19 era. The best part is that we train you online and you can teach kids yoga online while we are all isolating. Check out our website and see what Pretzel Kids yoga has to offer!
Keep Calm and Carry on!
The novel coronavirus has changed all of our lives drastically and the uncertainty can be overwhelming.
But as yogis and yoginis, we are equipped with so many special tools to get us through this difficult time, including mindfulness, meditation and yoga. And, remember – things have changed and this means they will change again. So, take care of yourself, your family, and your community in every way you can.
For inspiration and tips to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, be sure to check out our mindfulness tips and Pretzel Kids yoga classes offered online!
