At a time when there’s so much fear and anxiety around us. it’s more important than ever to have the tools to remain calm in the center of the storm. One tool we all have is our breath. Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which counters the fight of flight response that the current crisis continuously activates.
Sometimes, just reminding yourself to breathe may be enough to calm yourself. I actually have a bracelet that reminds me to do this when I get super stressed! But one of the best ways to calm yourself is through meditation. Even just a few minutes can make a tremendous difference.
I recently came across a brief guided Staying Calm – Covid Meditation by Dr. Elyse Bialylew, a doctor trained in psychiatry and author of the bestselling mindfulness meditation book, The Happiness Plan*. I found it soothing and find myself using it whenever I get agitated throughout the day.
Click here to listen to the Staying Calm – Covid Meditation.
If you aren’t already using Insight Timer, I encourage you to download the app. It’s free and contains a wealth of helpful meditations and courses.
*The Conscious Cat is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The Conscious Cat is an affiliate partner of Little Words Project. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or would use ourselves.