http://www.innerlifecoaching.co.uk/

INNER LIFE Resource, Belfast (2025)

08/09/2020

13/03/2020

Here are some ways to use the coronavirus scare for your own spiritual deepening:

1) Real information for mature members of our global village
Educate yourself. Sift out the pearls of common sense and real information from the mass of hysteria and rumour. Read about the virus itself, what its symptoms are, how to minimise your chances of catching it, and how you can participate in limiting its spread. Refuse to spread hysteria, drama and false information. If you are able, instead be the eye of the storm, calmly sharing earthy, simple information with groundedness and equanimity. In the name of “no fear” please don’t idealistically stick your head in the sand. Praise God, tie your camel!

2) Self care
This is a marvellous time to use some of the information that you glean about the virus to take exquisite care of yourself—get enough sleep, hydrate, enjoy fresh air and sunshine, eat well. Compassion and loving service start at home.

3) Mindfulness practice
What a marvellous opportunity for a mindfulness practice! What do you touch and when? Bringing attention to the present moment and out of the mind's ruminations is never a bad idea. And using the desire to not participate in spreading the virus as your holy fuel, observe when you're out and about, what you handle and consider minimising that to minimise the spread of the virus.

4) Thinking of the collective
Your own self-interest may direct you to do things that do not serve the collective -- going out to a movie when you show signs of sickness, taking that trip anyway because you're young and robust when there are so many who might be impacted by the unwitting spread of the disease, putting on your concert/event on anyway because cancelling it would be inconvenient or cost you something. What’s it like to sacrifice something for the good of the whole?

5) Facing loneliness
The social distancing invited by health experts that can help minimise the spread of the virus may challenge some of our entrenched patterns around socialising and loneliness. Consider cutting down on any habitual socialising to take a look at and sit with the feelings of disconnection that rise when you can’t get away from your own solitude. Consider having a social activity fast and see what comes up. Use Hafiz’ advice to “let your loneliness cut more deeply” and let yourself long and weep and meet those deep places of compulsion that live in you. Then, Zoom with a friend and share what you’re discovering.

6) Meeting the fear of death, sickness and helplessness
Here’s where the wisdom from trauma resolution comes in handy – resource, resource, resource! And spend some time talking with a trusted friend or guide to share feelings of panic, anxiety and fear in a safely held space to do some digesting on what pulls you out of the benevolence of the present moment into swirling fear-based thinking spirals. Yikes! We’re all going to die someday.

~ Jeannie Zandi

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