Who doesn’t want to practice Right Mindfulness in a pandemic, right?!

I’ll return with the fourth foundation of Right Mindfulness in the next post, but today I want to share a few thoughts about practicing Right Mindfulness in the midst of coronavirus, social distancing, and so much anxiety, sadness, and fear.

That this particular step of Right Mindfulness came to us at this time feels synchronistic. What a time to watch our minds and practice presence! I know none of us really wants to be thrown into the deep end, but now that we’re here, we may as well receive the lessons of the moment.

In a “normal” March, with flowers beginning to bloom and spring break vacations and the sun coming around more often, we don’t mind being present. We appreciate the opportunity to be here now. March is a month where things often look up.

Obviously, it doesn’t feel that way during a pandemic. Our normal lives and routines have been upended, and we feel scattered. We face a future filled with unknowns. (How bad is it? Will hospitals have what they need? When will this all be over?) We project our fears into the future and go into survival mode. We mourn the loss of what could have been and what will not now be. And we remember how last March was so different.

All of this is understandable. But notice how it takes us away from being present in the moment. How do we return to the center of our awareness?

This may sound counter-intuitive, but first, what if we just let it all in? Instead of feeling like we can protect ourselves from the sadness or despair, what if we first honored our emotions? So many people will be hit so hard by this- the elderly, those in poverty, hourly workers and hospital staff and small business owners. Kids who rely on school lunches. Parents who rely on school for child care. All the people whose income relies on something that has been cancelled.

I’ve heard stories of students who got the lead in the school play only to have it cancelled, seniors who may not have a prom or graduation, athletes who lost a chance to finish their season strong or start it at all. Kids whose birthday parties were cancelled. Grandparents and loved ones who can’t be visited for who knows how long. So many people have experienced so many different kinds of loss.

Right Mindfulness asks us to show up to the moment, as it is, and be present to it. Well, this is the moment as it is. It is filled with so many questions and a whole host of heartbreaks. No amount of Netflix binging is going to take that away. So what if we let it in and let it be what it is and trust that we can hold it, handle it, and, as we are ready, let it go?

To be honest, dear ones, it doesn’t go away if we avoid it. I think our best option is to let it in and let it have its moment. It is good and right to grieve and to feel sad and to feel any number of things about this pandemic. Feel them. Be present to it. And then let it go.  (Don’t worry, it will most likely return! And then you can just do it all over again.)

In Right Mindfulness we contemplate our body, our feelings, our thoughts, and the object of our thoughts. We cannot do any of those things from a place of avoidance. We must do them right here, right in this messy moment. So we notice our body. When we sit, we sit. When we walk, we walk. We notice our feelings. When we’re sad we nod to our sadness. When we feel scared we breathe deep and acknowledge we’re scared. We notice our thoughts. When we race toward apocalyptic thoughts, we bring them back to the present. When we notice our thoughts taking us down the spiral of anxiety, we come back to the present and eat some chocolate or go for a walk. We stay right here with it all. We find our centers.

I’ve seen so many great examples of people showing up for each other. I love the videos of homemade hand puppets and people exercising on their balconies and of course all of the singing. We respond to these because they are a testament to the beauty of the human spirit. But recognize, also, that these are examples of people who are present and alive in this moment, in this messy, pandemic-filled moment. They are singing into the glory of the moment they’re in. They are dancing now, writing poetry now, all from exactly where reality is unfolding.

Presence grounds us, and presence lifts us up.

No matter where this week finds you (hopefully at home, working and living at a healthy distance), how can you practice presence? If you feel overwhelmed by your emotions, consider writing it all out and leaving it there, instead of allowing it to linger in your head. If you feel scared, practice following your breath. And if even that feels like a lot, just focus on the in-breath. Just a few seconds of focus, and then breathe out, and then focus a few seconds more. If you can, go for a walk. Notice the details. Find joy in them.

And then ask yourself: how can I be present to one person/place in need this week? Maybe call someone, or send a card, or support a local business with a gift card you can use later. Buy someone’s book. Tip the delivery person abundantly. Donate to a charity. Foster a pet.

Remember that Thich Nhat Hanh describes Right Mindfulness as the energy that brings us back to the present moment. What can you do to encourage, support, and follow that energy this week? And remember you only have so many opportunities to practice mindfulness in a pandemic. 🙂

This post belongs to my series on practicing the Eightfold Path. Read all my posts on Right Mindfulness here.