Mindfulness Meditation and Self-care during Tough Times
Dear friend,
There is a high-level energy of overwhelm, anxiety and helplessness in the world right now. What’s happening to the innocent people of Pale.stine and Is.rael is devastating. The ongoing gen.0cide in G@z@ is sickening and horrific. On top of that, what’s happening in Sud.an, the earthquake in Af.ghanistan, the rising anti-semi.tism, Is.lamophobia, anti-Ar@b hate, transphobia, and the increasing hate crimes all over the world…phewf. We are bearing witness to so much pain around us. People are suffering in a deep and unjust way. Sometimes we feel like there’s nothing we can do but witness their pain. So we read the news. We scroll on social media. We share posts. We shed tears. We listen to others voices and stories. We try to educate ourselves. We learn new viewpoints. We share our thoughts. We distract ourselves from the fear. We pray. We feel the trauma. We feel guilty about how good we have it, and we feel bad if we experience joy when others are suffering.
And while all this is happening, we still have to parent, work, do groceries, make dinners, do chores, go to social engagements and everything else. With the decreased hours of sunlight, cold & flu season, and our capitalistic society that shames us if we slow down, it makes complete sense why so many of us feel completely drained and hopeless right now. Being in touch with your humanity means that you have compassion for suffering, even when it is not your own.
You may feel guilty doing anything for yourself at this time other than scroll social media and wait for the next round of news. You may feel like there’s not enough time in your life to book that physio or doctor’s appointment. You may feel selfish partaking in self-care when others are losing their lives.
I’m just here to give you a gentle reminder that taking care of yourself is still crucial now (and always). Your needs still matter regardless of what else is going on in the world. We are all interconnected. When we show up for ourselves, we can better show up for each other and for those who need our help. When we can build more peace in our lives, we can also spread more peace in our communities. And mindfulness meditation is one tool to help you build that inner peace. Yes, even amongst and especially during horrible times.
Mindfulness Meditation
What is mindfuless meditation?
According to the American Psychological Association, “Mindfulness is the awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings. Mindfulness can help people avoid destructive or automatic habits and responses by learning to observe their thoughts, emotions, and other present-moment experiences without judging or reacting to them.” It stems from ancient eastern and Buddhist philosophy and is over 2500 years old. Yoga and Vedic cultures have also practiced mindfulness meditation as part of the practice for thousands of years.
It’s been over 2 years since I’ve been consistently practicing mindfulness meditation, and my life has been far better for it (and my parenting too 😅). I've recently been rooting into my mindfulness meditation practice and the teachings of the late Thich Nhat Hanh, Kaira Jewel Lingo and Dr Larry Ward.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Thich Nhat Hanh, he was a Vietnamese monk, Buddhist, spiritual leader and peace activist. Similar to Gandhiji, he was an advocate for non-violence. One of my favourite quotes of his was:
“There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” -Thich Nhat Hanh (Source: Plum Village).
When speaking about war, he shared, “Man is not our enemy. Our true enemy is hatred, ignorance, fear and the seed of violence deep in our consciousness.” This simple statement feels especially profound right now. I’ve personally seen so much of this fear, ignorance and hate spread on social media these past few weeks, and it’s been exhausting.
If you haven’t read Thich Nhat Hanh’s No Mud, No Lotus, I highly recommend it. I find his thoughts around suffering and mindfulness to be especially powerful. Whenever negative events happen or hate is spread, it can increase our pain, stress, anxiety, fear and overwhelm. But whenever positive actions happen or when peace is spread, it can bring us more smiles, happiness, calm, and hope. ☮️ The good news is mindfulness can help you cultivate peace even while negative events are happening.
“Mindfulness is the best way to be with our suffering without being overwhelmed by it. Mindfulness is the capacity to dwell in the present moment, to know what’s happening in the here and now.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
3 benefits to mindfulness meditation
You don’t need to set aside special time to do it. You can be mindful doing whatever it is you’re already doing, including mindful walking, mindful commuting, mindful brushing your teeth or mindful picking up the kids from school. Simply by focusing on the task at hand, you increase mindfulness.
It helps you be presence enough to notice the joy in your day. We often ruminate about the past or worry about the future as if we can change what’s already happened or alter the future by just worrying more about it. Cultivating presence helps you feel more connected to yourself, your community and the environment around you. It also helps you to appreciate the good moments that exist within your day (which can help you feel more grateful for the life that you have!).
It can cultivate calm even when the world is a dumpster fire. Do you ever have a bad day, and you get home and can’t wait to tell your partner or family about it? And you feel SO MUCH BETTER once you feel seen, validated and supported? This is what happens when you practice mindfulness. When you take pause to notice how you’re feeling, you immediately feel seen - by yourself! Your heart remembers that you’re there looking out for it. Your spirit knows you still care. And it just takes moments to get to this place.
Try this 2-minute mindfulness meditation:
I invite you to place one hand on your chest and your other hand on your belly (if it’s accessible for you to do so).
Breathe in, and notice your breath going into lungs, and notice your hand rise at your chest.
As you breathe out, notice your chest fall.
Repeat 5 breaths paying attention to your breath and the movement at your chest.
Next, breathe in and notice the air going down into your belly. Feel your belly expand.
Exhale as you let your belly fall.
Repeat another 5 breaths, just noticing you and your body here right now.
If you can, repeat out loud, "I am here. I am present."
Slowly move your hands off your body, and check in with yourself.
How did that feel?
Check in with your basic needs. Are you thirsty? Hungry? Do you need to move? Stiff from sitting too much? Sore from sleeping in an awkward position? Do you need a hug? When you pause to notice how you feel, you can give yourself what you need. Let me know in the comments below how you found this!
I invite you to tap into this 2-minute mindfulness practice whenever you need to connect with yourself. The goal is not for all the stress from your life to go away - because that’s just not possible. The goal is to simply bring yourself back to the present moment and remember that you have a body and nervous system that is need of nourishment too.
Please take care of yourself, and know that you are never alone. 💜
Surabhi
Support for your mental & physical health
While mindfulness is an excellent practice, if you have the privilege and access to mental health support during this time, I highly recommend it. Talking to your friends and family about your problems may feel helpful, but a counsellor or therapist is especially trained to provide you with support. Don’t forget that there is a community of people out there who love you and are rooting for you and your safety.
As a physiotherapist, I’ve treated increased pain flare-ups, especially neck and back pain, pelvic floor symptoms, and headaches. If you’ve been experiencing pain or symptoms, please reach out to me for support. I offer both in-person physiotherapy in Toronto and virtual coaching across the globe. Tap the button below to book a free 15-minute discovery call or consultation:
