For a long time people that are ‘in to’ mindfulness have said that making the world a better place  always begins with you first… and in this time we are living in it is remarkably true: If I take care of myself and keep myself healthy, I will help improve the lives of others, either by not transmitting the virus or by not occupying hospital resources, and this way helping somebody else to get the help they need. “If I stay well, somebody else who need help more than I do will get it”

For the first time, we are all in this together on this global level - and there is a huge potential for transformation both on the personal level and on the level of society.

One of my friends said the other day that “the global energy field is crazy right now”, and I guess that is true. Very few things in society right now are as they usually were. Even if you daily life is safe and maybe not even interrupted, everything feels a bit off (or a lot).
Even if you do not see a lot of people “in the real” most of us sense the restlessness and nervousness that comes with having to adjust to a new and different way of life and also live with uncertainty of when it will change one way or the other fundamentally again.

And we all react to the changes and the uncertainty. Depending on our situation, naturally, and yet, most of us do not have the usual response to threats and stressors at hand (to fight or flight). Instead most of us are forced to stay at home, in isolation, which is rather close to the stress response to ‘freeze’.
Freeze is one of the most ancient reaction patterns to a stress situation, where the nervous system and thus the body shuts down; originally in order to prevent the body and mind to be further harmed. We find ourselves sometimes inactive because of this state, and we start to doubt if we can deal with the social isolation and inaction while it is still required of us.

This inclines us to employ numbness (not to feel our feelings), or to refuse to realise reality and negate the present situation, or in worst cases, to dissociate, i.e. disconnect more or less entirely from the reality we live in.

If you find yourself applying avoidance behaviour or engaging in distractions, you are to some degree trying to bypass the freezing and act instead. To some extent that is a good thing (compared to ‘freeze’), but some of our avoidance or distraction activities leads us down paths that are not good for us, and awareness and compassion are key for dealing with these reactions and their consequences on our lives.

It has to be said that all these reactions are perfectly normal under the circumstances, but since the circumstances are not normal, we need to be patient with ourselves (and others), give time and again apply awareness and compassion when we engage with others and in self-talk.

How to navigate this as gracefully and healthfully as possible?

Come back to center - use relaxation methods or physical exercises (e.g. yoga, tai chi) to ground yourself. Go for a walk, engage in creative activity…

A time of self-care - make sure you sleep enough, eat well, exercise a bit every day. Re-connect to friends and family virtually. Create a space for rest: for feeling safe and relaxed, in order to reload your energy.

Expect development - A positive transformation could be to start to grow tolerance to uncertainty, which helps to grow resilience to the changes that might come, but most development happens with some kind of disintegration in the initial stages - so hang in there if things are difficult, they might be the first signs of new beginnings.

Remember to acknowledge which things are out of my power to change: maybe choose to place these things on a sort of inner (or outer) alter for a greater power to take care of.

In general: Be Kind! - we all deserve to be treated with kindness - you too :-)

In the words of Jon Kabat Zinn, “You put out the welcome mat” on your life: “There is beauty in a willingness to be with whatever arises. Notice the feelings in your body, make room for them, allow them to hang out while you carry on and do what matters!”

“This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor: Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honourably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight” ~ Rumi