Mandatory Mindfulness! - theHumm April 2020

By Helen Antebi

To quell COVID-19 and do our part to support health care workers, not to mention our families, friends and our communities, there is one skill we must acquire if we have not already.

The skill or art (depending on your approach), of mindfulness has been “trending” now for some time. Maybe there was a reason. Virtually overnight we have had to become acutely aware of our environments, the contact — or rather the distance — we have from others, the way we touch things when we shop and the frequency of how and how often we handle produce. The habits we have of touching our face, mouth, nose, the way breathe if we have to wear a mask, the way we sneeze and cough, and the way we show our love and care for others. All of these entrenched habits of physical contact and proximity have come under radical upheaval.

What does all this have to do with mindfulness? Being mindful is about being present. Being acutely aware of and attentive to what is going on in our thoughts, feelings, actions and behaviour patterns. It is about being so self-aware that we are able “in the moment” to accept, evaluate and if needed, moderate or adapt what we think and feel about something and therefore how we behave.

Suddenly we find ourselves stopping and pausing old habits to rewind the tape in our brains and play a different tune. One we are not quite accustomed to, sometimes one we don’t like or take to easily. Finding ourselves closing in on a person in line ahead of us and suddenly being aware that we are too close and backing off. Many of these new behaviours have to become our default, our “go-to” tunes, at least until a new health and safety protocol emerges, in which case the newish tunes might need to go the way of all the other do-do tunes, and be cognitively erased.

Never was a time of behavioural fluidity and flexibility more important, a time of heightened sensitivity and social awareness, a time of compassion, understanding and cooperation.

Our mindfulness skills are just as important and valuable for living in new realities, whether due to a change in income, having new family members with us or without us, being physically and emotionally isolated from those we love. All of these things can create anxiety, tension and internal conflict.

Mindfulness can help us get through such times of uncertainty and feelings of powerlessness. When we get bogged down with the perceived weight of our situations, mindfulness can help us to regain perspective on the larger reality, help us to accept our situation, understand we are part of a community, of a country, of a world of people living with unique and difficult situations. Attending to our feelings and accepting them as valuable can be vital. We certainly don’t need another battle right now, so fighting our feelings, resisting them can be one fight that mindfulness can settle.

Accepting that the hug will have to wait, work will be reinstated or redefined, life —although perhaps different in some ways — will at some point resume. We can intentionally let go of the tension and reduce the intensity of our reactions, helping us feel re-grounded in this extraordinary circumstance. We have nothing to lose by remaining in touch with ourselves, by being kind and non-judgemental towards self.

Accepting what we are experiencing internally as being okay under the circumstances, as a natural human response to threat, allows us to remain rational and objective so we can reframe our thoughts, freeing up the energy to be “upcycled” and used for good! Many have tackled long-abandoned home renovation or repair projects; others have started new hobbies or activities; cooking, sewing, arts, music and crafts are making a well-deserved comeback.

Sensory and tactile activities can be very grounding and meditative. Sharing and helping others, safely supporting anyone who is in need, however we can, are ways to engage our brains in constructive and meaningful ways. Anything that gives us a modicum of control over our lives in a highly uncertain and unpredictable time can help.

If we were a little resistant to change before COVID-19, we have had to pull up our big person panties and get on with it. Exhaling slowly can help reduce your heart rate and regain calm… in order to carry on.

Here is information from the Mayo Clinic on the practice of mindfulness: mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356

And here is a useful site if you are up-cycling your energy in the kitchen! youtube.com/watch?v=voztwgixwtg

There are lots of great sites, references and reads out there on the subject. What have you found helpful that might be of interest to other readers?

— Helen Antebi is a Certified Professional Coach, assisting leaders, organizations and business owners helenantebi.com .

Re-purposing Your Gifts: from Costume Designer to Mask Maker - theHumm April 2020

By Kris Riendeau

In an article entitled “Covid-19 Cannot Harm Your Gifts!”, Bruce Anderson of the Core Gift Institute coregift.org writes: “…what is undeniable is that you have come into this world with gifts, and you will leave this world with those gifts, having given them along the way. Gifts form an essential part of our passion and purpose, and give us a lifetime of opportunity for finding our true identify and offering who we are to the world.“But, in times o......

Mandatory Mindfulness! - theHumm April 2020