'Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.'
From: Pandemic by Lynne Ungar
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.'
From: Pandemic by Lynne Ungar
Dear friends,
Due to the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID19 crisis, I felt it was time for a short epilogue on this blog. These are clearly challenging times for all of us: Many things we have taken for granted are no longer available or possible, we have been physically separated from family and friends, and many people have been affected by the economical implications of this crisis.
Therefore, it has perhaps never been as important to support our mental resilience as it is now, and I would just like to remind you that all previous posts on this blog are still accessible and remain as relevant (if not even more so!) as they were a few years ago. The free eBook with a collection of all posts is also still available for download.
As previously discussed on this blog, scientific research has shown that our wellbeing depends less on external circumstances than on our internal attitudes, thinking patterns and intentional activities. Of course I do not want to underestimate the devastation, fear and grief this virus is causing. However, there are also stories of hope, resilience and connection, and it is up to all of us to make the best out of the difficult circumstances. And this may be a good time to engage in mindfulness practice, which has been shown to increase our ability to deal with adversity and difficult life circumstances.
I am not planning to reopen the blog, but all of you who enjoyed it may be interested in an excellent website (https://www.tenpercent.com/) that I have come across, which offers many high-quality resources for free:
TPH Coronavirus Sanity Guide: Here you can find a collection of podcasts, talks and short meditations. I have found the podcasts particularly helpful and inspirational; a full list of the talks can be found here: https://podcasts.google.com/. The podcasts always feature expert guests and deal with topics like 'How to Handle Coronavirus Anxiety', 'Parenting in a Pandemic', 'How to Actually Get Work Done at Home', 'Meditating in a Pandemic', 'Love in the Time of COVID', 'You Don't Have to be Alone to be Lonely' and 'How to Go Easy on Yourself in a Pandemic' giving not only valuable hands-on advice but also literally providing a voice of sanity and wisdom in these mad times.
Due to the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID19 crisis, I felt it was time for a short epilogue on this blog. These are clearly challenging times for all of us: Many things we have taken for granted are no longer available or possible, we have been physically separated from family and friends, and many people have been affected by the economical implications of this crisis.
Therefore, it has perhaps never been as important to support our mental resilience as it is now, and I would just like to remind you that all previous posts on this blog are still accessible and remain as relevant (if not even more so!) as they were a few years ago. The free eBook with a collection of all posts is also still available for download.
As previously discussed on this blog, scientific research has shown that our wellbeing depends less on external circumstances than on our internal attitudes, thinking patterns and intentional activities. Of course I do not want to underestimate the devastation, fear and grief this virus is causing. However, there are also stories of hope, resilience and connection, and it is up to all of us to make the best out of the difficult circumstances. And this may be a good time to engage in mindfulness practice, which has been shown to increase our ability to deal with adversity and difficult life circumstances.
I am not planning to reopen the blog, but all of you who enjoyed it may be interested in an excellent website (https://www.tenpercent.com/) that I have come across, which offers many high-quality resources for free:
TPH Coronavirus Sanity Guide: Here you can find a collection of podcasts, talks and short meditations. I have found the podcasts particularly helpful and inspirational; a full list of the talks can be found here: https://podcasts.google.com/. The podcasts always feature expert guests and deal with topics like 'How to Handle Coronavirus Anxiety', 'Parenting in a Pandemic', 'How to Actually Get Work Done at Home', 'Meditating in a Pandemic', 'Love in the Time of COVID', 'You Don't Have to be Alone to be Lonely' and 'How to Go Easy on Yourself in a Pandemic' giving not only valuable hands-on advice but also literally providing a voice of sanity and wisdom in these mad times.
TPH Live Meditations: As great and very practical offer, there are daily live meditations which can be joined through the website. These 20 minute sessions are suitable for beginners as well as more experienced meditators. The sessions include a 5 minute meditation lead by some of the most renowned meditation teachers followed by a question and answer section around the topic of how to deal with the current COVID19 crisis. You can tune into the live sessions every work-day at 8pm UK time, but all previous episodes can also be accessed as recordings.
***Free access to meditation App for healthcare workers***: Ten Percent Happier is a high-quality meditation App and the company offers a 6 months free subscription to the App for all doctors, nurses, carers and auxiliary health care staff. If you know anybody working in the health sector, please forward them this link: https://www.tenpercent.com/care where they can subscribe to the App to support them in these difficult times.
Stay safe and well,
Petra
