Breathing deep into autumn with COVID-19

Taking a breath.

We have just rounded the 8 month mark of when COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic. In these several months, we’ve all had to dive deep into adaptability, resourcefulness, and stamina that we never thought possible. We are dealing with increased pandemic-fatigue, wondering if and when life might ever return to some semblance of normal, all while watching cases sky-rocket locally and across the U.S. Feeling a little tense, just thinking about all this?

My advice, during a time when the last thing we really need is...more advice (don’t worry, it’s simple): just don’t forget to breathe. COVID-19 and all the new health guidelines we must follow to help keep each other safe sometimes feels like social anxiety on overdrive. I don’t know about you, but I often harken back to being a little kid having to have reminders not to fidget, touch my eyes, basically do all the things. On top of that, I deal with a mind on overdrive judging the distance of the person next to me and if (and how well) they are wearing a mask. In the moments in between - driving home from the grocery store, sitting at home with my daughter - I sometimes will have the mind to do a quick body scan and I realize that my chest is tight and I have barely been breathing. 

Of the many things that this pandemic has brought into focus is the reminder that our health is our greatest wealth. And in 2020 we are reminded in so many ways that taking a deep breath feels more like a luxury than the right that it should be. In the midst of the demand for racial justice and police brutality, raging fires across the West coast, and this virus that goes straight for the lungs, I’m trying to remember that each breath is a gift, and to give it the honor that it deserves. I’d like to encourage you all to do the same. When we remember to take care of ourselves in the small moments, then we can face each day with the ability to show up for each other with respect and meet these challenging times one deep breath at a time. 

And as always, if your head is spinning and getting back into your body feels like it’s just a little too out of reach for you, know that Chinese medicine offers tools to help and sometimes reaching out for help from others is the first step in self-care.

My ritual for getting through these times is in taking a breath - if you have other small steps you are taking to get back to yourself, I’d love to know in the comments!