Coronavirus COVID 19 Defense

What if meditation is a strategy for Coronavirus COVID 19 Defense? Everywhere I look these days there seems to be something related to the COVID 19 catastrophe. Quarantine and “social distancing” are new additions to our daily vocabularies. The news is constantly spewing updated information regarding the gloom and doom of this deadly virus. People are hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Other people are walking around in a panic and full of anxiety. Where is the solution? Remain calm. Be mindful. Remember who is in charge.

Stay in the Moment

First and foremost in times like this, it is important to stay grounded. What I mean by “staying grounded” is to keep balanced. Do not let the scales of your serenity tip in either direction. If we start looking behind us and mourn what we do not have we cause harm to our spirits. If we become worried about the future and get scared about what might happen, we become anxious.

The happy medium between the future and the past is right now at this moment. Now is all we have. It is all we have ever had and ever will have. Any projection you have of the future is only an illusion. Any memory you have is merely theoretical. Right now is where everything is. Use the moment you have right now to find gratitude and peace for what IS. Breathe and find right now.

Remember Who You Are

The world might want you to be a certain way. Your mind might even tell you that you have to be like this, or like that to be accepted. In reality, you are an amazing, powerful ball of energy with immense purpose. In troubled times you may feel small and insignificant. You may feel like you are completely powerless. This is far from the truth. If you remember that all you have is this moment and you choose to be calm right now you can offer somebody else your calmness.

Other people are struggling with fear and uncertainty right now, but you are calm and serene. When you allow somebody else to feel the insanity that they have, yet respond calmly you become a rock. When we remember that this is all an illusion and that nobody is getting out of here alive we regain our power. Nothing is promised, nothing is permanent. We are all just visitors passing through there is nothing to be afraid of.

Meditation in Chaos

The mind is an unruly child. It grasps and pushes for control. We have to remember that our physical minds are not the boss. There is a power much greater than ourselves that is in charge. When we tap into that power we gain strength. Meditation is how we tap into that power. The concept of meditation is to stop our minds from uncontrolled thoughts. We put a space between our thoughts and our emotions. If we can pull our thought train away from the ominous facade of the material world long enough to feel peace we have broken through the illusion. Sit in silence. Focus on the breath or a mantra. No matter how strong the crazy train tries to pull your thoughts away towards the problems come back to your focus.

An Illustration

I’m not a Christian. I’m not a Buddhist. I am not any type of label or religion, however, I find wisdom throughout many teachings. I just wanted to set that straight. With that being said I want to share an illustration of how meditation works. In the Bible, there is a story about Jesus walking on water. Peter gets out of the boat to join Him and begins walking on water too. Suddenly the storms come in and begin to cause chaos in the ocean. This chaos creates large waves that rock the boat. When Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus and focuses on the waves he begins to sink and cries out for help.

When you sit in meditation your breath, passage, or mantra becomes your Jesus. It becomes your focal point and pulls your focus from the problems and into the solution. The solution is to stay calm and be the boss of your mind no matter what. Whatever you may feel. Whatever your thoughts might be. Sit, focus on your rock. Meditate and connect to the Power of the Universe.

The Healthy Mind

A healthy mind is an honest mind. When a person starts telling lies because they want to be comforted, or even to try and make sense of things sickness sets in. Being honest and looking at things truthfully may be uncomfortable, but it is the best way. Many of us will neglect the truth in order to feel safe, or try to fill in the blanks of a story that is uncertain. A lot of us fear danger and uncertainty. We have to stay honest in the way we think at the risk of discomfort and uncertainty. If we tell ourselves that this virus is a hoax and that it is not such a big deal we could be risking ourselves and other people. If we continually focus on the fearful could be outcomes of the virus we cause tremendous anxiety. Remember to remain calm and sensible at all times.

The Solution

Acceptance. In the grand scheme of things, normal people like me and you do not have much choice in matters like these. World governments are putting mandatory shelter in place orders all over the globe. There is not much we can do about it other than the best we can to prevent the spread of the virus.

Be in the moment. Stay calm. Do not let your mind drag you into a false future. Practice meditation and connect to the ultimate decision-maker. There is a place inside of us all where there is no anger, no fear, no ego, and no chaos. We have to go deep within, beneath the illusion of permanence and material. We have to be willing to believe that all of this is temporary. All we have is now, so we need to do our very best to enjoy each moment as it arises and be thankful for the chance to do so. The “bigger picture” lies within us all.