March 31, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the nation and the world, people are taking special measures to protect their health – from frequent handwashing to social distancing to sheltering in place. These are all important steps to limit the spread of the virus and “flatten the curve.”
However, along with preserving our physical health, we also need to safeguard our mental well-being from stresses and strains brought on by the pandemic. One way to do this is through mindfulness, which the website Mindful.org defines as “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
Practicing mindfulness has many research-backed benefits, including reducing stress and emotional reactivity, while boosting focus and working memory. Caryn Wells, a professor in OU’s Department of Organizational Leadership, is a published author on mindfulness and also leads an array of mindfulness workshops, which are offered through OU’s Professional and Continuing Education.
Here, Dr. Wells shares mindfulness tips to help people deal with feelings of stress and anxiety in the midst of challenging times.
Name it to tame it
There is a phrase in mindfulness, “Name it to tame it.” Labeling our thoughts allows us to have distance from them. It allows us to look at our thoughts and have a sense of curiosity and openness about them, instead of trepidation or fear. When we do this, we might sense a feeling that this thought relaxes. If it does not relax, mindfulness teaches us to notice that too.
If we stay with it for some time, we might notice that the thought changes. Worry can change to another emotion, such as our health, or that of friends or family. This worry cloud may move out, and another cloud may roll in. The new cloud might be about food, work, assignments, our pets, etc. Mindfulness does not empty out thoughts. Rather, it allows us to notice what our mind is bringing to our attention. The key is not to suppress these thoughts, but to gently lean into them. There’s another saying in mindfulness, “What we resist, persists. What we feel, we can heal.”
Mindful breathing
Sometimes we might wish we could talk to ourselves when an anxious thought surfaces. We might feel the worry of what is happening around us. Mindfulness allows us to pause, acknowledge what we are feeling, and rest in awareness. We can turn our focus on our breathing, with a practice like this: