As the impact of the coronavirus continues to spread, it is natural to contemplate how it might impact us personally, our loved ones, and the world.  Like many of you, I’ve been watching the news, seeing the numbers of people impacted rising daily, and listening as government officials make the call to close schools, quarantine people, and take other actions. I’ve had moments of worrying about my aging parents and other family members, dreading how this might impact my son, and wondering when it’ll end.

It’s easy to imagine how someone could slip into an unhelpful spiral of increasingly negative rumination and further amplify their own stress, fear, and anxiety if the automatic tendency to ruminate is left unchecked. There are ways to mindfully respond to the natural anxiety and fear that may arise due to the situation surrounding the coronavirus. Whether you have a daily mindfulness practice or know nothing about mindfulness, the following tips may help you navigate this challenging time with a bit more ease.

1.     Acknowledge the mind’s tendency to ruminate on worse case scenarios, especially in the midst of uncertainty. When we are caught up in rumination, imagining the worst, our stress response system kicks into high gear with its associated hormones and emotions, further clouding our thinking. Understanding that our minds do this is the key to handling it.

2.     Accept your emotions (fear/anxiety) – They are already here. Naming that you are feeling an emotion such as fear or anxiety can give you some space to think thoughtfully about how you want to respond.

3.     Consume news from reputable sources and only check them once or twice a day. Reading alarming headlines dozens of times a day adds little value, in fact it’s the opposite. Seeing alarming headlines over and over is likely to trigger additional anxiety and rumination.  Like food, consume news in moderation.

4.     Focus on what you can control. While there is a great deal of uncertainty around this situation, ask yourself what are some concrete actions you can take to best prepare. Whether it’s preparation for social distancing, putting a plan in place to check in with relatives, or setting up a space in your home for remote working, taking deliberate steps in preparation can help relieve some of the anxiety of uncertainty.

5.     Take a compassionate and flexible stance towards yourself and others. This is a time of upheaval, rapid change, and uncertainly.  People will deal with it and be impacted by it in different ways. Acknowledging that others may have loved ones in the high-risk categories or have other personal situations that exacerbate the impact on them, can help you respond more compassionately to behavior that may be out of character.

6.     Take a few moments each day to do the S.T.O.P. Practice. The S.T.O.P. practice is an in the moment exercise you can do to come off automatic pilot, bring yourself back into the present moment, and enable you to be intentional about your next moment. Here’s how to do it:

S – STOP.  Just pause for a moment.

T – Take a Breath.  Notice the sensations of breathing for at least one inhale and exhale.

O – Observe.  Notice a few things in your external environment and then notice your internal weather pattern. What thoughts and/or emotions are present?

P – Pose and Proceed.  Pose the question, “What’s important now?” and proceed with deliberate intention instead of reacting out of habit or reflex.

I’m encouraged the by the actions taken by leaders, governments, and the private sector across the globe to work together.  We are fortunate to be the most advanced our civilization has ever been when faced with such a challenging situation.  We will meet and overcome this coronavirus and all it’s lasting effects by working together and by responding thoughtfully, rationally, and deliberately.  These steps can help turn rumination into responsible action and transform panic into preparation.