5 Tips On Surviving The Pandemic... Spiritually

Most of us in the United States and other parts of the world are living with the effects of the coronavirus/COVID-19. The virus has affected our lives in many ways, from employment and livelihood to relationships, and more.

Sadly, the virus has taken a significant number of lives, and therefore some of us are also living with the loss of loved ones. Fortunately, most of us have not been affected to that degree, and are mainly struggling to deal with the conditions of lockdown, and trying to stay healthy.

There are many elements of self-care during the pandemic. For the Wisdom Magazine readership, I would like to share the ones I've observed which are spiritual in nature.

Often times, I like to think of the A Course In Miracles (ACIM) teachings, which include forgiveness, and acting on love rather than fear. To me, those two teachings (forgive, and choose love over fear), cover so much in day to day life, and in dealing with the affects of the pandemic. Also, I practice angel spirituality, which to me are non-denominational extensions of God - very easy to communicate with and hear from quickly. I also go to the teachings of Orin & DaBen, which are very gentle spirit teachers espousing self-love and how to deal with earth plane issues of the body and mind.

1) The number one problem with dealing with the pandemic is fear. Fear is a huge issue, because of the nature of a pandemic. We are surrounded by death - actual, or the threat of death. Every day on TV we see stories about how things are getting worse or new cases are on the rise, and the number of people who have passed away from COVID. It is even more difficult for those of us who are in higher risk categories - over the age of 50, of color, and/or with underlying or pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, asthma, obesity, etc.

This constant presence of the threat of death from the pandemic can present a significant problem of excessive and constant fear.

We can survive the pandemic better if we can get a handle on, and manage the fear.

Ways to handle the fear are:

a) Look at the facts, and be realistic. If you stay focused on the statistics, you can see that for the most part, you are safe or you have a really good chance of staying healthy.

b) Limit the amount of time you watch the news. Most lightworkers and earth angels are already in the habit of not watching the news, because we know how quickly and significantly it can erode our spirits and positive outlooks - we are too sensitive for the doom and gloom content that the general news provides.

It isn't necessary to watch the news for several hours a day. Reducing the amount of time you watch the news will give you the information you need and keep most of your positive feelings of well-being intact.

c) Choose wisely the source of news you watch. There are many different sources of news, including independent news media. You can choose the ones that match your points of view and learn the facts and direction of COVID from sources that leave the rest of the garbage out of it. Getting your news from these sources will leave you feeling better and less fearful.

d) One of the best ways to counteract fear is to take action. Find ways to react to COVID with action. These ways can be safe and within your abilities and budget. The internet has countless suggestions on how to take action in the environment of COVID, and every bit of action will take away some of your fear.

e) Practicing gratitude and appreciation can be very helpful in living through a pandemic.

2) Practicing social contact as a spiritual practice can be very beneficial, especially if you are an introvert or you fall back on social isolation due to depression or any other mental health issues. Over the years I have become increasingly introverted and I also write the "Living with Bipolar Disorder" series here at Wisdom, so I know all too well the habit of social isolation.

A YouTuber Frank James has a very funny series of videos about introverts and the wild wacky things we do. I highly recommend them. One of the things he often touches on is how happy we are about the quarantining aspect of the coronavirus. I completely agree!

While I miss dating my sweeties, I do not in the least miss anything else, except the group and individual therapy sessions I used to go to. Now my individual therapy sessions are done by video, and I miss the exercise of walking to the bus several times a week. Other than the missed exercise and dating, I do not at all, in the slightest littlest tiniest bit miss anything about going out - because I pretty much didn't anyway.

But, being human, I do miss the spiritual and mental benefits that come from being with others. One spiritual phrase I like to use a lot is "We are meant to need each other." Another is, "We are All One." When you go for months without seeing someone, it actually hurts. The well-being suffers. The mental health starts to go wonky. We really do need each other. I'm reminded of failure to thrive and the stories of incubator babies who go from dying to thriving when they are placed together, to touch and hug each other to wellness.

It is unfortunate that many of us are not in a situation where we can get our touch needs met. And those of us who live with other people are very fortunate that we can get our mental health-maintaining hugs.

It's important to remember that spiritually, we need each other, as well as physically and mentally.

Remembering this, it's important to set up video appointments or phone calls if that's better for you, with friends, family of choice and origin, and other loved ones, on a regular basis. We need this in order to be whole and remain healthy, especially in this climate of fear that COVID is. Regular human contact is one of the best things we can do to keep our spirits up, and our immune systems strong enough to not only to avoid catching the virus, but to also help us survive it if we do.

3) Practicing gratitude and appreciation can bring about feelings of well-being that increase your immune health. Even in the environment of a pandemic, you can find things and reasons to be grateful for and to appreciate, and this practice will also help you to feel better about the conditions in which you live.

4) If thoughts about death and dying frighten you, read and study about various religions' theories and teachings about the process of death and dying. This is especially helpful if you were reared in a religion that taught you fearful lessons about the death and dying experience. Doing this will relax and release some of your fears about death and dying. And less fear will put you in a stronger and more positive place to manage the pandemic better.

5) If you are dealing with grief, whether directly, from the COVID death of someone close to you, or indirectly, from the death of someone you knew, take the time to feel and deal with the grieving process fully. You'll be better and stronger for having dealt with all the emotions related to the grieving process.

Processing our emotions, as with grieving, is part of being spiritually sound. If you have had the sad and unfortunate experience of losing someone to COVID, it would help you to seek therapeutic support in managing those emotions.

Overall, spiritual practices such as overcoming fear, choosing love over fear, taking action, taking care of our bodies, and reconciling our fears of death, can all help in living with the pandemic.

I wish you well!

Cassendre Xavier is a multi-media artist based in Philadelphia. She has written for Wisdom Magazine since 2009. Visit http://cassendrexavier.wordpress.com