COVID-19 Angst: Building Resilience
Online meditations starting April 1st 7-8 pm central
With The Resilient Activist’s founder, Sami Aaron
People everywhere have been experiencing severe emotional distress with the appearance of COVID-19.
We are overwhelmed with fear for our health, uncertainty about our jobs and finances, and sorrow over our social and physical distancing.
For many people, these recent events have resulted in anger, shock, resistance, panic, anxiety and grief.
These emotional reactions show up in our physical bodies in the form of muscle tension, headaches, digestive problems, and insomnia as we live in a perpetual state of fight, flight, or freeze.
Resilience tools to the rescue
This is your invitation to a
free, online resilience program
every evening in April, 2020 from 7 – 8 pm Central time
Join when you can.
Not able to attend but wish to support The Resilient Activist? Donate now!
The format is simple:
- Reserve the time in your calendar to join us each evening in a quiet, undisturbed place in your home or out in nature.
- Join our supportive community on Zoom on your computer, phone, or tablet.
- Participate in a conversation about topics that are timely and relevant to the stress and anxiety that you may be feeling.
- Practice resilience tools that may be helpful to you in the present moment.
- Experience guided meditation practices to help you build your resilience “muscle memory” so you will be able to flow more easily with the inevitable changes that we’ll experience in the future.
Using the concepts from The Resilient Activist’s Five Essentials for a Resilient World, participants will explore ways to build a personal resilience plan that, with practice, will provide a sense of calm and focus as new challenges arise.
Each evening’s program will stand on its own, so join in when you can; no stress if you can’t make it every day.
Participants will:
- Recognize when ecological angst is impacting their everyday lives
- Learn simple steps to reduce stress, and calm obsessive thoughts
- Understand why time spent in nature is the most important tool in your tool belt
- Discuss short-term and long-term coping strategies
- Participate in small groups for more in-depth conversation
- Begin to develop a personal resilience plan
New to Zoom?
Your registration confirmation email will provide you with the link to the Zoom call.
If you’ve used Zoom before, this is all you need.
If you’re new to Zoom, here are some video tutorials to help you understand how to use it:
- Joining a Zoom call the first time (8 min.): https://youtu.be/9isp3qPeQ0E
- Joining a meeting: https://youtu.be/hIkCmbvAHQQ
- Meeting Controls: https://youtu.be/ygZ96J_z4AY
For the first few days, the Zoom meeting room will open 30 minutes early to allow new users to log in and get things set up before the actual program begins.
Need deeper emotional support?
You are not alone if you need deeper support than these resilience tools can offer.
There are many, many organizations offering specialized mental health therapies that are relevant to the COVID-19 crisis. We at The Resilient Activist strongly encourage you to reach out if you experience feelings of despair or hopelessness.
In Missouri, there is a Disaster Distress Helpline. In Kansas, contact the COVID-19 Resource Center. Most states will have similar programs – do an internet search for “your-state mental health for covid-19.”
Because we are in unprecedented times, many insurance companies and private therapists are offering mental health services at reduced rates or for free. Speak up if you need financial assistance to receive the emotional support you need.
Yes, there is a silver lining
As hard as it may be to fathom this, we humans are on a path to deeper connection with Earth, and an event like this global pandemic is an amazing teaching tool that no one alive today will ever forget. As John Muir recognized,
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. One fancies a heart like our own must be beating in every crystal and cell, and we feel like stopping to speak to the plants and animals as friendly fellow mountaineers.
Naturalist John Muir, “My First Summer In The Sierra”
Through these resilience tools and the teachings of the Five Essentials for a Resilient World, we can embody a more deeply connected way of living in collaboration with and support of this glorious planet.
And as a result, we will find the path to a healthier and more peaceful existence.
Inspired by The Resilient Activist’s mission?
Your financial support can make an important difference.