In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be safe to say that we are all feeling some level of anxiety. Meditation is a powerful way to manage it – and best of all anyone can do it at home. This is part of #TransformationTuesdays with @astrologyshow
The current wave of anxiety so many people are feeling has been triggered by the total lack of control we perceive we have over this new “invisible” coronavirus, and the rapid change in so many aspects of our lives. The adjustments we’ve had to make in the past couple of months would usually take decades – or in some cases even centuries – to be adopted by society at large and accepted as the norm.
But instead we’ve all been left trying to land on our feet, as the world as we knew it has been simultaneously tipped upside down, shaken and stirred, with people all over the world waking each day not knowing what to expect, and trying to keep up, to make sense of our new reality on the run. No wonder the invisible side effect of all this stress – anxiety – is impacting so many.
But it is important to remember we do still have control over so many things in our life. And by taking ownership of these we also get the benefit of reducing this underlying anxiety.
What are the signs of anxiety you should look out for? Dr. Claire Weekes, author of “Hope and Help For Your Nerves” describes symptoms such as a heart that beats too fast, hands that tremble and sweat, a stomach that churns, a head that aches and inability to sleep as signs that anxiety has taken hold.
Interestingly, many of these anxiety symptoms are also aligned to different chakra points, which Jessica Adams will help you explore in the second part of this feature where she looks at fascinating and fun ways to balance your chakras through music.
So, what can we do to protect ourselves while stuck in a situation over which we feel we have little control? Choosing a healthy diet, regularly exercising and getting proper sleep and rest are what medical professionals are pointing to – and this makes sense because the majority of us do still have control over these factors. Sounds easy, right?
But as anyone who has experienced it will attest, anxiety has a way of popping into our minds at any time during the day. Anxiety triggers us to snack on unhealthy foods throughout the day and steals our resolve to exercise (instead we spend hours stuck on the sofa).
It arrives in the form of an endless narrative – all our worries rotating through our minds in a continuous loop. It turns up just when we are trying to fall asleep, or even worse appears in our minds when we wake during the night, keeping our minds wired when we so desperately need to switch off. Anxiety can cripple during the day and then hijack you again at night.
Interestingly, neuroscience research has shown that just ten seconds of personal acknowledgement towards our emotions helps to reset our consciousness. So it makes sense that spending a little time each day to acknowledge, accept, then release any negative emotions we have floating around inside (all of which can be easily done through simple meditation) will help transform our ability to self-manage built up nervous energy including anxiety. Through meditation and chakra balancing, instead of the anxiety controlling you, you are able to control it.
Now if you are fortunate to have learnt some basic meditation skills, now is the time to put them into practice. Allow some time each day to slow the thoughts circulating in your mind and float off to a peaceful place, lowering your stress hormones and your blood pressure at the same time. While meditating, put Dr. Weekes’ simple strategy from ‘Hope And Help For Your Nerves’ into action: Facing. Accepting. Floating. Letting Time Pass. Hope and Help for your Nerves is available here: Booktopia (Australia), Amazon (US), Book Depository (UK).
Some time spent meditating will help keep the anxiety at bay during the day. Similarly, meditation helps you fall asleep – or back to sleep if you wake in the night. While meditating, check in on different zones of your body – starting from your feet and working your way up along your spine to the top of your head. Devote time to any area that feels out of sorts, giving it permission to relax. This is a simple way to keep your chakra energy flowing.
We have a wonderful relaxation podcasts free for you to access anytime by professional hypnotherapist Natalie Delahaye, to help you to relax into a deep meditation or fall asleep.
Even if you’ve never tried, or felt meditation was not your thing, now is the perfect time to begin. Meditation is simply learning the art of slowing the pace of thoughts entering your mind and not allowing unwanted thoughts to take up residence. To acknowledge the thoughts you have, accept them, then observe what effect they have on you, while focusing on your breathing and relaxing your body. Soon you will realise that you have the power to decide if that thought stays or goes. Send any negative thoughts on their way.
My first foray into meditation was through yoga, with each session ending with a small five-minute class meditation. I was there for the exercise but couldn’t exactly pack up my things while everyone else joined in the class group meditation. So, I found myself lying still on my mat, listening & following the basic instructions. Slowing down my breathing. Letting my mind drift away. And I found I actually enjoyed the feeling of letting go and drifting into a semi-state of sleep, even for just a couple of minutes. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was helping to reset my mind to ‘calm mode.’
But it was a totally different setting that helped me see a whole other side to meditation. Once again, I wasn’t attempting to develop my meditation skills. It was while I was attending acupuncture sessions for a totally unrelated reason that I found myself unable to move (with fine acupuncture needles stuck all over my limbs and even neck & face, I really didn’t want to…) so I decided to just try and let go: closed my eyes, slowed down my breathing, allowed any thoughts that entered my mind to stay but did not engage with them, just letting them drift off of their own accord. My lovely acupuncturist would always ask me the type of background music I’d like to listen to – sometimes it was the sounds of the ocean or Tibetan singing, other times I chose the sound of silence.
I would be in this acupuncture induced ‘coma pose’ for 20 minutes. After a few sessions, I started to see a vivid purple spinning circle between my eyes at the spot known as your ‘third eye’ for the entire time I was in the session. The first time I experienced this, I asked the acupuncturist if this meant anything and she advised I was probably seeing purple as it was a healing colour. I researched it when I got home and discovered that it was possibly the seventh chakra that I had tapped into. Whichever was the correct way to interpret it, I was hooked, for the experience was like going to a dreamy, fantasy land and even 15 minutes there made me happy for weeks afterwards. It was as if I could see a magical part of myself, I didn’t know existed. I would finish the session with an inner calm that I had never had before.
If you want to try a yoga class at home before you meditate have a look at the free classes in our Move to Improve Transformation Tuesday blog here.
Harvard University Health Services Center for Wellness & Health Promotion also have six excellent guided meditations on their website. Visit their ‘Relaxation Room’ to choose from options including Body Scan Meditation and Labelling Thoughts & Feeling Meditation.
Perhaps you are like me – I never saw myself as the meditating type. But getting to a truly deep meditative state didn’t require someone to teach me how – it came about simply when I had no choice but to remain completely still and therefore had time to listen to my body & emotions.
So, while I don’t suggest you stick acupuncture needles into yourself in order to meditate, I do have faith that in just a short space of time anyone can set up a safe space to sit or lie down (definitely choose somewhere you won’t be disturbed) and practice meditation for anywhere from two to fifteen minutes.
Choose to be still, focus on slowing your breathing, give your mind some TLC and check in with the different zones in your body where your emotions may be impacting your muscles or organs. That’s how simple meditation is.
How deep into a meditative state you go is up to you. As is how long you spend doing it – just a few minutes may be all you need, or other days you may require or desire more. And just like any skill it can be picked up at any point in life, and you can also continue to improve and diversify your meditation skills.
It doesn’t matter if at the end of your meditation you finish up feeling renewed or slightly sleepy, or if you are able tune into your chakras or even if you feel nothing at all.
It is simply the act of self-care, proving to your inner self that your feelings and emotions are important enough for you to pause and acknowledge them that counts. And that acknowledgement and time spent meditating, recognising and hopefully releasing these feeling will ultimately help you to keep any anxiety at bay.
Now read on as Jessica Adams explains how to both tune into your chakras and balance them, all with music by The Beatles, Prince, Ed Sheehan, Leonard Cohen or Jeff Buckley – no doubt some or all these songs are already on your favourites playlist!
About the Author: Alicia Fulton is a lifestyle writer currently based in Sydney with more than twenty years’ experience working with titles and firms in New York and Sydney, including ELLE US and Australia, The Knot Magazine, John Brown Publishing, Bloomingdales, Williams Sonoma, Westfield and Moët Hennessy. Alicia devotes her life to her two beautiful sons and family, with whom she has travelled extensively on adventures throughout Europe, Asia and the US, and to her life-long passions – astrology, travel and music. Alicia’s current projects include websites Jessica Adams, Holiday Goddess & AMMP.tv.
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14 Responses
Hi Jessica, Thank you for sharing and doing this for people. It helps all of us.
I actually have a business question. Today, oil prices traded negative (less than $0). Interest rates in parts of the world, including in Europe are negative. Some of this was already occurring before the virus, but now you have unemployment that we haven’t seen ever before in recorded time. I fear banks are next, as they are not telling us the entire truth. If this virus continues for months and comes back again later this year in the fall or winter, seems that things will collapse further including banks and share markets which are the only thing remaining at the moment that haven’t. Any thoughts, on this and when things will get better or are things about to get worse before we see the light at the virus tunnel? Thanks again. I will focus on meditating more.
Thank you. We are seeing the birth of the new world economy. It will save the planet even as it ends the old system. What works in the new world? Growing your own fruit, vegetables, grains and herbs. If you are unable to do that, investing in crowdfunded allotments or shared gardens. What else works? Walking and bicycles, not cars. Air traffic and cruises are no longer viable, nor is constant vacation/holiday. So people will holiday at home, choosing simple pursuits like camping, hiking, bushwalking. The fear I see out there should be turned into activism. The time has come for everyone, everywhere, to demand that the rich pay their tax. That is also what this cycle is about. So on the one hand you need to be putting money into what you can eat – what helps your immunity too. Meditation, yoga, Pilates and so on will also do very well in 2020-2021 and beyond. Education and academia are also boom areas. But the biggest trend of all is the push to get the top 1% of companies, individuals and corporations to pay their fare share of tax. Search US Election – I predicted a Robin Hood president a long time before Rona came to call! One last point. Any bank involved in money laundering will see the soap suds blow. Any rich and famous person too. Money laundering is over in May 2020. Governments will jail people and seize their assets to use the cash for the people. Why? Because they have to. Watch.
Hi Jessica, I hope you and your family are doing well. This is excellent and helpful! I live in the US and wanted to find out your thoughts on Joe Biden choosing Michelle Obama as his VP to against Trump? Biden has said he will chose a female to be his VP. Although, there are several other women that would make great VP, including Senator Warren because she is a fighter. I feel we need the “Dream Team” under what we are going through right now because of the virus fallout. I feel we need a person that is close to the people and Michelle Obama as VP is really just that and plus it gets President Barack Obama back in the White House to help us get through this. We really need the “Dream Team” now. Having Biden/Obama and President Obama seems like a winning ticket and something that will help us through this virus and Trump mess. I wanted to see if you knew if Michelle Obama is possible VP and if it’s not her who is the likely VP that Biden could add as his VP?
Thank you!
Thank you. I just saw Senator Warren’s brother passed with the virus. Absolutely tragic and I am sure it will powerfully affect her year. I agree with you about a ‘dream team’ as an astrologer. The future of America is not even about a superstar leader: it is about the team. That is Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius, which we hardly ever see. Aquarius rules the network, the brotherhood and sisterhood of equals, the community and the circle. No stars. You hope Michelle Obama becomes the Vice Presidential candidate. We lack accurate birth charts for so many involved, including Biden and Sanders (who never goes away) that it is hard to say very much about specific people. Yet – if you want to know where America is heading – hit Search and look up my old predictions. It’s a Robin Hood economy.
Hi Jessica, As you know Anxiety is the root source of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) whose definition has been condensed into nine words in the article “worries rotating through our minds in a continuous loop”. This rotation of worry often translates into repetitive behaviors or thoughts as an OCD sufferer struggles to regain control. Whilst I agree with the advice to meditate, I humbly suggest that it will work better for average people with average problems as opposed to someone coping with OCD. I like the idea of listening to music to balance one’s chakras, but it isn’t a good option for the OCD person as their mind will most likely just roll the music on constant replay. Just ask someone who’s avoided turning on the radio or using a CD player (I see the irony now that I’ve written it – “CD” compulsive disorder player!) for the past 20+ years. Could you offer some advice to the 2.3 percent of the world that has OCD on how to cope with the added pressures currently being experienced or perhaps even overcome this anxiety disorder entirely? i.e. without the use of a prescription drug
OCD is serious, I know. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is beyond the scope of this feature about music and meditation. It is a medical condition, of course, which requires professional help. I am sure you have pursued that, if you are the person living with OCD. What I see in your message is ‘fear of fear.’ I suggest you go to YouTube and listen to Dr. Claire Weekes (free). If you have a budget for something new in your life, go to any online bookstore and find her paperbacks, Self Help For Your Nerves and the rest. See the comments. She has changed and saved lives, of people with anxiety syndrome (related to OCD) for about the last 40 years. She passed away some time ago but her work remains. Avoidance of turning on the radio or CD player, over-thinking, over-worrying, is something that falls into Dr. Weekes territory. If it is you who is living with OCD and you are seeking complementary therapies to help with a doctor’s medication (for example) or even seeking an alternative, I strongly recommend you find her books or audio recordings. I believe she’s sold millions of copies and I also know that doctors recommend her. It would be amazing for me, if this helped you. I have seen it help a lot of people!
hi Jessica
I enjoy reading your weekly and monthly astrology. please can you see anything in my future that looks good. I have been unemployed for 8 months now after contest work. Also how can I get past feeling nervous about decision making. Thank you, Max
DOB: 14.8.1965 time 530 or 630pm at Bondi NSW.
Addressing your issue of nervousness about making decisions: (see other reply about your work situation). The parasympathetic nervous system in the body is sometimes not our friend. It can have a life of its own and make us feel – heart palpitations. Sweaty palms. And just – feeling odd. A bit panicky sometimes. It’s a physical thing. If you find yourself having a physical reaction to the mental act of making a choice, then it’s your parasympathetic nervous system. Have a look at Dr. Claire Weekes on YouTube. Absolutely free. Borrow her books from a library. They change lives and she goes into each and every aspect of feeling ‘nerves’ including that stage so many of us reach where we can’t choose. Good luck.
hi Jessica
I enjoy reading your weekly and monthly astrology. please can you see anything in my future that looks good. I have been unemployed for 8 months now after contest work. Also how can I get past feeling nervous about decision making. Thank you, Max
DOB: 14.8.1965 time 530 or 630pm at Bondi NSW.
You have been between jobs, Max. We all do that from time to time. I’ll look at the issue of nerves in a moment (which is a physical body issue, which can be fixed). Seeing 2020 as a whole for you, I have to begin with the word ‘octopus’ which I heard clairaudiently. You will eventually know what that means, or it may make sense to you now. You are a natural with the world of children and young people. You understand their reality. If you want to know where the work is, look to a younger generation. Anyone who can appreciate the innocent, rather lovely world of infants, schoolchildren or teenagers is always looking for others who share that, and can be trusted to provide some kind of service. It may be Skype education. It may be real-world teaching or coaching. Mentoring or guiding. It may be reading stories. There is also a different angle here. Sometimes people are just looking for a co-parent. A home comes with that sort of relationship or marriage. You will find your own way with this. But look at what you can give to younger faces. I would say you have to adapt your hours, conditions, salary to suit their world. I remember my agent in London years ago. She was a high-powered boss at a literary agency and had several children. She hired an Australian male nanny and they figured out a deal that worked for both of them, that suited her children’s energy levels and particular needs. As a second message to you, look at gardening and growing things. You are naturally suited to helping growth! So – with children or with plants, actually. You can help younger people in particular reach their Max-imum potential.
Thank you and God bless you Jessica. I tried to fit in as much as I can in my enquiries, so I apologise. I have been doing contract work since 2015. Mainly medical reception/typing/data entry. For years I have wondered what I should study; I have been told I have a good rapport with kids. Maybe I should look into Teacher’s aid? I have discovered a love of gardening and am growing fruit trees. Insecurity was always part of the problem growing up because I was bullied you see and this hasn’t helped my nervousness. Thank you so much. Maxie **
I am so sorry you were bullied when you were younger, Maxie, but the astrological weather we have now in April and May 2020 is about fixing the past. We are all facing what we feel we can’t do, or don’t want to face. It’s the last of the Node cycle. You will be able to study, continue part-time administration duties, and also garden. You can also fit in being a teacher’s aide. You can do all those things. You will be amazed at how much starts to change after May 7th, when the Nodes are well and truly in Gemini and Sagittarius. Nervousness is a body trick. Don’t be fooled by your body. You can learn techniques to float past any hint of nerves and let time pass until your body resets. For more on this see Dr. Claire Weekes on YouTube. You can and will be a wonderful supporter to children or teenagers, beyond the other things you are doing. I suspect gardening might be part of it, though!
PS: Sorry to bother you again Jessica, what about Library technician? I really cannot decide which course to study. Even Certificate 3 in Business administration crosses my mind. I am really confused. Sorry again. Maxie.
Maxie you need to become a member and use The Astrology Oracle cards and guidebook for repeated questions about your life. Thanks Jessica.