Mindfulness is something we can all cultivate, by paying attention to our

experience of the present moment, which includes our body sensations, emotions, and
thoughts. We find some experiences pleasant and others unpleasant, even painful.
Instead of reacting (such as catastrophizing) to what we experience, mindfulness
teaches us to cultivate wiser, more compassionate ways to relate to our life
experience.

During the current pandemic, there is so much uncertainty concerning the future,
and many threats to our security (physical, social, emotional, and financial). It
is totally natural and normal to feel anxious, fearful, and frustrated. You might
also experience anger or disappointment towards our governmental institutions for
not moving as fast and as efficiently as you had hoped, or toward people not being
as careful as you would like them to be in terms of social distancing, and so
forth. Those are all normal and natural reactions to this abnormal situation.

Mindfulness can help us acknowledge this situation, without allowing us to be

carried away with strong emotions; it can, in turn, help bring ourselves back to a
centered calm. Only then can we see more clearly what it is we have control over
and what it is that we do not. Mindfulness also shows us how best to proceed, with
compassion towards oneself and others.

Cultivating Mindfulness

There are formal and informal ways to cultivate mindfulness. But before we go
there, let�s go over the attitudinal foundations of any practice:

Non-judgment
Patience (things take time)
Beginner�s mind (instead of assuming to already know something)
Trust (trusting one�s own inner resource� though we cannot see it)
Non-striving (instead of trying to achieve a goal no matter what)
Accepting (accepting what is)
Letting go (letting go of what we wish to be)
Compassion (see suffering and bringing kindness to it)

Formal ways of cultivating mindfulness are through mindful meditations, which can
be guided or done in silence. For a few minutes to 30-40 minutes, sit quietly, and
become aware of the sensations of breath and body, as well as sounds, thoughts, and
emotions, in a non-judgmental way, with compassion towards oneself. There are many
free guided meditations online, some of which are listed below under Helpful Links.

Informal ways of cultivating mindfulness can be practiced throughout the day,

simply by paying attention to whatever you are doing. Opportunities are plentiful.
One example might be brushing your teeth mindfully, noticing any sensations that a
toothbrush has on your teeth, gums, or noticing the smell of toothpaste. Other
examples might be washing dishes as you notice the warmth of water, the physical
sensation of your hands on dishes, the sounds of washing; or walking mindfully,
noticing the sensations of your feet touching and leaving the ground. These are
contrary to how we often live our lives, mindlessly, with our body going through
motions on auto-pilot while our minds are busy worrying about the future or
ruminating over other things.