When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

~ Wendell Berry, via On Being

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This piece of poetry was such a breath of fresh water, an iced cold glass of water in a blazing desert. Especially considering the situation many of us are in right now – stuck at home, nowhere to go, nothing to do, bored stiff, worrying about your loved ones, and just hoping the virus will blow over ASAP.

How might we find peace in such uncertain times?

This poem was a great inspiration and reminder. Maybe I should go take a walk in nature (social distancing!), and just “come into the peace of wild things” and “the presence of still water”, to finally “rest in the grace of the world”. Just imagining me doing that, already gives some soothing solace.

What else can we do to ground ourselves, and not get taken away in flights of anxiety?

Some things I tried and am trying:

Sleep more

It’s easy to stay up and watch Netflix all night because you at home now. Having enough sleep is important for maintaining your immunity. Rest for the mind means you’re better able to manage your mental health during the day.

Give yourself permission to feel unsure and to slack off

It’s not business as usual. This is unprecedented. It’s a pandemic. It’s ok to feel clueless and unsure of what to do with yourself. Just take time to connect with family, stay home and safe, and let the uncertainty be there. 

Manage your consumption of news

It’s easy to spiral into a deep dark place of worry and anxiety if you’re constantly being primed from all the doom and gloom on the news and social media. Fake news abound too, making things worse. So take a digital detox, a social media fast. Turn off the news and social media for a day. Come back to yourself before exposing yourself to all that toxicity again. Limit news consumption to just one part of the day, maybe in the afternoon. Keep to official and non-sensational sources, and consume just what you need to know to stay safe and informed.

Distant socializing, not social distancing

Find time to check in with family and important people in your lives, over video call or messaging. Even while we need to distance ourselves in terms of physical proximity, we actually need to be more social than ever, at-a-distance. Mutual support will get us through.

Plan your day even if at home

Having a stable daily routine even at home can be helpful to ground and calm us, especially since our usual home-commute-work routine had been disrupted. It’s easy to be constantly flicking through news channels, or stay up late watching movies, or be in your pajamas all day, just because. Have a wake up time, and schedule meal times, plan some work sessions, entertainment evenings to anchor yourself to a daily light busyness, in order to feel a sense of normalcy.

What other things have you done or tried to stay sane and find peace?