Its another day in a COVID-19 world and regardless of where you're living, you've probably experienced some stress or anxiety about this situation. Maybe it was when everything first started. Maybe its now that people are starting to venture out more. It might even be the unknown of what the world will be like for the next year or more. Believe me when I say that I've had ALL of those thoughts and worries...sometimes even on the same day.
My yoga practice has taught me that its alright to feel those worries. There's a time to acknowledge emotions and sit with them. Then there are ways to move through those feelings into more "high vibe" states. That's how I've been using my journaling practice lately - to move from anxious to accepting to joyful.
Below are the two prompts that have really been helping me out. Feel free to try them out yourself. If writing isn't your thing, you can do it in your head or say things out loud. Either way, express what you need to express. Let it out, then let it go.
Journal Prompt #1 - Out of Control
Its easy to feel like everything is out of control sometimes. When that spiral starts to happen, its helpful to bring yourself into the present and understand what you actually CAN control. Then try to let the rest go.
Here's how I do this:
- Sit comfortably and take 3 deep breaths.
- Free flow write EVERYTHING that is creating stress in your life right now. Get detailed...this might take awhile.
- Get 2 different color highlighters or markers. In one color circle or highlight the items that you feel are truly outside of your control. In the other, circle or highlight the things that you have control to change.
- Create a list of the top 5 things from the "I can control that" group that would give you the most relief if they were done or gone.
- Choose 1 that you can either take off your plate by yourself or ask someone else to handle for you within the next 24 hours. Now, either do it yourself or actually ask that person to help you.
- Continue down the list at your own pace until your major stressors are either completed or delegated to someone else.
Journal Prompt #2 - Grateful Minds
A gratitude practice isn't about being happy all of the time or never letting things bother you. It helps you train your mind to focus on the positive so you can be more resilient when negative thoughts or crappy things happen in life.
Here's my take on the gratitude list:
- Sit comfortably and take 3 deep breaths in and out.
- Write down 3 things that you're grateful for in this moment.
- Read them aloud to yourself, smiling at the end of each one.
About the Author:
Tiffany Lord is a corporate yoga coach and founder of Love + Asana, a virtual studio launched in 2016 offering workplace wellness sessions, workshops and program design. Her sessions incorporate movement and mindfulness focusing on benefits for stress relief and chronic pain. Tiffany’s fun, approachable style makes classes feel like you’re hanging out with friends while also improving your mental and physical health.
She is an E-RYT with the Yoga Alliance and currently enrolled in a 500-hour training with Yoga Medicine focusing on yoga applications for common range of motion issues. Continuing education in meditation, breathing techniques, myofascial release, yoga for COVID-19 recovery and training as a massage therapist help make her sessions relevant and beneficial to clients who want simple movement and mindfulness techniques that improve their quality of life. Her articles on wellness through yoga have been featured in online and print publications, such as fyi50+ and CO Yoga + Life magazine.
Questions? Contact Tiffany at loveandasana@gmail.com