As the transmission chain of Covid-19 in Taiwan becomes more serious day by day, schools and office works are also shifting to digital operation. From seeing the number of confirmed cases increase every day, I notice how the whole community, including myself, is getting more anxious and starting to panic.
I wanted to step back and rethink thoroughly how I as part of the community can help during this tough time period. In fact, I began self-quarantine for almost a week already. Being alone at home, I was constantly checking the news and following up with the numbers.
Then, I became more emotional and worried about myself and the surrounding people. I found my mental state was not as healthy. Therefore, I decided that I want to reduce my anxiety level through meditation. Moreover, as a part of a community, I think I have the responsibility to face this issue rationally and objectively. I hope this experience would allow me to reflect on questions such as: What is my role in this current crisis? And What can I do to contribute?
I followed this meditation specially designed for this time during the pandemic. The video asks a lot of self-provoking questions that I personally think are really helpful. For instance, What can you control? What can you not control? What can you influence? What can you create?
Those questions actually inspired my thinking. I realized how there are numerous things that we cannot control. However, we can focus on the ones within our capability. Before Covid-19 became serious in Taiwan, I never had the idea that we would panic and be worried that much because I always thought that this is a safe island. Then, I realized how this is a global issue and I can now understand people’s feelings in the U.S., Europe, and other parts of the world that are impacted seriously.
Actually, I was a bit emotional during the meditation because I thought of the sad news that I heard. After this experience, I realized how the news media can have a huge influence in swaying our emotions. In addition, I also noticed how it has been a long time since the last time I sit down, listen to calm music, do nothing, and just focus on my breathing. Overall, it was a very nice experience and I do think it helped me reduce my anxiety.