Mindfulness supporting people through the Covid-19 crisis

 

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Responding to massive demand, UK think tank publishes curated list of free mindfulness resources from teachers around the world

Mindfulness supporting people through the Covid-19 crisis

[LONDON, UK, APRIL-] Towards the end of March, renowned mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn led an online session on “Mindfulness, Healing and Wisdom in a time of Covid 19”. Over 21,500 people joined the live stream from around the world to meditate collectively, and the session has since been viewed over 100,000 times on youtube.

The popularity of this event demonstrates a surge of individual and collective interest in mindfulness practice, as people start to adapt to the unique challenges and circumstances we now find ourselves in. Mindfulness teachers have responded to the surge in demand in force, with a growing number of teachers and providers offering online sessions. But with so much provision available, how do people know which are high quality and are most likely to help them?

The Mindfulness Initiative, a leading global mindfulness think tank and charity has published two curated documents listing free key mindfulness resources to help support people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing during the Covid-19 crisis. One is aimed at the general public staying at home. The other is aimed at staff in the health and care sector, to help people who are working under so much pressure and in circumstances that put their mental health at risk.

Jenny Edwards CBE, Health Policy Lead for the Mindfulness Initiative, set out the aim of the publications:

“The current Covid-19 crisis is a difficult and challenging time for everyone. We need to ensure we look after our physical health and stay safe, and looking after our mental health helps us do this. The Mindfulness Initiative wants to ensure that people have quick and easy access to mindfulness resources to support mental health and emotional wellbeing at this critical time.”

In the case of the document for health and key workers, Jenny goes on to say: “We will forever owe a debt of gratitude to those health and care workers who are taking care of us during this crisis, and to their families for supporting them in their role. We wanted to tailor a resource for them, when we know that so many are working under unprecedented stress and pressure to protect us all”.

The publications list free mindfulness practices and programmes, including guided exercises that teachers across the globe have provided in response to Covid-19; general resources including apps and meditations and, in the case of health and care workers, resources that have been specifically tailored for those working in that sector. Newly created resources include the Virtual Quiet Space for healthcare workers launched by Breathworks.

Both publications will continue to be regularly updated during the crisis, and people are encouraged to access them on the Mindfulness Initiative website:

• Mindfulness for Staying at Home

• COVID-19 and Mindfulness Resources for Health and Care Staff

NOTES

The Mindfulness Initiative grew out of a programme of mindfulness teaching for politicians in the UK Parliament. It provides the secretariat to the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group, and works with legislators world-wide to help them make trainable capacities of heart and mind serious considerations of public policy.

Mindfulness practice can, amongst other things, help people who experience emotional exhaustion, burnout, stress, psychological distress, depression, anxiety. It has and continues to be used in high stress and trauma prevalent public services such as the ambulance, police, and armed services, where working conditions require staff to perform a wide range of emergency duties in unpredictable environments.