Meditating together in times of crisis

by Christoph Elhardt, Center for Security Studies, 3 April 2020

Meditation helps us cope better with negative thoughts and emotions such as anxiety, stress or loneliness, particularly in times of crisis. Members of the Center for Security Studies have now created an online meditation group to support people in practicing meditation daily.

We are deeply social creatures. While this makes life meaningful and beautiful in normal times, it can make social distancing and spending more time on our own at home quite challenging. On top of that, we’re confronted with shocking news on a daily basis, and naturally worry about family members, friends, colleagues and ourselves.

Meditating together online with Zoom (photo credit: Christoph Elhardt)

Coping better through meditation

But despite everything that’s happening around us, there’s a way to cope better with the constraints of the current situation: mindfulness and the practice of meditation. Mindfulness helps us understand how our minds work. It helps us let go of negative thoughts and emotions such as anxiety, stress or loneliness, while being grateful for the precious little things here and now – a walk in the park, tasty food, a call to a friend or family member, a good book, the world’s music on our phones. Ultimately, it helps us to make the most out of staying home and having more time and focus.

So, right now is a good time to get into meditation. There are plenty of useful apps, such as www.headspace.com, www.calm.com or www.wakingup.com by Sam Harris, which I personally like. As it can be challenging to start practicing meditation alone at home, we decided to create an online group at the Center for Security Studies. We meet Monday to Friday at 1.30 p.m. to meditate together for around 15 minutes. If you'd like to join, please contact me: christoph.elhardt@sipo.gess.ethz.ch

Also, here are a couple of useful talks on how meditation can help you cope with the current situation. I hope you find them helpful.

• Meditation in an Emergency by Sam Harris
• Facing Pandemic Fears with an Awake Heart by Tara Brach
• How to Handle Coronavirus Anxiety, Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris

Submit Your Story!

About the author

The thing that keeps me busiest at the moment is: preparing for our Science Communication class, which is now taking place online.
My favourite app is: waking app by Sam Harris.
One book or movie I recommend: Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment – a great way to get into mindfulness and meditation.