Mindfulness tools & resources for coping with COVID-19-related stress & anxiety

Guided Meditation for Coronavirus

We’re living in unprecedented times. The coronavirus has swept across the globe bringing fear and uncertainty with it.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably in self-isolation. You might know someone who has contracted the virus. You might even have had it yourself.

It’s only natural to feel stressed and anxious. Maybe you’ve lost your job and you’re worried about money. Maybe you’re separated from loved ones and feeling isolated.

Whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone. We’re all fumbling our way through this thing together.

Even when it feels like the world around you is in chaos, you don’t have to live in a state of internal chaos.

Mindfulness practices have been proven to help reduce stress and anxiety and to cultivate calm and clarity.

The simple act of focussing on your breath, paying attention to your body, noting your thoughts as they arise, and grounding yourself in the present moment can be life-changing.

It’s something that we can all practice at home for free.

I have personally found mindfulness meditation to be a powerful tool over the past few weeks. It’s a way of feeling, processing and letting go of emotions that aren’t useful.

If you are interested in exploring mindfulness as a way of coping with Covid-19-related stress and anxiety, I’m curating a list of tools and resources that you can use below.

With the world on lockdown, this is an invitation to look inward.

If you have any questions or just need someone to talk to, please email me or reach out on Twitter.

The best mindfulness resources for practicing meditation in self-isolation

How to meditate

Learn to Meditate in 5 Minutes with Dan Harris

This is hands-down the best, no-bullshit intro to meditation I’ve come across. If you’re new to meditation, take 5 minutes to watch this before jumping into the resources below.

Guided meditations

These are meditations that are guided by a meditation teacher. They will speak and lead you through the process. This is a great way to start learning about the different types of meditation. It can also be helpful to have someone else take you on a journey, rather than being left alone with your thoughts.

Live meditation

Ten Percent Happier Live

Dan Harris and the team at Ten Percent Happier are hosting live guided meditations, recorded remotely with well-known meditation teachers. Each sessions is followed by a short Q&A. They’ve already featured the likes of Tara Brach, Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield.

They are streaming live on Youtube, weekdays from 3pm EST. You can also access all sessions on the Ten Percent Happier Youtube channel.

Zen Habits Meditation Room

Zen Habits is hosting multiple group meditations each day using Zoom. You have to download the Zoom software to join. This is the current schedule:

Morning meditation with Coyote Jackson: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern – for 15-30 minutes
Mid-day meditation with Leo Babauta: Noon Pacific/3pm Eastern (19:00 GMT) – for 15-20 minutes
Evening meditation (silent, not guided): 6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern (01:00 GMT) – for 30 minutes. We will sit together but no one will guide the meditation.

Beeja Meditation Live

Will Williams from Beeja Meditation is hosting live guided meditations daily on Instagram from 12pm UK time. You just have to click on the profile photo to view the live story and join in.

Claire Robbie Live

New Zealand-based awareness meditation teacher Claire Robbie is live-streaming guided meditations on Instagram from 7pm NZ time each day.

Meditation on-demand

These are guided meditations that I have personally used and found to be effective and helpful.

Resting in a Sea of Presence with Tara Brach (Intermediate)

A Steady Heart in the Time of Coronavirus with Jack Kornfield (Beginner-Intermediate)

The Practice of RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) with Tara Brach (Intermediate)

Anxiety Relief with The Honest Guys (Beginner)

Meditation for Anxiety with Yoga with Adriene (Beginner)

Compassion for Anxiety – One Mind Dharma (Beginner)

Meditation Apps

There are many apps available today that make meditation more accessible. They typically include meditation courses, guided meditations and other mindfulness tools and techniques.

Headspace

Headspace has released a wider selection of free guided meditations on the app. You can also access some of them in your browser.

Calm

Calm has released a huge range of free guided meditations online and in the app. Both Headspace and Calm are excellent tools for people who are new to mindfulness and experienced meditators alike.

Insight Timer

Insight Timer is a free meditation app with more than 30,000 guided meditations from leading teachers around the world. They’ve created their own collection of guided meditations especially for the coronavirus here.

Simple Habit

Simple Habit has also released free guided meditations in response to the coronavirus situation. You just have to create a free account to get access.

Ten Percent Happier

Ten Percent Happier is offering free memberships to all healthcare workers around the world that are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. You just have to email care@tenpercent.com for details.