{"id":4419,"date":"2020-04-03T11:33:04","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T15:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=4419"},"modified":"2020-04-03T11:33:04","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T15:33:04","slug":"conscious-luck-in-the-time-of-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2020\/04\/conscious-luck-in-the-time-of-coronavirus.html","title":{"rendered":"(Conscious) Luck in the Time of Coronavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by i love simple beyond\/Canva.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is nothing lucky about a pandemic. All of us living through the present one can agree it\u2019s frightening, upsetting, and increasingly surreal. Life as we know it has been severely disrupted and promises to remain so for a while.<\/p>\n

On a purely personal level, people\u2019s experiences vary. For those who love interaction and group activities, social distancing or sheltering in place feels terribly constricting. If you\u2019re a homebody or an introvert, that constriction may be tempered with gratitude for the chance to \u201cdo you\u201d with the world\u2019s blessing. Still, for everyone, the financial implications of the world hitting the pause<\/em> button are terrifying. As is the sudden fact that the commonest features of community life have become dangerous.<\/p>\n

Whatever your feelings about the current scenario, we can all agree that being lucky now means staying healthy and strong. The good news is that the two most important determinants of your luck\u2014your actions and your attitudes\u2014are always in your control, and most especially in this situation. Luck in the time of coronavirus requires your conscious intention to 1) prevent the virus from entering your body and 2) strengthen your immune system.<\/p>\n

Avoiding exposure is fairly straightforward: Wash your hands often, don\u2019t touch your face, and stay home as much as possible. Our communities are making that last one easier with the closures of schools, restaurants, gyms, theaters, and even places of worship.<\/p>\n

Information is readily available about boosting your immune system with food, supplements, rest, and exercise, yet there\u2019s a critical element of immune health that\u2019s often overlooked\u2014the effect of stressful emotions.<\/p>\n

In times like these, it\u2019s natural to feel some fear or anxiety, but fear is not your friend in a pandemic (or any other crisis). \u00a0If you let those stressful emotions predominate, they\u2019ll weaken your immune system\u2014increasing the odds that the calamity you\u2019re so worried about will come to pass.<\/p>\n

Fear puts you into fight or flight mode and activates your body\u2019s stress response. That\u2019s an appropriate reaction to immediate danger, like a tiger chasing you, but if the response persists over time, it wears down your resistance to disease.<\/p>\n

On top of that, being afraid literally makes you stupid. Fear shuts down your higher brain functions, clouding your judgment and leading you to make more mistakes.<\/p>\n

So, if you want to be luckier, you\u2019ve got to learn to let go of fear and worry.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are many proven techniques to help reduce your anxiety, including meditation, exercise, therapy\u2014and breathing, which turns out to be one of the most effective ways to feel more fearless fast<\/em>. Studies show that it takes only three long, slow deep breaths to activate the body\u2019s parasympathetic response and begin to chase the \u201cstress chemistry\u201d out of your system.<\/p>\n

So, the next time you feel fear overtaking you, try this 30-second fear-blaster:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Start by putting your hand on your stomach.<\/li>\n
  2. Tighten your stomach muscles and notice how that feels. Now release them.<\/li>\n
  3. With your stomach relaxed, take a deep, slow breath in through your nose. Take 4 or 5 seconds to inhale fully.<\/li>\n
  4. Now, keeping your stomach relaxed, exhale through your nose slowly for 4 or 5 seconds.<\/li>\n
  5. Repeat two more times. Notice how much more grounded you feel.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Another helpful tool for mitigating fear and consciously increasing your luck is called Radical Gratitude, the practice of being grateful for your challenges and struggles as well as your gifts. Radical Gratitude does NOT involve relentless positivity, whitewashing your experiences, or stuffing your feelings. It\u2019s quite the opposite. Instead, when faced with a negative situation, let yourself feel whatever comes up and then in the spirit of tremendously gentle inquiry, ask yourself, \u201cCan I be grateful for this, too?\u201d There is no \u201cshould\u201d or obligation to feel grateful\u2014just a curiosity to see what answers surface.<\/p>\n

    This invitation to consider the possibility that there could be something to be grateful for in difficulty automatically changes your perspective, allowing you to explore all aspects of the situation with less emotional charge. From this more open vantage point, it\u2019s rare not to find at least one small aspect of your experience that could be considered positive. Even a small dose of authentic gratitude instantly relaxes the vice grip of fear and victim-hood and sets you on the path of more proactive thinking and action, which can\u2019t help but lead to better luck.<\/p>\n

    Use these simple but powerful techniques as often as necessary. Because creating your own luck in the time of coronavirus starts with remaining centered and not making a difficult situation worse.<\/p>\n

    Carol Kline is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books include Happy for No Reason, Love for No Reason, five books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and the upcoming Conscious Luck: Eight Secrets to Intentionally Change Your Fortune, co-authored with Gay Hendricks.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    There is nothing lucky about a pandemic. All of us living through the present one can agree it\u2019s frightening, upsetting, and increasingly surreal. Life as we know it has been severely disrupted and promises to remain so for a while. On a purely personal level, people\u2019s experiences vary. For those who love interaction and group…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":4425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1266,1260,394,159,1263,107,1240],"class_list":["post-4419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages","tag-consciousness","tag-coronavirus","tag-health","tag-mindfulness","tag-pandemic","tag-positivity","tag-self-care"],"yoast_head":"\n(Conscious) Luck in the Time of Coronavirus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Understanding consciousness and how to maintain it during the coronavirus is key to maintaining a positive outlook during a not so positive time.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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