mindful S.t.o.p.

INTRODUCTION

If you find yourself spending too much time reading about the COVID-19 recently and can’t help feeling stressed out, so much so that you cannot live a normal life like before, you might want to try Mindful-S.T.O.P.

This is a widely recognized simple and brief mindfulness practice, which may help you quickly alleviate the stress and its negative emotional effects, take back control of your mood, and focus on what you are doing at the present moment.

Exercising Mindful-S.T.O.P. regularly may effectively enhance your ability to handle the pressure and emotional problems, thus enable you to focus on what you should do in confusing and disturbing surroundings. Beginners are recommended to do the following exercise three times a day or do it whenever you feel like it.

This mindfulness practice audio, used during the novel coronavirus epidemic in the module hospitals in Wuhan, China, has effectively reduced the pressure felt by patients as well as medical staff, and was officially recommended by the National Health Commission of China.

Dr. Lani Liu, the secondary developer of this audio product, participated as a core expert in the development and evaluation of the mindfulness audio used in Wuhan during the novel coronavirus epidemic.

THE COURSE

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused unexpected changes in our life. Faced with this unknown infectious disease, many of us have to stay at home, cancelling our travel plans and scheduled activities, and temporarily being separated from our family and friends.

Compounding this, we are constantly concerned about whether ourselves or someone we care about is infected. These uncertainties can bring us emotional disturbances and a build up of stress.

Our mental health must be protected during this vulnerable time, and a study from the established medical journal, The Lancet, proves this importance.

The following is a "Psychological Self-Help Method in the Epidemic" prepared by Alberta Mind Biotech based on a retrospective study of The Lancet and other related studies to help people in need to manage stress in these circumstances. This technology will also help you manage other kinds of stress in the workplace and/or everyday life in the future.

1. Take a deep breath

Inhale deeply through the nose, feeling the belly expand outward as you fill it with air.
Exhale slowly through the mouth, emptying from the lungs all the way to the base of the belly
Breathing consciously, the diaphragm muscles greatly expand and contract, which drives the movement of the entire abdominal cavity, which will evoke our sense of the body and awareness of reality, inhale more oxygen, release stress, soothe emotions and make the mind clearer.

2. Limit news intake of Covid19 to reputable sources in smaller doses

Humans naturally want more information in times of uncertainty, but the misinformation and constant headlines are very damaging to our sense of inner peace.
Staying informed is helpful, but limit to 3 messages a day

3. Make a call for connection

Make a call to a trusted relative, friend or community resource.
Call or facetime someone you care about and see how you can help.
Mutual help from person to person can relieve our stress and gain a sense of security and control.

4. Do a little thing every day to make yourself happy

Find something to bring you joy each day
Think about something you a grateful for each day
Find joy in the simple and small things

5. Keep in touch with your body

Start your day with simple stretches
Feel into all body parts
Focus on physical sensation is grounding and helps to release stress that builds into anxiety

6. Mindful S.T.O.P. exercises three times a day

Mindfulness can effectively help people relieve stress
You can follow the audio guide below for Mindful S.T.O.P. exercises.