Governments and public health officials throughout the world encourage us to practice social distancing. Keeping space from others and limiting our social and work activities will slow the rate of infection for COVID 19. Social distancing will enable health care facilities to provide proper care for those requiring hospitalization, many of whom will require either oxygen or need to be sustained on respirators.
Many of us are practicing social distancing. My partner and I canceled theater tickets and dinners with friends. We no longer eat at restaurants (but we will get take out meals). I have stopped going to the gym. I don’t participate in any meeting that isn’t virtual and my partner is limiting the days he is in the office. We go walking in our neighborhood more often and talked about doing some projects around the house.
Social distancing requires us to let go of our usual activities. It pushes us to consider how to engage in our responsibilities differently than we’ve done them in the past. While it will take time to reorganize working from home and to set-up a schedule for our families, social distancing means that we have time available to us that was previously filled with other things.
Social distancing creates space around us and in our lives. Of course, creating space for ourselves is a foundational aspect of spiritual practice. To engage in spiritual practice, we need to take a step back from our usual routines and allow ourselves to experience some measure of inner peace. Yes, there are always distractions. But it is by taking a step back from the routines of life, we create inner space that allows for distractions to fall away.
I’ve seen several news articles published which state that social distancing is not the same as social isolation. That is doubtlessly true. There is a concern that in the months ahead people will find themselves isolated and lonely. Yes, we should be on guard, as isolation and loneliness as real dangers. But there is another side to this as well. Spiritual practice leads us to the experience of solitude. In solitude, we may be alone, but we experience ourselves as “all – one” rather than isolated. The experience of solitude in spiritual practice is the experience of being deeply within ourselves as well as with all of life around us. In that experience of deep connection, loneliness slips away.
In the days and weeks ahead, consider how you can use the time that had been spent commuting to work or driving children to classes and events. Build into your life regular spiritual practice as part of social distancing. For some, that may be meditation and prayer. For others, it could be keeping a journal of your inner life or something artistic, whether that’s painting or using coloring books. For others, it may be finding a yoga class online or reading poetry that nurtures your spirit.
Yes, our lives together have suddenly changed. We have apprehensions about the future. But we also have an opportunity to engage in new ways to care for ourselves. In doing so, remember that spiritual practice not only nurtures your inner life, but it improves cognitive functioning, reduces stress, improves immune functioning, and takes the edge off of difficult emotions. Using social distancing as an opportunity for spiritual practice can contribute to your overall health and well-being. It truly is a gift at this moment in time.
Photo by marco83 on Foter.com / CC BY-NC