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Be in the here and now
One of the consequences of the corona pandemic and associated lockdown is that many people have more worries than usual. People are worried about their health, or the health of their loved ones, and are maybe also plagued by existential anxiety. For a long time now, many of us have been unable to go to work as usual, or are working shorter hours or even, since lockdown, not at all. This means many people have more time to brood. Now and again, they catch themselves thinking “What if...” and fretting about the future. Stop it, now! Even if it is difficult. It makes no sense to dwell on things in the future or worry about situations that may or may not happen. We cannot control what will happen in the future and our influence on it is only very limited.
Live in the present, in the here and now. Concentrate on the moment and on the things currently going on around you. You have more influence in your life on the present than on anything else. You can’t change the past. What happened, happened. You can only affect the future in very small ways, and frequently things still don’t turn out how they were originally planned.
Let go and live in the moment – the motto of these times!
In our “Mindfulness” section, you will find a lot of information and tips to help you live successfully in the here and now and not let your thoughts drift off into tomorrow.
In addition, we also have a few suggestions for more mindfulness in your day-to-day life:
Breathing exercises
By deliberating focusing on your breathing, you can stop your thoughts from going round in circles and relax your body. This will keep you more and more firmly in the present. Lungenliga Zentralschweiz (the Central Swiss Lung League) has instructions for different breathing exercises such as deep breathing, pursed lip breathing or stretching and leg strength. Lunge Zurich also has put together simple instructions for easy breathing exercises. You can find them here.
Forest walks
Nature, forests and meadows have a calming influence on us. Even though we currently need to stay at home as much as possible, there is no argument against taking a walk by yourself in the nearby woodland. Lace up your boots and head into the woods. Fill your lungs with the fresh forest air, then exhale. Listen to the rustling of the leaves and the murmur of the wind. Smell the scents of wood, earth, and nature. Take your time and enjoy the moment. You will feel your body and thoughts slowly calming themselves and becoming more peaceful.
Yoga
Yoga is mindfulness in movement. In our “Mindfulness” section you can find more detailed information about yoga. Some members of the Yoga Schweiz national association live in Zug and are currently offering yoga classes and some meditation classes online. You can use the search function on the Yoga Schweiz website to find yoga teachers in your region.
Tai-Chi
Like yoga, a movement-based mindfulness experience. You can also find more information about tai-chi in our “Mindfulness” section. If you would like to try tai-chi at home, our colleagues from Gsünder Basel (Healthy Basel) have recorded a tai-chi class. Have a look and join in!
