Uncertainty is one of the biggest factors that will send humans into anxiety mode. Right next to that is having to sit with feelings we don’t like. And for most of American culture, this is likely something we don’t practice.  We know impermanence is a part of life. We see it in everything we do. Usually the idea of impermanence causes us stress, but in this current crisis of a world pandemic, we need to hold it close to our hearts and embrace it knowing that there will be an end to this.

Growing up in Chicago, tornados were a very common part of my life. When I visualize our current pandemic, I see it as a tornado and all the steps involved. The sirens go off and people start paying attention. We turn on the news, we watch our phones, but we don’t usually stop what we are doing. As the alerts become more frequent, we see where the tornados are located and where we think they will hit. This is watch mode. Then they start to touch down and the surrounding areas pay attention. This is warning mode. If it is close, some people will take cover in their basements or in their bathtubs. Some people will continue to pretend that it won’t affect them.

We know there will be damage. We don’t know exactly where, when or how long this storm will last. We have to sit with our discomfort. We have to wait to see what mother nature needs to do. The alternative would be to ignore this and put yourself at higher risk of danger or death. But how do we sit with discomfort?!?!?! Glad you asked. As the storm heads through, we have to allow ourselves to feel the fear but not attach to it. Why? Because attachment is the opposite of impermanence. Attachment will keep us stuck well after the storm has passed. Do you want to stay stuck in your bathtub? I don’t.

In meditation we learn to recognize the feeling, feel it, and visualize it floating away. Ignoring the feeling allows it to grow. Ignoring the feeling allows it to take control of our minds and our body. The only way to release it is to recognize it, feel it and let it pass. Visualize what your emotion of discomfort looks like. What color is it? What would it feel like if you touched it? Does it have a temperature? A smell? A taste? A sound? Imagine it and watch it in your minds eye. Sit with it for a minute. Be with whatever feelings it brings up. Then put it in a box, a boat, toilet paper, whatever, and watch it as you close the box, float the boat down the river, or flush it in the toilet. Take a deep breath. Congratulations. You are learning to cope.

As this tornado hits, practice sitting with your discomfort. Discomfort does not kill us. It teaches us to cope. It teaches us to walk outside of the walls we have built that are no longer helpful in protecting us, and most likely keeping us from our full potential. Discomfort is normal. It is human. And this “tornado” has brought us all to the same level of humanity. This can no longer be divided between socioeconomic status, race, culture, sexual orientation, sex, or age. In this storm, we are ALL humans.

Eventually we will come out of the basements and our bathtubs. We will open our doors and we will assess the damage. We will sit with our discomfort and cope. And then we will come together as humans and practice compassion and grace as we rebuild on a healthier and firmer foundation. This too shall pass.