COVID-19 and Anxiety

Saint Andrews, New Brunswick-based meditation coach Jesse Dunfield insists daily meditation practices can help people find balance and cope with day-to-day stresses, as well as deal with the added stress brought on by self-isolation and collective uncertainty in response to COVID-19.

"The first thing I want to do when I wake up in the morning is run to my computer and see what's going on in the world. There's such a temptation, but I have to resist it and do mediation instead. It's something that I've been doing for a long time," says Dunfield. "I do mindful mediation, which is looking at your thoughts and feelings with non-judgmental awareness. Mindfulness is such a buzz word right now, and even though we use the term a lot, a lot of people don't really know what it means. It's really about being present and being aware. Those are the two things that are the most 'mindful.'"

Dunfield is an acclaimed meditation coach who works one-on-one with clients in Southwest New Brunswick and also teaches group meditation courses in Saint Andrews at Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre. Dunfield is also currently holding online meditation courses to engage with people who are self-isolating during the Coronavirus pandemic.

"Anxiety is one of the top health concerns in society, and right now we are seeing a huge increase in people suffering from anxiety because of the uncertain time of this worldwide pandemic," insists Dunfield. "When you're having these anxious feelings, there's a tendency to not want to have them. If we bring awareness to these feelings, there's something very empowering about that, which can really help people cope."

In the final 10 minutes of the an episode of Southwest Magazine Dunfield walks viewers through a typical daily meditation to show how easily the act of mindful meditation can be adopted by anyone at home, especially during the time of COVID-19 when many people are experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety.