Claire Marie Barton, a sound-healer, musician and author living and working in West Cork, shares five things that can help increase our sense of well-being during lockdown.
The media is full of Covid and, with the rising numbers; it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and fearful. Being in this state over a period of time can erode your sense of wellbeing and affect your mental health. But what can we do when everything seems to be out of our control?
1. Limit your exposure to the ‘news’ to once a day, whether you check the newsfeed on your phone, on the radio or you watch the 9 o’clock news on the telly. Tuning in multiple times a day creates stress and worry, and doesn’t help anything.
2. Get outside every day for a walk so you get some exercise and some fresh air. If you can get out in nature all the better. Take some nice deep breaths and be really present (put your phone away). Notice the birds, the trees, flowers and clouds.
If you have limited mobility, wrap up very warm and go and sit outside even for just a few minutes or sit by an open window if this is not possible.
Going outside is magic for lifting gloom when you feel fenced-in. Listen to the sounds of nature; the wind, the birds, and the sea if you can get there and let them invigorate you.
3. Keep a gratitude diary. Everyday write down five things you are grateful for in your life. They can be big or small, like gratitude for getting a call from a loved one or that you have a roof over your head, especially when it’s freezing outside. If you are feeling down, you can read your diary. We really do have a lot to be thankful for.
4. Have you a hobby or a project at home in the garden that has been put on the long finger or do you want to learn something new? Now is the time to do it. January is a fantastic time to start new projects because there is a sense of shared momentum that we can tap into.
If you have always wanted to learn an instrument but never got around to it, the ukulele is a great instrument for beginners and is lots of fun. Enrolment is now open for my home-study online ukulele course.
5. Meditate or pray daily. If you find mediation hard, you might like to listen to some sound meditations. Simply by listening, you naturally enter a meditative state, and in this place you can feel calm and at peace.
If you are curious, you are welcome to check out my youtube channel where I have created a resource for coping with the pandemic.
I also run a monthly online sound bath. This is a live event, which you can listen to in the comfort of your own home. A replay is also available if you can’t make it along live.
The sound bath is an immersion of sound, both voice and instruments, and is a lovely way to relax and feel good.
‘New Beginnings’ Online Sound Bath, Friday, January 15, 7-8.30pm.
The ‘2021 Sound Journey’ is a year of monthly sound baths to support you at this time. There is a 50 per cent discount if you sign up this month.
For more information and
to get your ticket, visit
www.clairemariebarton.com
