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A lotus amid the storm: how to cultivate calm during a crisis

Austin American-Statesman - 4/7/2020

Before I became a clinical psychologist, I worked as a professional Zen/interfaith chaplain in hospitals and hospice care. One evening, many years ago, I was doing my weekly overnight shift as the chaplain on call. I had just left the old Brackenridge Hospital where I provided comfort to a family whose loved one had just been killed by a drunk driver. From there, I was en route to Seton Medical Center to meet with a family who needed to take their loved one off a ventilator.

As I was driving, my pager went off. I was suddenly needed back at Brackenridge to be with a different family who would also be taking their loved one off a ventilator. I could not be with both families at two different hospitals at the same time, and for a moment I was filled with despair. No matter how hard I worked or how much I cared, I could not be at two places at once. I could not help both of those families and their loved ones. At a stoplight at a crowded intersection on the Austin street known as the Drag, sitting inside my truck, I had a quiet moment of existential despair.

And then, remembering my practice, I took a few simple, deep, diaphragmatic breaths. My problems didn't all go away. I certainly didn't bliss out. In that moment, I still acutely felt the limitations of my ability to help. I still couldn't be in two places at once. But with those simple, brief, diaphragmatic breaths at a red light, I slowed my heart rate down. I relaxed my muscle tension and increased my oxygen rate. And I did feel slightly less overwhelmed. My racing, automatic, fear-based thoughts slowed down. I was able to keep going, to do the best I could with the time that I had.

The average human brain weighs about 3 pounds, yet it consumes approximately 20% of our calories. It takes energy to think, to plan, to be anxious or sad. That's part of the reason why we can worry ourselves to exhaustion. Several of the diagnostic criteria for clinically significant levels of anxiety are physical symptoms such as restlessness (being jittery or keyed up), tiring easily, muscle tension or difficulty sleeping. Some of the diagnostic hallmarks of major depressive disorders include changes in appetite and weight, changes in sleep, psychomotor agitation (being fidgety or restless) or psychomotor retardation (slow speech or body movements). Everything that's biological is psychological, and everything that's psychological is biological.

One research-based way to care for your brain and body is meditation. Pop culture forms of media will often portray meditation as a mystical, magical, nebulous and even esoteric practice. While meditation can at times be mystical and magical it's also quite ordinary and practical. Meditation is everyday life. Hence the common Zen refrain: "Zen is chopping wood and carrying water."

In a nutshell, meditation is putting your thoughts and emotions, and perhaps your body, on something that is skillful for how you want to be in the world. Diaphragmatic breathing, as I used at the stoplight, is a simple way to meditate but there are other types as well: mindfulness, visualization techniques, body scans, mantra or phrase meditations, and contemplative prayer, just to name a few. Meditation can help manage anxiety, depression and addiction, as well as cultivate powerful positive traits. Meditation can deepen our spiritual practice.

It's worth noting that meditation is often best when it's used for the hardest things in life. According to the mythology of Buddhism, the historical Buddha created mindfulness meditation to deal with the universal existential inevitabilities of human existence, specifically that we age, grow sick, and are all mortal beings. I've spent over 20 years working in end-of-life care, grief and trauma. I couldn't do what I do without meditation. My work is very meaningful, but it can be very intense. So in ways big and small, I weave meditation into the fabric of my day. Sometimes I do traditional mindfulness or loving kindness meditation. Sometimes I meditate on the laughter of my children or the taste of a cookie.

And now we're confronted by a worldwide crisis. Throughout my work and life, and especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I try, as much as I can, to place my mind on something that is skillful for how I need and want to be in the world. I'm not always perfect. But I try, again and again, to bring myself back to my path. This is meditation. Perhaps you would like to meditate too? Seek out a teacher or a guide. Psychologists, ministers or other mental health practitioners can offer help. Seeking support isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of wisdom. Now, more than ever in these uncertain days, we need these tools to manage our anxiety, stress and worry. What will be your skillful path?

Dr. David Zuniga is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Austin, and he is also an ordained Zen Buddhist priest. His website is a free, interdisciplinary source of support: www.drdavidzuniga.com.

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