In this short guided video, Bridgeen offers a series of simple, nervous‑system‑based mindfulness practices designed to reduce anxiety and fear surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. She begins with a "big sigh" exercise, explaining that an audible exhale signals safety to the nervous system. She then guides viewers through a shoulder‑tension‑and‑release movement, encouraging participants to raise their shoulders to the ears, hold the tension, and release it with a sigh. Next, she invites viewers to become aware of their body in the present moment—feeling their feet, chair, and breath—suggesting a hand‑on‑heart placement and mindful breathing while silently or aloud repeating the mantra “Breathe, it’ll be okay,” a phrase she attributes to Thich Nhat Hanh. Bridgeen emphasizes that anxiety is rooted in future‑oriented worry, whereas focusing on the present affirms safety, well‑being, and the lack of immediate threat. She frames the present moment as a "wonderful moment" and recommends practicing these short exercises twice daily (morning and evening) to calm the nervous system and sustain a sense of safety during ongoing uncertainty.
Chapters
Hi everyone, it's Bridgeen. I thought I would offer you some short practices today to help with anxiety and fear surrounding the coronavirus and the collective panic that we're all experiencing. I'm feeling it as well. We don't know what's gonna happen, there's lots of uncertainty, and we have to make some changes. So it is good to do some mindful, simple practices that work with our nervous system. The first thing I recommend, everybody can do it, is to have a big sigh. I know this sounds really strange, but when we sigh and we make a noise, we signal to our nervous system that we are safe. So please try this one with me so I don't seem so foolish. Better to do it with other people or do it on your own where nobody else can see. So So I want you to breathe in, take your shoulders up to your ears, and hold it tense and tight. Hold it, hold it, tension. And then release with a big sigh. Ahhh. Okay, you can even do a better sigh than that. Okay, let's try it again. Feels good. Just release all that tension, release all that stress. We'll just do one more time. Just like you've come in from a long hard day shopping and you sink down into your favorite chair. This is how to signal to your nervous system, and you have to make the sound. I've tried to do this sometimes in corporate settings and people sitting in a group And they're afraid to make a sound because they don't want anyone to hear them make a sound. So there must be a certain level of tension if you can't make a sound. If you can make that sound, that sigh noise, then you're safe. And actually, safety is a factor of the present moment. So when you're really here— so anxiety is about the future. We don't know what's going to happen. We're afraid we might get it. We're afraid our loved ones might get it. It's uncertain and we're worried what could happen, what if. So if we come back, come back to our centre, come back to this moment, to the here and now. So if you're watching this and you can feel your feet on the floor, maybe you can feel your bum in the chair. Feel your body. Your body's here. Your body is present. You're probably breathing. If you're breathing, there's more right with you than wrong with you. Just take a wee moment and feel the breath. You may like to put your hand over your heart. Just have a few simple mindful breaths, and I mean by mindful, it's just consciousness, awareness, Of the fact that you're breathing in and you're breathing out. You can even say the words, "Breathe, it'll be okay." Breathe, it'll be okay is a mantra that I got from my teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. So it's very helpful. It's very powerful. When you feel the panic coming, when you're aware of it, when you're getting angry about the virus interrupting your travel plans, your holidays, your business— it's done all those things to me as well— just say, breathe, it'll be okay. And actually, that will bring you into the present moment. And the other amazing thing about the present moment is that when we are really here, When we're really present, then we know that right now in this actual moment, I'm safe. I'm safe. I feel that in my body. I'm safe right now. I can have that sound. I know I'm safe. I'm well enough right now in this moment. I'm well enough. I'm actually quite well right now. I'm safe. I'm well. And in this actual moment, if you're watching this video with me, There's nowhere to go and there's nothing to do. So even just for these 3 reasons— I'm safe, I'm well, there's nowhere to go and there's nothing to do— then I know that this moment, this actual moment, is a wonderful moment. Breathing in, aware. Of this present moment, breathing out, knowing it's a wonderful moment. Present moment, wonderful moment. Present moment. Wonderful moment. See if you can practice this short practice maybe twice a day, once in the morning, once in the evening, and that will really help calm the nervous system, calm your fear, calm your anxiety. Just stop, breathe, and it'll be okay. Thank you. Take care. Be well.
