A couple of weeks ago I learned that my sister in law was sick with Corona Virus. When I talked to my brother, I realized there was three different layers to the crisis.
In order to build resilience in troubled times, we had to tackle physical health, mental health and spiritual health . The 3C’s will help you to practice resilience in troubled times:
- Contemplatives in Action: Schedule quiet time everyday so you can restore your balance in the midst of intensive work. Integrate your meditation, prayers, yoga, going for a walk in nature, etc during that time. Use mindfulness and discernment to develop clarity. What are your feelings? What are your needs?
- Companions through Community: Social distancing does not mean isolation. Reach out to family, friends and community. There is collective wisdom in our community. We can all benefit from that.
- Compassion and Our Mission : We can transform adversity into learning and growth. Apply compassion when dealing with co-workers and students. Self-compassion might be a challenge. We would like to have total control of this situation but this might be an opportunity to build tolerance and patience. Last but not least, compassion extend to the poor, to the marginalized and the Global South. Social justice is part of our mission. Be mindful of those marginalized and the working poor.
Use the three C’s to build resilience and hope in difficult times.
Juan Velasco