Tips for Inner Peace & Self-Love in COVID Times

posted by Connie Sobczak / July 30, 2020

The last time I wrote about the COVID-19 pandemic, we were just beginning our time of sheltering in place. I never expected that many months later I would be reaching out to you with my thoughts about how to continue to keep our spirits lifted, our self-love intact, and our bodies cared for with kindness, but here we are. 

Below I’ve shared a few tools I use to stay centered, self-loving, and gentle with my body.

FOCUS ON INNER PEACE OVER HAPPINESS

“Happiness depends on conditions being perceived as positive; 
inner peace does not.”
—Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

I have had more moments than I can count in the past five months when I have felt absolutely claustrophobic from sheltering in place. There are times when I physically feel that I need to crawl out of my skin and escape, but there is nowhere to go. During these moments, I have a few helpful go-tos that bring me back to center and help me stay calm.

• Soaking in the nature around me. Even if I can’t get away from the city, I consciously focus on the nature that surrounds me and I feel calmer. I sit under the tree in my yard, I walk in my neighborhood and take in the vibrant colors of the flowers. I commune with my indoor plants and thank them for inspiring me to just be.
• Listening to music that soothes my soul. I find myself playing certain songs over and over again that keep me uplifted and connected to my spirit. Spotify and my headphones are my new best friends 🙂
• Picking up The Power of Now to random pages when I am in panic mode always helps. I find quotes like the one above, and am able to take a breath and come right into the present moment, where I am able to find acceptance of what is, if not peace. Eckhart Tolle writes that if we’re seeking inner peace over happiness, then we are able to experience sadness about life’s painful experiences, like the death of loved ones and the other losses, and still remain connected to our center. Grief is going to be a constant companion during this pandemic. Feeling it fully and staying absolutely in the present moment is the practice being asked of us now, some more than others. My heart is with all of you who have lost family members and friends to COVID.

STAY CONNECTED TO OUR SELF-LOVE PRACTICE

“Self-love is not static, arriving one day and staying for the rest of your life. 
It is a daily practice—emphasis on the word practice—built on a foundation 
that grows stronger with time and attention.”
—A passage from my book Embody

I am truly grateful that every day I have the opportunity to practice what I teach! One of the most powerful Competencies of the Be Body Positive Model for me is Cultivate Self-Love. It’s not an intellectual decision to say, “I love myself,” and expect there to be no work involved. A self-love practice takes conscious attention and awareness in the moments when we do things that make life difficult. 

Just this week I had an experience where I said, “I hate myself. I’m so stupid!” over and over for something I did that caused me to lose out on a wonderful experience. The best part of it all was that even as those angry words were coming out of my mouth, I could feel the arms of my self-love wrapped tightly around me, which allowed the negative feelings I had about myself to pass quickly.

I am surrounded by unconditional, healing, light-filled self-love at all times, even when I’m being unkind to myself. It is as if I am above looking down at myself and have great compassion for my small self who is being mean. Nourishing our self-love practice is a necessity during hard times!


GIVE NOURISHING, LOVING TOUCH TO OUR BODIES

Our bodies need pleasure to thrive. I’m talking about all types of pleasure here, not just sex. Pleasure comes in many forms—savoring the delicious flavors of a favorite food, having a good cry, talking with a dear friend, giving loving, non-judgmental touch to our bodies.

As a trained bodyworker, I believe in the restorative powers of massage. We can’t always hire someone to give us a massage. We may not have the resources, and now with COVID, it’s not a great time to be in close contact with someone outside of our pod. 

The good news is we can give ourselves massages. I wrote a blog a few years back that I’m sharing with you here so you can have my Recipe for Pleasure: The Self-Massage Edition. The key to this practice is to give yourself non-judgmental, compassionate touch, even if you struggle with certain body parts. Pretend it’s me giving you the massage with my healing, non-judgmental hands 🙂

Read my “recipe” for self-massage. Enjoy!

If you need more tips to find inner peace during COVID times, and want to have a peaceful relationship with your body, food, and movement in the years to come, The Body Positive’s Fundamentals course offers inspiration and practical, valuable tools to help you come home to your body.

Connie Sobczak

Connie Sobczak

Connie Sobczak, author of Embody and Co-Founder of The Body Positive, loves to watch the light and power that emerge when people recognize and embrace their magnificent, authentic selves. Her favorite pleasure activities include eating delicious meals, rock climbing, and running as fast as she can down mountains with her daughter Carmen. She gets true rest by getting lost in a good book. She is currently in love with The Plague of Doves, by Louise Erdrich, and The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri.