Meditation helps relax people's minds to stay mentally healthy during quarantine.

While certain areas are starting to re-open businesses and public spaces, there are many of us who are still stuck in our homes for the most part. The uncertain and frightening nature of the current pandemic has many people feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and generally more anxious than ever. Meditation allows some space into a day to focus all of one's energy inwards on oneself rather than outwards upon the scary outside world. Spending time every day to focus on the current moment can be remarkably centering on one's mind. Meditation can help to eliminate that “lost” feeling that one might be experiencing since it focuses the brain on the moment. Many people report that this adds a tangibility to their day’s experience, which can be comforting during times of uncertainty. Being present with one's immediate surroundings is often much more comforting than focusing on the stressful outside world. “Many people who try meditation for the first time erroneously believe that the point is to clear the mind of thoughts," said Michael Haederle, a lay Zen monk who leads a sitting group in Albuquerque and, as a journalist, has written about the neuroscience of meditation. “When attempting a simple practice, like following the breath, they realize their minds are very busy. That isn’t a sign of failure, though; recognizing that our minds are unruly is the starting point for a meditation practice.”