A Mindfulness Opportunity

I realized that the opportunity for everyone in the United States to take a four week vacation is an opportunity to practice mindfulness.  There certainly won't be any sporting events to watch on television!  It's a great time to read, and a great time to practice mindfulness.  There is actually a 2003 study, "Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation," by Richard Davidson et al, that shows that practicing daily mindfulness can improve the immune system.  They looked at the response to influenza vaccine and found an increased antibody response!  

There's no question that practicing mindfulness is helpful to our overall health and well being.  We live in a world today with constant instantaneous messaging and responses.  It's hard to get away from it.  The COVID-19 crisis only serves to heighten those stimuli.  How many people will sit at home glued to their television sets, listening to and watching news about the virus from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed?  Is it necessary?  Of course not.  Find a way to stay abreast of the important news and use the newfound time to read a book, and of course, practice mindfulness.