Business Updates & Helpful Resources During This Delicate Time

This is a year that tries our souls. The battle with COVID-19 can feel like never-ending, especially if you have family and friends from different parts of the world,. While there is no clear exit route yet, I just want to let you know that you are not alone.

From front-line key workers to everyone who is doing their best to protect our society, thank you so much!

Here are some business changes and helpful resources. I sincerely wish that they will help you channel your energy calmly, productively, constructively and healthily.

For your spiritual & energetic balance:

No matter how individual we are, there is always a collective consciousness underneath, which no one, nothing is truly isolated from. We are impacting one another. It’s time to let our compassion raise, for Earth and her troubled people.

How we have been living is unsustainable. Right now, the collective consciousness is asking for a big change.

When the collective consciousness is “moving and shaking”, our individual past wounds can be triggered and/or intensified.

Nevertheless, please know that you are never given anything that your Soul is not capable to handle yet. If you wish, take this opportunity to resolve a stubborn pattern that should no longer have power over you.

As difficult as it is, take this opportunity as an invitation to grow, with your roots becoming deeper, heart stronger, and eventually reach a new equilibrium and re-find that inner peace.

You can use these three mindful practices (simple yet powerful) to light up your cosmic fire.

You can look for your personal Tao during this delicate time – three treasures: Simplicity, Compassion & Patience.

Sanctuary of Tao has also written this Mindfulness for Stress Relief Guide (PDF)

For your emotional wellbeing:

During the midst of pandemics, we hear stories. Due to the “shell shock”, we often feel disoriented and struggle to understand the roots of the pain. Stories we see, hear and/or experience ultimately shape our inner-world. When we are repeatedly exposed to traumatic materials, without being warned about vicarious trauma, our heart can shatter and soul flee. We need to look after our mental health, here are some signs of vicarious trauma and how to recover and heal from it. Trauma happens, it is not our fault, but healing is our responsibility.

If you are starting online therapy, Here are 5 guidelines to ensure you staying safe.

If you are going through a dark night of the soul, here is a compassionate guide to help you heal what has hurt you the most.

For your mental health & creativity:

How to Receive Treatment During the Corona Shutdown | Sunshine Behavioral Health Sunshine Behavioral Health has created this resource library.

Open Culture has generously put this hub together to help you learn some skills that you’ve always wanted. Under such unprecedented time, explore your creative calling and it might surprise you.

Future Learn also has a number of free courses including work-life balance when working from home.

Artist Relief will distribute $5,000 grants to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19 in USA. Applications are now open.

For your physical health:

This family doctor shows you how to disinfect your groceries.

The Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation published this free 28 page coronavirus-prevention handbook, in various languages, written by front-line doctors and nurses.

Work out at home? No problems, The Body Coach Joe Wicks has your back. NHS has also provided many useful videos to help beginners and improvers to start Pilates.

WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO TO HELP OUR COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETIES IN ADDITION TO SELF-ISOLATION:

Sometimes, we cannot help it but feel helpless. I get it. There had been days that I was consumed by sadness and pains too. But when we think about it, there are plenty of useful things that we can do for each other and the wider communities, in addition to staying at home. In fact, my personal experience shows me that during a time when information can come at you at all directions, doing something to help others is a great way to stay mindful and sane. It doesn’t matter how small, when you do some acts with kindness and intention, you are making a real difference. For example, you can

• tie your rubbish bins properly with extra care and vigilance, this will protect the bin collectors
• disinfect your door bell and letter box regularly to protect delivery workers
• minimise the usage of PPE, if you have any to spare, give them to nursing homes, and/or leave some outside of your door, so that some frontline workers can pick them up as they wish (many of them still don’t have enough protection gears)
• if applicable, share some of your home grown fruits outside of your place with your community.
• some local farms and food businesses which normally supply for restaurants are now struggling with getting orders, and they often do deliveries. Reach out and make some orders from them, it’s a win-win.
• check-in with the vulnerable in your neighbourhood
• offer help to nursing homes in your area
• if you have web design skills for example, you can help those small local businesses which are struggling now to get online and stay in business
• volunteer and donate, in whichever forms that you are able to
• foster some pets and animals who need home at this time

GRATITUDE TO MY CLIENTS, CUSTOMERS AND NEWSLETTER READERS

I want to do my little part to help money go where it is needed the most. 50% of the proceeds from my products and services during 1 February 2020 to 30 April 2020 (may extend if necessary) will be donated to help front-line workers with PPE, food banks and UN. To my customers and clients during the above period (thank you!), however, if you have specific charities of your choice, please let me know by 30 April 2020, your preferences will be honoured. If no specific instructions, donations will be split among the following charities and/or crowdfunders.

• NHS Charities Together Campaign
• COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO
• The Trussell Trust
• IRCR COVID-19 Emergency Appeal

Also for my newsletter readers, I’m hugely grateful for all your kind words, support and prayers.

MAY YOUR HEART BE BRAVE

MIND BE BRIGHT

AND

SPIRIT BE FREE.

As a familiar world suddenly collapses and productivity has been taken away by circumstances beyond our control, many of us experience fear, doubt and struggle, there in the abyss, we search for answers, anxiously and perhaps at times desperately. Yet, bit by bit, we are finding our way back as well as forward.

Humans are capable and adaptable.

No matter how unprecedented, unpredictable, uncertain it is, humanity has been here before and survived.

Reach out freely and become each other’s anchor. Vulnerability is not weakness. The moment we open up to each other, fear reduces or subsides.

There is resilience and compassion in our blood. We are all in this together. Gradually but surely, we will get through.

Right now, let’s just give other species a breather and let Mama Earth heal. 

So that the wild goats can wander down the road, and squirrels claim their home. 

And when this is all over, air will be fresher and we shall become wiser.

With love,

Yiye Zhang 章一叶