When we feel walled off and overwhelmed, we can still find an opening for calm.
© Joyce McGreevy

10 Cross-Cultural Tips for Staying Calm

As sheltering in place continues and some news proves more stress-inducing than helpful, staying calm is not always easy. Happily, there’s a world of ways to maintain equilibrium. Oh, I see: Wherever you live, cross-cultural tips like these can help restore your inner balance.

1. Begin Where East Meets West—Meditation

Meditation’s stress-reduction benefits are backed up by science. While silent meditation works wonders for some,  others may prefer guided meditation. The app Ten Percent Happier is geared to skeptics, first timers, and the downright fidgety.

TIP:  To help people cope with lockdown, co-founder Dan Harris launched Ten Percent Happier Live, a free daily “sanity break,” available through the app or on YouTube. Join Harris and meditation teachers across cultures as they stream from their homes to homes around the world.

Pre-2020, TenPercent.com founder Dan Harris finds calm in NYC’s Times Square.
© Samuel Johns/10% Happier

2. Travel from Nepal to . . . Dreamland

Is anxiety triggering insomnia? On the app Calm, cross-cultural “sleep stories” transport you to Chitwan National Park in Nepal, lavender fields in Provence and so on, while helping you wind down.

TIP: Calm‘s blog currently offers a wealth of premium content free—no jet lag, no travel restrictions.

3. Emulate the Japanese—Celebrate Imperfection

As Meredith Mullins explains elsewhere on OIC Moments, wabi sabi is a Japanese aesthetic . . that treasures how we are rather than how we should be.”

TIP: Dare to see the beauty in something imperfect—like your children’s messy bedroom, which also means your kids are healthy and active.

Spring wardrobe a bit outdated? Relax, the fashion police aren’t stopping by.
© Joyce McGreevy

4. Do Indian-Inspired Yoga

It began in the Indus-Sarasvati region of India 5,000 years ago—today, it’s popular across most cultures. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S. alone, 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 12 children practice yoga. During the COVID-19 crisis, many rely on yoga to stay calm.

TIP: It’s no stretch to find good resources. From Mindbody’s illustrated list of calming poses, videos like “Yoga to Calm Your Nerves,” and the app Kids Yogaverse, the options for wellness are well within reach.

5. Cope American-Style—Commune with Your Pet

Researchers say ours is a pet-obsessed culture. America spends more per pet than anywhere else in the world. But all our pets really want us to “spend” is more time with them. So cuddle that cat, roll over with Rover, talk to your turtle, and partner up for yoga.

If video does not display, see the whole new take on “downward facing dog” here.

TIP: Do consult with your dog first if you intend to do “cat pose” . . . .

6. Dance Around the House, Nigerian Style 

Afrobeats is proof that you can calm yourself down by revving yourself up with great music.

TIP: Unfamliar with Afrobeats? View this marvelous 8-minute history, which includes recommendations.

DO: shake your tail feathers. DO: stay hydrated. DON’T: get in a flap.
© Joyce McGreevy

7. Savor Swedish “Fika”

Sweden’s calming ritual centers around coffee, but fika is even more about setting aside a moment and savoring it. Traditionally, it’s sociable.  In Swedish workplaces being “too busy” for fikarast (coffee break)  is unthinkable. But whether you’re Zoom-ing with co-workers, cocooning with loved ones, or sheltering solo, take time to feel the fika.

TIP: Short on Swedish pastries?  Make cinnamon toast.

Bedford joins me for fikarast.
© Joyce McGreevy

8. Do Something Irish—Read a Poem

Ireland is one of those rare countries where almost everyone appreciates poetry. In hard times across cultures, poetry is a ready source of comfort. And when a poet expresses the seemingly inexpressible, it crosses over into magic.

TIP: Read one of  Ireland’s most popular poems, Yeats’ “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” Your heart will thank you.

What is fragile can  flourish.
© Joyce McGreevy

9. Discover an Italian Art

 Il dolce fare niente—”the sweetness of doing nothing”

Sure, you could turn lockdown into Self-Improvement Boot Camp and become a Productivity Powerhouse. But why? Consider occasionally doing nothing at all.

TIP: How to “do” nothing? Any way you want. Stand barefoot in grass, doze in your favorite chair, watch clouds the way you did as a child.

We’re gonna rest, rest, rest around the clock tonight!
© Joyce McGreevy

10. Do the World Some Good

According to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, doing good for others is good for you, too.  Altruism reduces stress, which has ripple-effect benefits for your health. Whether you adopt a global mindset or keep it local, what matters is doing or giving what you can,

TIP: Find a guide to helping during the crisis here.

A World of Support

Working from home, sheltering in place, waiting to return “Out There”—each carries its own pressures. These cross-cultural tips for staying calm are just a sampling of the world’s wisdom and creativity. What cultural calming rituals can you share with readers of OIC Moments?

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.