We all know what is going on with the COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) at this point, there is no need to waste time here. As a result of School shutdowns, Sporting event cancellations, closure of Restaurant Dine-in areas, the recommendations by Government officials for Social Distancing and Self Quarantining, the constant barrage of fear from the Media, all of this is taking a major toll on everyone's mental well-being both witch and ‘muggle'. As Witches and Practitioners we are much more sensitive to the energies and emotions of those around us. I'm sure you, like myself, have been suffering the effects similar to those of psychic attacks for weeks seeming to get worse by the day. As practitioners we already have to learn to protect ourselves from negative energies that just seem drawn to us because we exist between realms, our very abilities draw things that would feed on us. During a global "crisis" such as COVID-19, we seem to be even more of a target. Be it because we tend to be more grounded then everyone else that others try to tap into our strength, or be it those who don't understand how we can remain so calm and grounded in their own way attack us. Those of us sensitive to the emotions of other around us need to take extra precautions during this time.

Personally I have noticed that I have been much more distracted, having more difficultly focusing, There is an underlying feeling that I need to be doing something, but am unsure what. I feel an urgency to everything, I have been having panic attacks in my sleep, I've been feeling a sense of paranoia. When I sit and meditate I realize that a very large portion of these feeling are external, they are not my feelings but those of co-workers, other tenants in my apartment building, even those people driving by on the roadways. When I make this realization I feel better able to filter them, block them, and continue with what I need to do more focused.

So what can we do to get through this? Well the first step is to be conscious of the feelings and emotions. Take frequent breaks to "checkpoint" these feelings, are they yours? Or are they external? Like I stated before, just being aware of the external energies will help you to filter them out.
Next, take time once or twice a day to meditate, nothing too in-depth as the disruption from external energies my prevent deep meditations. Just listen to some soothing music, ground, find some inner calm and peace. Lift that inner calm to the surface. Avoidance, try, if possible, to avoid things like the News and Social Media when you can. As I discussed in a previous posting the Psychological Warfare in the Media can throw our stability into chaos.
Balance your Chakras, This may take a little more focus, but keeping the Chakras balanced and the energy flowing freely will help to maintain our calm and focus.
Psychic Self-defense, as witches one of the primary defenses we have is our protective shields. In simplest terms these are the energies we project around us to prevent psychic attacks and overwhelming empathic surges. We need now, during these times, to ensure that our shields are sufficiently charged and focused to block these hysteric energies.

With these simple steps you can restore balance and "sanity" for a time. For those of you who need a little extra support or clarification on how to maintain your defenses in this time, feel free to reach out to myself or other practitioners for extra support. Knowing that you are not alone in all this can be a great help as well.