9 Paths to Inner Peace in the time of Covid-19

The word pandemic is a scary word.  You are in shock. You never dreamed this would happen.

You, along with the rest of the world, are living in strange times. Coronavirus is impacting the whole world. 

You are anxious about the health of yourself, your family, colleagues and community. You are also worried if you are going to have money to survive. You are disturbed by a massive decline in the stock market, reducing your retirement savings.

Living in the time of Covid-19 is hard.  The good news is a great time to learn about yourself. 

This worldwide event has the potential to bring our families, communities, countries and the whole world together. It is time to let go of our conflicts and come together as one people.  What are the signs that you are seeing and experiencing?

The Enneagram, a map for personal growth, can help us all to find inner peace in the time of Covid-19.

 What is the Enneagram?

The Enneagram is an ancient symbol that dates back hundreds of years to mystical traditions of Judaism,

Muslims and Christianity. It started with learning dances to help you to let go of your egoic behaviours.

In modern times the Enneagram teachers found there was a link between Enneagram types and psychology.

The Enneagram is becoming more and more popular around the world for business leaders and individuals.

Wanting to Learn More About the Enneagram can help You: Click Here

Nine Paths of Inner Peace:

Each of us sees the world in different ways. No one way is better than another.

When you discover your Enneagram type, it provides a map for personal growth. Each type has its strengths and growing edges. Your job is to be as healthy in your type as possible.

Discovering more about yourself through the Enneagram can help you to navigate this stressful time of Covid 19. 

If you do not know what your Enneagram type is, you can access my Free Online Enneagram Test through this link: Click Here.

For each type, you will learn practices to help you stay calm and grounded.  You have the strengths and gifts that you bring to the world. You will discover the warning signals that will tell you to take better care of yourself.

Type Eight: The Challenger

At your best, you are a mover and shaker in the world. You have a big heart. You have a strong desire to stand in solidarity with people who are being taken advantage of or ignored.  

You have the strength within you to be a great leader during this pandemic. You are not afraid to say what needs to be said, even if it is unpopular.

You intuitively know what needs doing.  You are a great leader! You are making things happen while inspiring your community.

Your blind spot shows up when you start to feel held back by others. At times like this, you block your emotions. You do this to protect your tender heart.

Watch out for your anger. Anger is a sign for you that you are starting to feel constrained by others.  Ask yourself if this is true. Maybe you need to learn to be more patient and allow others to catch up with you.

Especially during a time like this, it is essential to work with others to share the load. You may have unrealistic expectations of what you can achieve.

You need to keep your heart open.  Your open heart will help you to connect with many people.  The more you are willing to be vulnerable will increase your opportunities to help others.

Take time to care for yourself. Do something that you enjoy, such as read a great book, listen to awesome music, play a game with a friend, or whatever brings you joy.  

Type Nine: The Peacemaker

At your best, you bring many gifts to your community. You are a great observer. You have the gift of understanding. You can understand many different points of view.  

You can help your family and community to understand what each other is going through. Your gift is to help people find a consensus on how to work together through this time of Covid-19.

At a time when people’s fear and insecurities will rise to the surface, you can help people to get beyond their misunderstandings. You can encourage people to work together in a way that will benefit all people.

Your blind spot shows up when you begin to fear losing connection with those you love.  When you walk into fear, you tend to avoid conflict, in the end, making it much worse.

In this time of Covid 19, you must share your opinions. Don’t be afraid to rock the boat.

Get plenty of exercise/movement to help you stay in touch with the sensations of your body. Physical movement will help you to stay healthy and grounded.

Like type eight, you have anger issues too.  You tend to avoid conflict until it catches up with you, and you blow up. Learn to pay attention to signs of anger in your body. When you are aware, you can discern what you need to do and say to resolve the issue.

Each of us needs to bring out our best so we, the people of the world, can get this pandemic under control.

Type One: The Reformer

At your best, you are a great leader and educator. Your gift is your inner knowing that there are better ways to make change in the world.  Another strength is your excellent ability to teach. You are a born teacher.

In the time of Covid-19, we need people like you to keep the community informed about best practices.  

We also require you to help educate the public to help them to understand the seriousness of the situation.  You can help everyone to learn how to prevent further infections.

Your blind spot comes active when you start to fear that you are a failure. You put enormous pressure on yourself to do things correctly. Often you put unreasonable expectations on your self.

You would benefit from finding a practice to quiet your thoughts such as yoga, meditation, centering prayer, mindfulness and anything else that calms your mind.

Please assume that everyone else is doing their best.  Learn to catch yourself when you start to be hard on others. Being critical of others is probably a sign that you are too hard on yourself.

At a time like this, you need to give it your all, to alleviate the pandemic. However, you need to let go of your need to do it perfectly. 

Type Two: The Helper

Are your best you are able to see what other people need. At this time, there are so many people needing help, and you will be there to give it your all.

You have a big heart and get great satisfaction from helping others.  You have the wisdom to find a balance between caring for others and caring for yourself. Caring for self and others is so vital during this pandemic.

When emergencies arise, you will be there to do whatever you can. But at the end of it all, you will find time to rest and relax.

Your blind spot arises when you move into stress. You start to think that you need to earn your love and respect from others. The trouble is that the more you try to make others love you, the more you will push them away.

In this time of Covid-19, offer your help without any expectations.  Focus on the people you are helping and make sure you take care of your needs later.

It will be essential for you to take time for yourself.  Plan a day to do whatever you want to do. Most importantly, learn to enjoy your own company. 

When you care for yourself, you care for others.  You have more energy to help others and improve your community.  And you have the wisdom to discern the best role for you in any situation.

Type Three: The Achiever

At your best, you are creative, innovative and energetic.  What great gifts to bring to the challenges you and I are facing today.

You are not only creative, but you are also a great mentor. You can see the big picture. You devise methods, policies to get the job done. As well, you find the money to do what needs doing.

You refuse to listen to negative talk. You know the direction you need to take to help your family, organization, community and world to get through Covid-19.  You not only want to get through this challenging time as well as possible, but you also want to learn from the experience.

Your blind spot arises when you start to fear what others think of you. You feel like a failure if you are not perfect.  As you fear more about how others see you, you will become like a chameleon who changes its colours to suit the situation.

As you circle down into fear, you lose the power of your true self. You are never at your best when you deny your truth.

As a three, you can find strength when you slow down to take care of yourself. Take a nap, read a great book and watch your favourite movie.   Do whatever it takes to keep you healthy.

There is so much to do to help others through this challenging time, so choose tasks that give you meaning and satisfaction.

Type Four: The Individualist

At your best, you are creative, heart strong and honest. You remind us of the importance of making meaning in life, to be our true fabulous selves and to make the best of each day.

You want to know what is going on in the hearts of other people.  You want to be honest, and you expect the same from others.

Life is precious for you and you want to live every day to your best.  You want to know what is going on in the hearts of others.  You want to be your unique, authentic self.

You remind us during this time of Covid-19 the importance of getting up each day and living fully.  You encourage us to acknowledge the joy and pain in our hearts.  

You ask us to find someone to share the emotional roller-coaster ride you are experiencing. You want us to be real with each other.

Your blind spot arises when you begin to have feelings of self-hatred and despair.  The more you question your worth, you experience increasingly dark moods that are easy for you to get stuck in.

You can help yourself to stay healthy at this time of Covid-19 by being clear about what you need.  Remember, you are not alone. Stay in touch with family and friends through the phone, social media and video conferencing.

Thank you for reminding us all that we need to find light beauty amid the heaviness of Covid-19. 

By showing up every day as your unique self, you are making the world a little better.

Wanting to Know How the Enneagram can help you to balance mind, body and spirit: Click Here

Type Five: The Investigator

At your best, you are a great observer. You are the people doing all the research to stop Covid-19 from spreading.  You are offering your services to teach us all how to best deal with the spread of the pandemic.

Please don’t undervalue the work you do. Don’t worry if you don’t feel like you have all the answers.  The world is depending on you sharing what you are learning.

Your dedication to detail can help the world to find answers to significant concerns such as Covid-19, global warming and other vital issues. Please don’t keep your knowledge to yourself. The world needs you to show up every day.

Your blind spot arises when you get stuck in fear of looking foolish. You get more disconnected when you separate yourself from the real world, finding safety in your imaginary world.

You are going to get through this time of Covid-19 much easier if you find practices to help you to stay connected to your body and your emotions.

 Spiritual and mindfulness practices will help you to find the courage to share your wisdom and help you to stay grounded.

Thank you for your hunger for learning. Thank you for your dedication to detail. It is people like you who are going to make breakthroughs in science to help us find the vaccine for Covid-19

Type Six: The Reformer

At your best are courageous. You are needed to help all of us to stay safe. It is obvious to you when something is not right in your family, place of work and community.  You are great at preventing problems before they even happen.

During this time of Covid-19, you are more likely to be extra sensitive to the fear in the world. You will do everything you can to ensure people follow the rules.

Please don’t be hard on yourself when others don’t listen. Remember that each of us has to take responsibility for ourselves. We can not force anyone to change.

Some of you will want to confront Covid-19. Please be careful as your behaviour impacts the safety of all of us. Use your courage to make the world safer. Remember that fear can be a great teacher.

As your blind spot arises, you are going to move into fear.  When you experience anxiety, this is a time to quiet the mind through practices such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, exercise, music to help you connect with your true courageous self.

Thank you for your amazing ability to bring people together and work together to overcome the pandemic and learn new ways of being in the world.

 Type Seven: The Enthusiast

At your best, you are going to help yourself, and others find joy during this difficult time.

You will find ways to help all of us to find ways to play with each other and get the best out of each moment.

You will help us not to take life too seriously. Because you are a big picture person, you can see beyond the pandemic to better times again.

As your blind spot arises, you start to get bored. You may feel desperate to go out for an adventure because of your lack of activity and social life.  

Slowing down causes you to get in touch with your fear. You usually avoid fear through staying active, and your adrenaline pumped up.

Pay attention to your thoughts, and when your inner critic shows up, question the truth of what it is saying.

You will continue to grow by facing your fear with courage. You will discover you are a lot stronger, capable and courageous than you realized.

Thank you for your help in keeping us safe.

The Enneagram offers us ancient wisdom that goes back to the beginning of mystical Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

It helps you to discover your true self and find your courage. It provides you with a spiritual map on how to move through this stressful time of Covid-19. 

It is like a thermometer showing you when you are your best and when you are moving into fear.

The Enneagram helps you to find inner peace-giving you the space to make healthier decisions that benefit yourself and the people around you.

Imagine how much better the world can be if we all take responsibility to be our best selves.

Imagine what our world could be like if we can embrace the nine qualities of each of the nine Enneagram types.

Making this as part of your daily practice can help you to move through this time of pandemic with hope, purpose and joy despite the challenges the virus put on us.

I am Roland Legge, an Identity Coach here to help you find purpose and inner peace during this time of Covid-19.  You can join my private newsletter list for Free Monthly Advice and access your Free Online Enneagram Test