Today's video is making a big claim in the sense of instant stress relief around the coronavirus - and without meditation. So that's something I'm gonna have a go at trying to share with you today and it's let's see how we go.

Before I start talking about the coronavirus and stress relief, I'd like to make a philosophical point and let's see if it resonates with you. An insight I had a few weeks ago, which I've been really pleased about, is the idea that everyone is always doing the best that they can with their level of wisdom, with their level of compassion, with their motivation.

For example, let's say you've got a family member or a friend, or someone that's doing something that's really grating or annoying for you. Imagine if you were that person - imagine if you had exactly the same genes as them, if you had the same history, if you had the same brain cells, if you had the same environmental conditions, if you had the same mood, if you had everything that was exactly the same as that person; would you do anything differently to what they're doing?

My conclusion: I would have no other choice but to be able to act in the way they're acting. And that made me think - that counts not just for friends and family, but for everyone - even the most annoying and irritating political leaders and people that have done things that are evil. If you had exactly the same genes as them, the same environmental conditions in bringing up, the same brain cells as them and the same level of motivation and types of thoughts popping into your head as they're having in their head - then there's nothing else you could do. We would all be acting in the same way as they're acting.

Then I turned that insight around on myself as well. I thought "hang on a minute! If everybody is doing the best they can with their level of motivation, their level of wisdom and mindfulness, and compassion, and all that - then the same must be true for me!"

With all the different things that I've done in the past - all my regrets and guilts, and all the things that I'm frustrated with myself about - things I feel I should have tried harder or done something better than I've actually done. Actually, if I could have done something different, I would have.

Okay, I may think I should have been more courageous at that moment, or I should have taken the risk a bit more. But if I had that motivation, if I had that knowledge, if I thought in that way - then I would have done it!

And so I've been applying the same sort of thinking around what's been happening with the coronavirus situation at the moment in the world. And first of all, the actual virus itself is obviously not personal, it's not even alive. It can't actually live outside of living things being a virus - it's kind of on the borderline of living and non-living. And this is something that just happens in the world and that's happened before - a virus is gonna mutate and spread from time to time in humans.

And so the virus is obviously taking a very impersonal approach and process - it's just doing what it's doing. That's what it has evolved to do. At first I was getting very frustrated by politicians and what they were doing. In how slowly they were responding. But then I thought, hang on a minute - if I was that politician, and I had exactly the same brain cells, the same genetics, and the same body, and the same people around me, and the same upbringing - I'll probably do the same thing too because I wouldn't know any different.

Everything, everybody on the whole planet is responding in the way that they think is the right thing to do. Otherwise they would do something differently. And even if you feel that they're motivated in some kind of selfish way or egotistical way, it's because they have a strong ego they're not aware of, or simply don’t know better.

This kind of reflection has had more of an impact on me than even doing hours and hours of meditation. Because I realized that we're trying to change things which can't really be any better than they are right now. It can't be better than it is and that seemed to really release a lot of stress. It doesn't mean that I don't stop doing things like this blog and video to support people. And it doesn't mean that I would even stop campaigning for change or saying that people are doing things in the wrong way. But that constant frustration which can be so energy-draining, the constant stress that could be so tiring - it doesn't have to be there. Because everything is happening in the way it should be happening.

Another way of looking at it is if you come from a scientific background or bent. To consider all the laws of the universe. We've got the laws of physics and chemistry and biology - these are the laws of the universe. And even if you start talking about quantum physics, even there, there are laws of probability in operation.

Everything in the physical world operates on these laws for sure. If you're willing to you extend that to plants - they certainly follow the laws of biology, as do animals, and as do, I believe, human beings. We follow those same laws too - we don't have a choice, we're bound by them. And we’re doing the actions as best they can within those laws. Thoughts pop into our heads, motivation arises and actions happen, and there are consequences. This is what is playing out in the world right now.

All this leads to an acceptance - of this being the way things are. Without that constant drain or frustration, that "I wish things were different" or "why doesn't this person do this" or "why doesn't that person do that".

I'd be really really interested in your thoughts on this - maybe I've got some wrong line of reasoning that you'd like to share. I'd love to hear. I've been reflecting on this for over a month or so and it seems to make sense to me and does lead to huge stress relief and reduction in frustration with other people's actions and behaviour. And even less guilt around my own behaviour and automatic forgiveness for all the actions that I've done in the past - because if I could have done something better, I 100% would have.

Thanks a lot for watching - if you found it helpful please comment below. I really appreciate if you subscribe to our newsletter to help us continue to support this type of content. And share videos like this going forward.

Check out our next course on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which will include this and many other metaphors - it's an interactive video course. You can chat and get to know the other participants, you create a sense of community. We try and make it in a creative way too, so you learn different techniques and it's also evolving all the time. I think you'll enjoy it so come along and join us!