I am very wary (and weary) of advice on any sort of social platform, but wanted to say that when I am feeling crushed by anxiety, practicing Loving Kindness meditation has been helping me to breathe a bit more. I've been doing it for thirteen years now and it helps in dark times.

I learned it from Sharon Salzberg at the Tibet House in NYC and it changed my life slowly and over time. You can read about it here. The main thing is the repeating of the phrases. They are offerings to the self, to others, and then outward. Like prayer. https://www.mindful.org/loving-kindness-takes-time-sharon-salzberg/

You begin by just offering it to yourself. "May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I live with ease." Or whatever phrases work for you. Lately it's been hard for me to say "happy" and I've just focused on: "May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I live with ease."

Then you can offer it to whomever you want. Officially, there's an order. You begin by offering to a benefactor, and then to a neutral party, then to a difficult person, and then to all beings everywhere. But lately, I've just gone to all beings everywhere really quickly.

I sit for 10-15 minutes, and I begin by offering it to myself and then I begin saying it to "all beings everywhere." I include animals and plants in my offering. I say in my mind and with my breath, "May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease."

Sometimes, if someone you love is suffering, you can just offer it to them. I don't know why I'm sharing this, but it's been helping me through all this loss and fear and pain. A small way of loving the world and loving ourselves in the middle of crisis.

Sometimes it makes me weep. Sometimes it makes me feel so connected to someone I can't see right now that it buoys me. Sometimes, it's all I can do to just offer it to myself. It feels like a survival technique. Anyway, I'm no expert. Just thought it might be useful to others.