Paavo Siljamäki of Above and Beyond shared in mid-March that he was diagnosed with COVID-19. In the two months that he’s been isolating, meditating, and practicing breathing exercises, he has gotten much better. Recently, he sat down virtually with Billboard to talk about his battle with the Coronavirus.
Above and Beyond has had their shows and upcoming tour cancelled as a result of the pandemic. It came as a shock for sudden shock for them after all their hard work and preparation. The future of live events is uncertain, and it’s unclear when mass gatherings will resume again. Paavo states that ‘being OK with something that uncertain is probably the hardest thing.’
During his quarantine with COVID-19 symptoms, he experienced extreme chest pains. Paavo shares of his mental exhaust from having to fight fear constantly for weeks. Despite having to fight off the virus alone, he was thankful for his neighbors checking in and offering a hand with groceries. He stayed in the UK for a couple weeks before flying to his property in Finland. He’s been immersed in nature and healing himself gradually.
“I know a lot of people who are ill with COVID-19, and a lot of them have to go through this alone. It’s one thing having someone there to say it’s going to be all right. But when it’s just you in isolation having to deal with it, that was really challenging for me. I felt mentally exhausted from three weeks of batting that fear. But in the end I came out of it, and I feel really fortunate that it wasn’t worse than it was.”
Currently, Paavo is feeling much better. He still experiences some shortness of breath from potential lung damage. However, he’s slowly regaining strength and recovering through continuous exercise and meditation.
Thankfully, the sickness has subsided and Paavo no longer has to live in fear and uncertainty. He has stated that focusing on wellness has changed his life for the better ever since. Recently, Above and Beyond has released ‘Flow State Meditations’ to help guide and bring people comfort.