Hi there…
With everything that has been happening over the last few weeks all across the world… No doubt about it, these are crazy times, unlike anything most of us have seen in our lifetime.
I wanted to reach out to you…
So first, I wanted to say that I hope you’re safe. I hope you’re healthy. I hope you and your loved ones have access to the food, medicine and other resources you need to make it through this vulnerable time.
We are in a time of intense, heightened uncertainty and anxiety … we’re all feeling it. No one is excluded from this craziness.
I’m sure all of us are taking a step back and taking the necessary actions to keep ourselves and our families healthy and safe.
How do you feel right now? In which state are you at? Are you afraid, stressed, anxious, and maybe even panicking? You are not alone. Almost everyone is in the same boat right now. It seems that every single day is filled with more terrible news of Coronavirus, quarantines, shutdowns and more.
Yes, this virus is scary, and yes, a lot of fear and panic is going around, not just in our country but around the world. And not for no reason…
How do we keep calm in the middle of all of this?
What I’ve learned is that there are some key practices that help us stay calm and centered in the middle of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty.
And I want to share with you some of these key practices, as well as some tips to reduce stress, anxiety, and fear in these uncertain times. These are simple ideas that have had an incredible impact on people over the years. They’ve had a transformative impact on my personal life as well.
But before I go into these practices, I have to briefly mention something else…
I am sure you have heard so much by now regarding eating healthy; drinking plenty of water; avoiding sugar and too much salt; decreasing consumption of alcohol; etc. I will not be discussing these in detail. But I would like to mention, if you are able, remember to load up with immune-boosting vitamins and supplements, such as:
- Vitamin D3
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
- Echinacea
- Colloidal silver
- Organic mushroom complex
- Elderberry syrup
And now, let’s dive in into best practices:
- Breathing
During this time of uncertainty, we could all use a little extra calming energy in our lives. To help you get grounded, centered, and reconnect with a state of calm, I wanted to share with you a simple breathing exercise that anyone can do, no matter where you are.
Follow this breathing pattern for 5 minutes:
- Inhale for 5 seconds
- Hold for 5 second
- Exhale for 5 seconds
If you cannot inhale, hold and exhale for that long – adjust the time to whatever is comfortable for you. If you can inhale, hold and exhale for longer periods of time, 7 to 10 seconds, you are more than welcome to do this. Just make sure that you are consistent with all 3 stages.
When you have completed this 5 minutes exercise (you can do it longer if you wish), say out loud: “Life is beautiful”, 5 to 10 times in a row. This will conclude your exercise.
Implement this practice to calm your mind and body at any time, as well as use this in the morning.
- Get Outside
- Take a walk in nature (if conditions permit)
- Get outside and breathe some fresh air (even if it’s a balcony or terrace)
- Get some natural vitamin D from the sunlight
- Exercise
- Where do I start talking about the benefits of exercising? I think at this point in time everyone knows how beneficial exercising is. Besides the obvious health reasons, weight management, energy level, exercising is also impacting your mood drastically.
- You can exercise whether you have sports equipment in your place or not. You can always find something to do some exercises in some kind of form.
- Do some jumping jacks, sit-ups, pushups, squats, crunch, etc.
- Do some weight training (if your health permits.) Take some household items and use them as weights, such as a gallon of milk, a gallon of water, laundry detergent container, backpack, or anything else you can use as a weight.
- You can do some yoga exercises or simple stretching.
- Or just simply walk around the house
- Listen to Calming Music or Sounds
- Calming music and sounds relieve anxiety
- If you don’t meditate, you can experience the positive effects of meditation by listening to relaxing music and sounds
- Get Good Night Sleep
- Lack of sleep affects your emotions
- If you don’t get 6-8 hours of sleep, your body does not have the capacity to heal.
- And to help you get some uninterrupted sleep, try not to drink anything after 10 pm.
- Avoid taking digital devices to bed
- Try turning your thermostat down by 2 degrees from your daily room temperature. Dark, cool environments help people sleep.
- Meditate
- Meditation lowers stress
- Reduces anxiety
- Improves focus
- Increases your sense of well-being
- Improves memory
- Makes you more creative
- Helps overcome addictions
- Enhances your immune system
- Reduces physical and emotional pain
- Avoid Listening and Reading to Too Much News
- I am not saying you should be ignorant. You should know what’s going on in the world. But listening and reading to all kinds of news all day long puts you in even more uncertainty and state of fear. You are not going to find security in the news!
- Laughing – laugh as much as possible! It is the best medicine!
- Laughter reduces pain
- Connects people emotionally
- Improves the flow of oxygen to the heart and brain
- Laughter relaxes the whole body
- It boosts the immune system
- It triggers the release of endorphins, adds joy and zest to life
- Eases anxiety and tension
- Relieves stress
- As well as burns calories 🙂
We can’t control external factors, but we can be always in control of the thoughts that we choose to think.
Avoid thinking about what could go wrong, and focus on all the things that could go right.
Wash your hands, stay home if you can, stay safe and stay strong!
Sending You Love,
Yelena
