The #coronavirus seems to be making a significant impact on everyone. As we strive to find meaning for why this is happening and how it’s become so widespread so quickly, I wonder how quickly people will find stability within our new normal.
Nothing in life ever stays the same. That’s something I’ve learned to accept over the years. Part of the reason this worldwide epidemic has been overwhelming to so many of us is that we weren’t warned early enough about its endurance nor prepared for the rapid impact it has had on our lives.
However, as we wait it out I believe most of us will come back to a level of homeostasis that will feel like we’ve been here before. In a lot of ways, we have. We may not have lived through small and large businesses being forced to close or daily curfews, but we’ve seen health crises before, it’s just not closely affected so many people’s lives as intimately as this virus has.
As with everything I do to help others to be active healers in their own lives I want to give you 5 coping strategies to help stabilize yourself during this anxious time:
1. Create and maintain a regular daily schedule as much as possible. If you’re working from home continue to get up each morning and perform a routine that grounds you into your day. You still have responsibilities to maintain. Focus on that!
2. Take periodic breaks to check-in with your mind, mood and the people who matter most. That would include checking to notice yourself breathing adequately. Also, recognize how you are tuning in to how you feel and what you feel and simply notice if, and when your mood changes– #mindfulness. And remember to connect with those you care about. Call them, look into their eyes if you’re with them during the day, notice how they look. Ask them how they’re doing.
3. Set times for eating, hydrating and moving your body. Sometimes, when we are worried about the uncertainty of our environments we may forget to eat, or we may overeat because our awareness may not be on our habits as much as it is unconsciously on our thoughts or feelings. At the same time, our mobility or lack of active movement may limit our observations over ourselves and what we need, such as going to get water or using the bathroom or stretching our legs. It’s important to move our bodies if we feel restless and if we haven’t felt centered in a while to ground ourselves with putting our feet in direct contact with the Earth like touching our feet (or feet in shoes) to the ground.
4. During stressful times it’s critical to notice how we are breathing. Is our breathing shallow? Are we holding our breath when we listen to the news? Is there a lump in our throats because we can’t seem to relax? Are our chest, neck and shoulders tense? Take an internal scan of yourself from head to feet. Where are you holding unwanted sensations or feelings within yourself? Quietly send a 1- or 2-word phrase to yourself to ease the pressure, stress or contained feelings you have. For example, you may want to say, “relax” or “let go” to move the energy through and out of yourself.
5. As you begin, plan to end. What I’m saying is just as you have a start time to the day where you get prepared physically and mentally and with tasks to complete, also have an end time to the day so that you can transition into other necessary duties such as cooking, cleaning, watching a little bit of news, spending time with your family, coloring, or doing a YouTube yoga video prior to going to sleep.
We’re all going to have to find the best coping tools that work for us during this time. You may have already begun doing some of these things. Or you may have known that you needed these things but didn’t realize how important they’d be to your wellbeing until now. It’s not too late to begin daily rituals and routines. I hope you know that you will be able to get through this and that you have a community of people who support you in maintaining your wellness through it all.
For more support during this time I am offering a 30 Days of Grounding Support Group for families and individuals to coach you through weekly activities to aid you in staying well. The group has an open enrollment, but it will at least require you to email me before you begin. Click these 2 links for the details. I look forward to seeing you soon!
*This blog is about becoming free. It’s a reflection of introspective thoughts and experiences that have crossed miles of self-discovery. I created this blog to inspire others to live life with less self-criticism, judgment and openness to new experiences. May you find that you learn how to live a life by design and on your own terms!*