This past week I received a lot of messages from loving members in our community who are feeling scared, overwhelmed and distracted because of the Coronavirus. My hope is to support each of you with some simple stress relief activities and immunity-boosting tools during this unprecedented time.
Daily Reminder: “There are things I have control of and there are things that are out of my control. To the extent that I worry about the things that are out of my control, I’m setting myself up for panic, hysteria, mental anxiety, stress and overwhelm.”
At Acheloa Wellness, we empower incredible people who do incredible things every day Often times these are the people who are most in need of some natural stress relief. Whether it’s workplace burnout, COVID-19-related stress or some combination of the two, many of us are experiencing similar feelings of fear and uncertainty.
I always emphasize the importance of stress management but now more than ever we have to focus on and address what is within our control. Before we dive into stress relief activities, let's take a moment to evaluate where we are right now.
Contagions and Negative Conditions Affecting Our Communities:
Coronavirus
Panic
Fear
Hysteria
Kindness and Positive Acts that Can Affect Our Communities:
Peace and calm – Tranquility is contagious. Be mindful and try to spread your calming practices as far and wide as possible.
Humor – They say laughter makes you live longer. While we don't know if the saying is 100% true, studies show laughter can actually help you manage a host of ailments.
Enthusiasm
Kindness
Joy
Now is a perfect time to engage in natural stress relief by practicing love, encouragement, patience, and calm. In each moment and exchange you have a choice; you can add to the chaos or quell it. Choose consciously.
We know that much of our daily routine has been stalled, drastically changed or cancelled all together. As a gentle stress relief activity, reflect on productive actions you can take and relationships you can nurture during this time of expansive change.
Activities That are NOT Cancelled Due to the Coronavirus:
Heartfelt conversations
Meaningful relationships
Love
Singing
Learning something new
Self-care
Hope
We've reflected on the actions we can take despite our lack of control over all the changes occurring in the world. Now, let's discuss some helpful and natural stress relief tactics and immunity-boosting tools.
9 Ways to Manage Stress and Boost Immunity During the Pandemic:
Wash your hands (ALL OF YOUR HANDS)! Include the back of the hand, webbings between fingers and underneath rings. Keep the lather going for at least 20 seconds. You can track the time by singing a verse of your favorite song.
Add spice to your food (and your life!) - Your spice rack can be as powerful as your medicine cabinet. Some of my favorite immunity-boosting spices are ginger, garlic, cinnamon, black pepper and oregano. There are so many natural spices out there that are just waiting to boost your immunity. Not only will your food taste more flavorful, but many of these spices contain natural antiseptics that will help fight against illness.
Go outside and take in the sunshine – There’s much good to say about getting out in nature and taking in the fresh air. You can maintain social distancing, engage in natural stress relief, and all while boost your immunity.
Exercise– Moving your body helps to dislodge bacteria and viruses. Plus, the endorphins help with stress relief.
Play! - Make time to play around with your partner, roommate, kids and/or loved ones. Happiness is good for your immunity and gives you a necessary break from the black hole of social hysteria.
Drink warm water – Drinking warm water moves germs from the lungs and esophagus to the stomach. Your stomach's natural acid is strong enough to kill many germs.
Breathe – One Ayurvedic breathing technique that I love this time of year is Kapalabhati, or breath of fire. It’s the perfect way to start your day and awaken your digestive fire.
Clear your sinuses and throat with salt water – Use a saline/salt-water solution to clean out your nasal cavity and sinuses. You can do this with a neti pot. This simple action helps to move bacteria and germs out of these sensitive areas. Additionally, gargling salt water helps clear the throat and esophagus of nasty impurities.
Take some personal space – While social distancing can feel isolating, particularly during a pandemic, the act of taking space for yourself nourishes your mind, body and soul. We can all benefit from more personal space and time to reflect.
We've collectively learned many lessons from this past week. There's one that stands out to me: We’re nothing without our health. These immunity-boosting techniques and stress relief activities don’t require much effort in our daily lives. And yet, many of us did not make time for these small acts before the pandemic. This time asks us to re-evaluate our priorities when it comes to self-care.
Now that we've entered this unprecedented time, it has become abundantly clear that we must strategize for today, tomorrow and our far future - not only for ourselves, but for our loved ones and our extended communities.
Why wait until another epidemic strikes? Why wait until your neighborhood is impacted? Let’s reject the notion that self-care and stress relief activities are a luxury. Instead, we should regard stress management and boosting our immunity as a way to save the world.
I’m not above giving into stress and hysteria. In fact, I am writing this because I need to remember these lessons just as much as you do. I can easily fill my time with a lot of news clutter and stress. I can run from store to store searching for toilet paper or I can take some time to play, love, hike, do and BE.
I do not write this post to diminish the anxiety that we all feel or belittle the devastation of losing work, income and/or savings. I simply encourage us to take care of ourselves during this time of uncertainty. In doing so, we can take back some of our control.
Do what you can do and try not to obsess about it. Take care of yourself, your loved ones and your community. If you feel that you need more support, please reach out. I’m happy to support each of you using the amazing tricks and tools that have been passed down to me. If you are would like to learn more about these tools for stress relief and self-care, click this link to jump on my calendar and schedule your free 20 minute mini-breakthrough session.
Sending abundant love, calm and strong immunity to each of you!
