Staying Sane During Times Of Change With These 8 Tips
For many of us this season of change has taken a serious toll on mental & emotional wellness. With uncertainty and lack of control, it's enough to send ourselves in an unrelenting downward spiral....But it doesn't have to be. Yes, anxiety is real. Yes, stress is real. Yes, uncertainty is real. Yes, lack of control is real and it sucks.
But surrender and patience are also real. And there is a lot to learn from both. And there are certain things that we CAN take control of. It may take loosening our grip, even 5%, giving ourselves a little wiggle room, doing things a bit different (even if the change is excruciating), creating a sustainable new normal that can lead us to thriving as we take this opportunity to bring our focus in. For many of us, this WILL require permission. You will have to give yourself permission to change, to be flexible, to go with the flow. It may be hard at first, but day by day it gets easier. And many of us will realize, that our precious energy is being used for growth rather than fueling the downward spiral.
White-knuckling life can make us sick. It can burn us out. Surrender can lead us on a path to well-being even in uncertain times. Most-importantly, it can lead us back to ourselves. This is an opportunity to come back to ourselves. I sure don't want to miss out on it. I hope you'll join me.
Staying Sane & Riding The Waves Of Change
1) Start small & start where you're at
-Overwhelm is real. If you're feeling overwhelmed, (let's be honest, most of us are) take your time with all of this, but PLEASE, do something small each day for your sanity.
-Our brains do not like to be overwhelmed. They don't respond well to big change. To build sustainable habits during a time of change, it's smart to take baby steps.
-Choose one thing from this list or your own list at a time. Slowly build it in to your day. Get comfortable with it. Let it become a habit and (very important) ditch it if it doesn't serve you before adding more in.
-Start slow. Start where you're at. Build from there. Stay present.
2) Have a container for your day AKA a schedule.
-It doesn't need to be rigid. Keep it a bit loose & test it & tweak it so it works for you. Experiment as you go. Mine shifts on a weekly basis, like moving puzzle pieces around until they fit.
-Do you wake up before anyone else and have sacred alone time?
-When do you move your body and get outdoors to observe nature?
-Stay accountable for things that need to get done to have your sanity: picking up, laundry, showering, washing dishes, eating meals, putting down the phone, connecting.
-When is your productive time? Do you notice a time in the day when you can get things done with ease? Fill that time intentionally. It will have the most impact.
-Schedule in rest, downtime & time to connect. Bolstering our immune systems include resting to not drain our battery. Many of us have been praying for a break, and now that we have it, we're overfilling it. This can be a time to schedule weekly calls with friends & family to build morale and solidarity.
-For a more solid container, grab my planner for only $20. It has a place to plan your day as well as wellness tips and prompts for gratitude, vibrant foods, self care, physical movement and a daily mantra which can help to create some positive habits and rituals especially during times like these. If you live near Grosse Pointe, skip shipping and pick up on my porch!
3) Stop counting the days & use a timer to receive info and news
-If you're anything like me, the # of days we've been in seclusion elicits heavy pacing. Stop counting. Start being present. Let yourself forget what day it is every now and again. But look forward to your weekly chat with your cousin on Monday's.
-If you've been over consuming news & noticing an uptick in irritability and anxiety, use a 10 minute window to consume news after breakfast and if you truly need more, 10 minutes after lunch. Reading news before bed can keep the wheels spinning & inhibit restful sleep.
-Also try to seek out positive sources of news happening throughout the world, like THIS.
4) Receive the support you need.
-You don't have to go it alone. There is nothing to prove to anyone. WE ALL NEED EACH OTHER MORE THAN EVER!
-Check in with friends and family especially when you are feeling down or lonely. Schedule & look forward to weekly calls, facetime, zoom and house party chats.
-Join our free facebook group and get & give ideas & support to eat well, move well & take care of you.
-Attend my free Empowered Connect zoom calls on Wednesday evenings at 7pm for some community and support. Hope to see you tonight!
-Schedule a free 20 minute discovery call with me and maybe continue with discounted coaching sessions for the as long as you wish. Mention this blog post for $30 - 20 minute coaching calls.
5) Bolster your immune system
-Stay at home if it's not imperative to your work. HERE is a list I created of grocers/restaurants/csas/markets in the Detroit area that offer curbside pickup or home delivery.
-Even if supplies are low, try to eat healthy food. Lean on grains, pastas, frozen fruit/veggies, onions, root veggies & oatmeal. Think of groceries that last long & fill you up. I have lots of recipes HERE & HERE.
-Drink tea. Any tea. There is a component in tea leaves that is giving positive results with this virus. Herbal tea is helpful too. HERE is an antiviral tea recipe you can try with herbs from your spice cabinet. I have 1 pound bags of most of these herbs & I'm happy to share. I can ship them too.
-If you have a blender, make smoothies. Add lots of fruits and veggies in! I usually post about our smoothie adventures in my stories.
-Sleep. So very important for our immune system to function correctly. Power down electronics an hour before bed using breathwork, more breathwork, meditation, reading, journaling or relaxing music. Here is a list of resources I like.
-Slow the spinning wheels & take intentional time with you. Fill it with whatever brings you balance & light.
-Movement. Move your body. Get your heart rate up and blood flowing. If this is new for you, start small with a walk around the block 2x a day or try the first 5 minutes of THIS yoga flow. Almost all of the fitness & yoga studios I know have brought their programs online. Those are the 2 I work for.
-Take Vitamins. If you're into them, cool. If you're not, cool. I definitely am & I've read (and listened to) a ton about these in regards to corona virus: high dose vitamin c (I'm taking 2,000mg a day, vitamin d (I'm taking 5,000iu a day), vitamin a (I'm taking 25,000iu a day) & zinc (I'm taking 25mg a day) to bolster my immune system.
6) Experience a shift
-Reflect on how your priorities may have shifted in the past few weeks. My morning upload (prayer) use to be vastly about what I want to accomplish in my career and life. It is now more about my hopes for our planet, the human race & compassion for all living things.
-See if you can drop into connection, interconnectedness & raise your vibration
-Dedicate time to yourself each day
7) ride the wave
-Each day will have peaks and valleys. It's ok to sit with the darker ones as well as the feelings of joy. Each has something to teach us.
-Create a tool kit (mental, emotional physical, friends to call, reading, writing, prayer, meditation) to help you embrace these feelings and learn from them. Each of us has this choice.
8) What do you want to grow?
-Use this time as an opportunity to dig in
-Give yourself permission to discover what you want to dig in to
-Is it a new passion project?
-Is it deepening a relationship?
-Is it reading or writing more?
-Is it connecting with more people?
-Is it planting something and watching it grow?
-Is it your relationship with you?
-Is it a practice like meditation or breathwork or yoga?
-Is it a new form of movement?
-is it spending more time in the kitchen?
-DON'T BE AFRAID TO LET YOUR GUARD DOWN AND GROW WILD
SENDING YOU LOT'S OF LOVE WHEREVER YOU ARE. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. YOU ARE ALWAYS LOVED. AND YOU ARE PART OF THE WHOLE
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