This title might have been better as ‘How to take better care of yourself during crisis’ or ‘How to practice self-care during Coronavirus’. Anyhow, I’ll stick with this one.
Apparently, there is a lot going on in the world today. And I don’t mean only the Coronavirus spreading worldwide, but the panic and fear that is spreading even more. Selfcare routine has never been more meaningful and needed, so if you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed, read on. I am bringing some tips and tricks on how to take care of your body, soul, and mind.
First things first
I want you to know that there is no need to panic and live in fear. As I have explained in my previous post:
Fear is your response to any kind of danger, emotional, physical or other. It shows up as a physical or emotional reaction to certain occasions happening in the NOW or to something that may happen in the future
You can read the whole article on How to deal with fear. Just click here. While this Coronavirus situation is serious, it doesn’t have to be a source of your anxiety. Remember, you going into fear and anxiety is your unconscious mind programming choosing what is familiar and known. Finding excuses rather than doing the work and getting out of normal and creating new habits. Because, honestly, that is hard.
Sounds crazy? It’s not. Our minds have been programmed by our experiences, beliefs, and habits. They work in a zone where they are comfortable doing the work they know how to do. It’s like working in a factory, doing the same repetitive task for hours. You don’t even think about it anymore, your body does all the work by itself. This is called muscle memory.
When you wake up in the morning, for example, you got to the bathroom, you take your toothbrush and toothpaste and you start brushing your teeth. No matter how awake you are, this action is being done by your unconscious mind.
Unconscious to conscious
How is it so? Because it is the same repetitive task you do every single day, for years, never being present in the moment wondering how long does it take you to brush your teeth today. You don’t think about what is the actual time and the number of strokes needed for your teeth at this very moment or how clean does your teeth feel now, but you probably think about what you’re going to do next or what are your tasks for the day.
If you want to try a simple trick on how to train your brain to go from unconscious to conscious behavior and creating new connections, try one of these: brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand, try standing on one leg while brushing, try moving in circles or dancing while being aware of how you brush your teeth. Not as easy, right? This simple exercise will actually keep your brain fit and young.
The same goes for fear. This situation with Coronavirus is or might be serious and it definitely is to be taken seriously. There are measures that can be taken to prevent further spreading and we are all doing our best with it.
However, going into states of fear is basically your mind taking over your behavior and your body only because it is what it knows how to do. If you keep absorbing certain types of information, for example, about coronavirus around the world, you are feeding your fear and soon enough your head will be floating in a cloud of fear. Unnecessary.
How to actually take better care of yourself during these times?
I’ll get to the point. Since we humans are complex beings, it is important to have a certain level of balance in practicing self-care on all levels. Including physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual.
So what can you do to take better care of yourself on all levels, not only during Coronavirus?
Take care of your physical body
Your physical body is your first representation in this world. This is your vehicle, a vessel around your mind and your soul carrying absolutely everything you put it through. Everything.
Be mindful of what content you absorb
No matter the circumstances, be cautious about what you absorb on a daily basis. What do you read, what content do you absorb, what and who do you listen to? Make sure you read the news only enough to stay informed – once in a day or two will be just enough. You don’t need to know every single detail out there.
Surround yourself with positive people, vibrant energies, uplifting thoughts, reads, and messages.
Choose clean and healthy food
It might be tricky to get some good quality food at the moment, regarding where you live, but it is so very important to be mindful about what you put into your body. Choose local organic whole foods as much as possible.
Before any coffee or tea in the morning, I suggest you take a glass of lukewarm water, preferably with half a lemon freshly squeezed, but only water with do well also. This will wake up your digestion system, clean it up and prepare it for your breakfast. Having a glass of water first thing in the morning will help your body stay hydrated and your mind awake. Don’t skip this part.
Eat cooked food, homemade as much as possible. Avoid cans, ‘heat only’, frozen or processed food.
Avoid or cut sweets, because sugar is yet another, legal but very strong addiction, as strong as cocaine addiction. Yup, proven. You can check it out if you google it.
Sugar is truly an enemy when used in the quantities we are used to. Sugar is causing your gut to rotten, malfunction and leak. Besides, know how we say that gut is your second brain? Well, what are you feeding your second brain, a.k.a intuition, with? Cut the sugar!
Choose organic food as much as you can, find farmers’ markets and small producers who deliver food.
Avoid starch, bread, pastry, and pasta.
Don’t forget to hydrate.
Exercise. It doesn’t matter if you can’t go to the gym, you can walk, speed walk, run, bike, hike, play with your kids, dance. Do yoga in your living room. You can check Sarah Beth – I love her, or Yoga with Adriene – they are both amazing.
Drink enough water. Have a bottle in your sight and train yourself to drink at least once every hour. I know, I know, I keep forgetting as well sometimes.
Hear me out now. Don’t get overwhelmed with all this, but rather start creating new habits day by day. Now when you know it all, there is no point in hiding from the truth.
I know it’s easier to go the old way, to treat yourself with sweets for every task and every ‘hard’ day you have and every time you’re patient with your kids. But, the old ways are no longer serving you.
You are here on a mission, you have a purpose and you need your body to be alive, vital, healthy and strong to support you.
Let’s move on.
Take care of your intellectual body
I have mentioned this before, but be very, very mindful of what content you absorb, both online and in real life.
What you read, what you hear and people you surround yourself with is what and who you become. It’s that easy.
Read books on self-development, read about subjects you are interested in and keep expanding your knowledge no matter if it is about the gardening, cooking, economy, marketing, programming or toddlers’ behavior.
With what you have and know now, you can only get this far.
I know! It’s tough! But so worthy!
Take care of your emotional body
Start by observing yourself and your own emotions and behavior around them. How do you react to certain situations? Do you react or do you respond? Do you get easily pulled into other people’s dramas? Ask yourself questions and get to know yourself better.
Create boundaries. Be aware of what is ok and what is not ok for you when it comes to other people and your interaction with them. For this, you need to sit down and write a little bit. Write down your thoughts, emotions, situations, circumstances, dreams…. journal. This will make you understand your states better, as well as reactions, pain points, and overall behavior patterns.
Be well. Take care of your entire being and your emotional body will thrive.
Take care of your spiritual body
Do not deny this part of yourself. We are spiritual beings first place, having a human experience. Avoiding to meet yourself there is not sustainable.
Meditate. If you have never tried it, I highly suggest you read my post What is meditation and how to meditate and also download my free meditation guide. This is a very simple one-sheet pdf guide where I’m bringing 4 different ways you can meditate with ease. It’s free and really simple! I challenge you to try it out! Click here.
Meditation truly is available, affordable and amazing.
One more amazing way of connecting deeper with your inner self is definitely spending time in nature. You’ve heard this so many times, but hear me out one more time.
Being in nature will boost your immune system, lift you up, increase serotonin level in your body and shift your energy. The energy in a forest or near the sea is much more like our own true nature than the one we are used to. Being in a city is not natural. It’s common and a necessity for many, but extremely stressful. If you don’t find a way to disconnect and get in touch with your inner states, it will cost you a lot.
Be mindful of your entire well-being
Right now, times are challenging. Coronavirus isolation has taken a toll on us, and we cannot know for sure when it will end and how things will look after it is under control.
This is why it is even more important to be mindful of everything mentioned above and take care of your entire well-being.
And to conclude this article, as I like to say, investing in yourself is the one investment that pays off the most. Treat yourself like you deserve it.
