You First In Challenging Times

Even the most relaxed of people have likely found their stress levels heightened recently! Not only do we have all the usual stuff to deal with but now a global pandemic to deal with! Besides the worry some people have about catching the virus there’s also the financial implications, feeling of loss from being unable to be with more vulnerable family members, overwhelm about the expectations on the education side of things for our children and so the list goes on!!

So, even of you’re someone who is generally upbeat and sees the glass as half full knows a good time to start considering how you might take better care of yourself on a day to day basis.

We need to ensure that now, more than ever, we’re taking personal responsibility for our health and well-being.

So here’s a few suggestions to get you started: –

Nourish your body as best you can: Aim for 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Fresh is usually preferred but frozen and dried options can be realistic options at this time. Concentrate on eating the rainbow to get as much beta carotene and vitamin C as possible.

If food options become limited for a longer period then a good quality multi is a pragmatic choice. Certainly we need to consider our zinc and vitamin D status when it comes to providing a robust immune response.

Use a breathing technique that works for you to calm and quiet yourself both as a preventative and at any time you feel anxiety appear. A simple technique is to breathe deeply in and out for a minute and count how many times you breathe in. (Under 10 is great and for some people under 5 is fab although do not hold your breathe during this exercise, like our 10 year old did!)

Move more. Whatever you enjoy and can do: a walk, a run, cartwheels with the kids, the trampoline in the garden, squatting whilst watching the TV. Just keep it going for our physical health as well as our mental health.

Focus on everything you are currently grateful for as much and as often as possible. If you don’t already have one then use a written practice and list 3-5 things every day that you’re grateful for.

Be selective about who and what you’re watching and listening to. Too much time viewing and reading cv related content is unlikely to foster a sense of empowerment. And whilst we need to be abreast of changes to guidelines we need to also ensure we aren’t inadvertently overwhelming ourselves with things we have absolutely no ability to influence.

Foster a sense of humour and laugh deeply and heartily as often as possible. Laughter really is medicinal and sharing things that have made you laugh with others will also be greatly appreciated by them.

Sufficient sleep is important for our immune system. So don’t stay up watching late night movies even if you don’t need to leave for the office at the moment and find yourself working from home.

Let’s spread a healthy contagion. And if you need help getting started come join me and my membership community: The Me First Collective

Warmly,
Louise ✨