Take a moment. Breathe in. Breathe out. We’re all going through some tough stuff right now, but we can do this. 100%.
We’re living through COVID-19 anxiety, and as I write this, we’ve settled a little. We’ve all found a new normal. After a week (or a few weeks!) of practice, we’re finding a new groove.
If you’re feeling a bit better these days, YAY! But if you’re also feeling the stress and COVID-19 anxiety, IT’S OKAY!
If you’re feeling anxious, I hear you — and you aren’t alone. You’ve also got a built-in care tool to help you: your body.
The best way to move through the stress and anxiety of COVID-19 is to move it through the body. When we feel stressed it means we are in our heads, and the “monkey mind” is taking over. To get through it, we need to ground ourselves — and moving the body is a great way to do this.
What we’re talking about here is balancing the different sources of wisdom we’ve all got — because balance helps us feel better. It’s what we’re actually always seeking, whether we know it or not! I often teach this visually as a “Self-Care Tree:” you need strong, healthy roots (grounding), to help support you when your top, or crown (thinking), is overloaded. Otherwise, you fall over!
When we are in balance, we can process information differently. So the stress might still be there (that ever-present COVID-19 anxiety), but we can respond better and not lose our sh*t.
And I’ve put together a bundle of resources for you to help. I designed them to be quick and easy remedies to help you move through your stress and anxiety at this time.
6 Yoga Poses to Stop Negative Thought Patterns in 90 Seconds
Tip: Do these if you are feeling anxious
Using the body to move through the pressure of now is a brilliant idea.
Warning: Yoga poses in the graphic above are HARD – you can’t help but be in the body with these! Whenever you feel like you’re about to lose it, choose one of these exercises, and hold it for at least 90 seconds to interrupt the pattern. No excuses. You can do this.
7 Physical Ways to Release Pressure (ASAP)
A few tips:
- When your day starts to get screwy, bring it back to basics and focus inwards.
- Be gentle with yourself right now.
- Go with the flow, instead of forcing what isn’t working.
- Instead of dwelling on what feels miserable, remember: you can change the course; it’s a malleable mental pattern.
- Everyone is different, so do what works best for you and keep your steps small.
More Resources!
I also have three podcast episodes that will be really useful right now.
New Episode: Using the Body to Find Balance in an Unbalanced World
In this episode we explore how to use the body to help balance out the mix of masculine (stronger) and feminine (surrender) energies that we all need (sounds woo-woo but so super-practical). The body is our most powerful resource to find balance; it can basically light a fire in us that tires us out! So, almost like magic, our worries are too exhausted to keep up with us. Sound good? Listen here.
From the Archives: Time For a Body Check
This episode guides you through the process of getting back into your body when you’re feeling out of control. It’s about grounding yourself and reconnecting to your roots to give you stability. Most of us are short on time right now, so don’t think you need to spend 2 hours doing an in-depth (at home) yoga class. It doesn’t have to be full-on; it can just be a few minutes.
From the Archives: Have You Checked in Today?
Your care isn’t just about what you do; it’s about how you think and feel. In this episode, I talk you through ‘taking your temperature’ and really checking in with yourself. I also go through the three levels of wisdom — Instincts, intuition and intellect — the roots, core and crown of your tree that I mentioned before (and pictured below). For me, teaching you how to reconnect to these essential parts of yourself is more important now than ever before.
You can do this. You are worth this. And your care is the key.
PS: Have you downloaded my Covid Care Kit? Inside the Care Kit you’ll get my Covid19 Self-Care Checklist, The Accidental Homeschooler Planning Template Pack, Daily Schedule Template and The Covid Care Podcast Series.
