There is a lot going on all over the world at the moment - we are bombarded with information on all mediums of communication. While it is important to stay up to date and informed on the corona virus, most of the information is repeated over and over and can make all of us feel over whelmed.
There is so much out of my control - even the closing of my business (Lodge Road Therapy) was taken out of my control. BUT you know what?.....There is a lot I CAN control and it is already affecting my health for the better. That is what I am focused on and here are examples of what I have been getting up to along with my family. I hope it helps you in some way.
In the last couple of days I have noticed my resting heart rate is about 10 beats per minute lower than it has ever been, I am feeling calmer and clothes are fitting me better.
I got to thinking - why now? Shouldn't it be more elevated? Shouldn't I be more lethargic and feeling restless and bored?....
At the beginning of all of this I decided to use this time to prioritise myself and my family, I knew we needed to be as healthy and happy as we could be. As I said in the beginning, I needed to look after the areas in my life I had control over.
So what can I control? And why has my heart rate lowered and why am I feeling healthier and content....?
- We as a family are eating less processed foods. If we have biscuits/scones, it's what we have baked ourselves. All meals are cooked from scratch and we eat at regular intervals and there is no busy schedule to follow which means we are not eating on the go.
- Now I eat regularly and I am fuller and don't feel the need to grab something quickly (usually higher in calories). I love cooking and baking and with my gift of extra time I can do it and we are healthier because of it. (we usually do eat quite well but it is amazing what can be done with extra time)
- There isn't a day goes by now where I don't walk or jog on my road. I feel very lucky to live on a beautiful road, with such lovely neighbours. We stop and have a chat, check how each of us are coping while always keeping our social distance. My dog doesn't love the stopping but he is getting used to it! After all he is getting a lot more attention lately.
- I have been (planning on) developing an idea that I think will help some of my clients. Like with any creativity, it can often get pushed aside when the actual jobs come along that pay the bills. You long for the head-space and time to nurture the idea and bring it to life. This is another example of something I do have control over now, where if my time is used correctly, I can put this idea into practice very soon.
- One of the best things I have done with my son has been the PE circuits class. We came up with the circuits together and he made up a playlist which gave him as much enjoyment as the exercises!
- We have also added home economics to the primary school curriculum. While I am writing this blog my 11 year old son is baking cookies. Like most families, we usually spend all our time dropping, collecting, bringing our children to all their activities. Maybe these activities/life skills are important too?....
- I might not be able to see my parents as much but facetime and talking through the living room window is just fine - for the time being. Remembering we are doing our bit to keep them safe and healthy while also dropping off anything they might need.
- In the words of Alanis Morrisette, "Isn't it ironic" that when my kitchen, cupboards, oven, floors, worktops have never been so clean and nobody can come visit and see it! Oh well....the sense of accomplishment is enough for me.
- There have been some fails along the way also. This includes getting my family to do yoga together!! "Family Yoga" to which my son replied "sure we're not pregnant!" (for those of you who don't know, I teach pregnancy yoga). In the end I went off by myself and you know what, it was exactly what I needed. I needed to stretch, move, reflect and calm the body and mind down. Because, as you have gathered by now, I have been given the gift of time.....(you can't control your family, just yourself)
What I have learnt about myself and how I know I will be fine going forward, is, it doesn't matter what I am faced with, I need structure, I need exercise, (in all different forms) and a sense of purpose. I still check in on friends and family and offer support where I can but that's as much as any of us can do now.
I still go to bed with the same sense of satisfaction and the feeling of a job well done. That is important for my mental health, as I know I need to get back up nice and early the next day to do it all over again. Maybe tomorrow will be the day I tackle the bathroom cupboard!!.....
Don't get me wrong I am looking forward to my life going back to normal but at the moment that is out of my control and this is my new normal and this is how I am getting on with it. I hope I have given you an insight to how my life has been. Maybe you can think about what you can control and how you can turn this experience into a positive one. Good luck and I hope to see you on the other side.