Crazy Coronavirus Times – Some Effective Ways We Can Stay Positive

#coping, #anxiety, #staysafe, #stayhealthy

I don’t know about you, but life has felt very discombobulated lately. A girlfriend & I went to Palm Springs last Tuesday, heading for the PARIBAS Indian Wells Tennis Tournament and a few hours after our airplane touched down, the tournament was canceled, and the coronavirus had become a pandemic. At that point… here we were in paradise with the question every hour…Should we stay?… Should we go?

The overall coronavirus case numbers reported in Italy, Spain, Iran and all of Western Europe and then in North America seemed to multiply by the day. And then we were faced with the vexing question of actually getting home…

Well, I can tell you, after 3 days home, there truly is no better feeling than being home sweet home. And although I am now in two-week self-isolation coming back from the U.S., I can still go for a walk in our neighborhood with my husband Joe. It feels so freeing and so ‘normal’ to go for a run in the woods as well. To some extent, I am actually really enjoying the sense that life has completely slowed right down. Although admittedly I am not looking forward to my grey hair showing up… and I sadly wish corona still referred to my favorite cold beer… I am choosing to take this time to re-evaluate life.

In accordance with public health protocols of social distancing, I am seeing my clients on Zoom and Skype… which is really wonderful. They are in the comfort of their own home… and I am in my home office here.

My husband & I are reading books… by the way, American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins is a fantastical page-turner! We watched Tom Hanks’ movie “Mr. Roger’s” last night … which is a heart-warming two thumbs up. And the night before we watched “Ford Versus Ferrari” which is also fabulous and also another true story!!

There are times this virus pandemic is bound to create a little anxiety. It is normal to have some fear. Here are some tips that will help you get through anxiety challenges:

• Control what you control. This includes controlling what you watch and listen to. It’s not healthy to subject yourself to a constant stream of stress with news reports on the ‘latest’ numbers on corona infection rates and deaths. Choose a time of day to check out the news streams you prefer and trust. For the rest of the day, no peeking, no researching… it’s just adding trauma to things you can’t control… and baby that amygdala just can’t take it!!

• Control what you choose to do. Getting outside for a walk in nature has huge benefits to your nervous system….just stay two meters apart from others… but get in close to the trees. Research shows that just standing by a tree, you lower your cortisol levels. And bonus that we have been having so much sun in Vancouver lately…Sun is a great source of Vitamin D which is SO good for you.

If the weather is off, try an on-line exercise class. Or put on some music and dance in your living room. Just shaking up your body, increases blood circulation and has been shown to improve your health, immune response, metabolism, and brain function. It also increases your happiness hormones which will keep you positive through these times.

• Control what you eat and drink. Water flushes cortisol out of your body through your kidneys. The intermittent fasting program has been shown to boost your immune system. You may want to consider fasting until noon if you want to give it a try. (Ask your physician about the benefits of intermittent fasting.) Zinc and Micronized Mushrooms have also been shown to help boost our human immune system.

• Control how much contact you have with others by working from home if possible; by social distancing (staying home); by diligently washing your hands. By the way, you can make your own sterilizing formula with 60% rubbing alcohol, 40% aloe vera, and add your favorite cream or oil for the smell.

• Communicate … having family check-ins at dinner can really help to keep stress down. Let each member of the family share how they are feeling and what they have learned about the coronavirus… it is so important to download what our children are uploading on social media channels. What you talk about, you can deal with. What you don’t talk about, turns into anxiety!!

• Consider ordering your groceries online so they can be delivered right to your door and again you save yourself unnecessary contact and risk.

• Come together as a family … make your kitchen a place of play, dance, music, games, food, and fun. Apple I-tunes has many different fun compilations under “Feeling Happy”.. music can be a great way to relieve stress and keep the vibes positive in your home.

There is some hope that a vaccine has been discovered in a lab in Paris. It has been proven to abate the virus when tested on mice. Fingers crossed; we are getting closer to defeating COVID-19 Coronavirus.

In the meantime, let’s starve it… please do your best to stay home.

Jo-Anne Weiler can be reached at her office at 604 925-1907 Join her email list for free updates.