What I Learnt This Week: Immune system, staying happy, Liz Gilbert on fear, nice free treats
Well done to all of us for surviving a very tough week. Here’s what I learnt, for what it’s worth:
The power of a balanced immune system: great Goop podcast special episode with Matt Richter, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of An Elegant Defense. Worth a listen. Bottom line: the 3 big levers are nutrition, stress and sleep. Being in fight-or-flight is just very, very bad for our immune system! The reason it needs to be well balanced is that often it’s an out-of-proportion reaction from an unbalanced immune system that’s killing people, rather than COVID itself (If I understood correctly).
Do as much of possible of what makes you happy. I’ve noticed this week that any vaguely spiritual practices that I’d been using have temporarily abandoned me, or I’ve abandoned them. What is working for me: allowing myself to get distracted by fresh air, 90s movies (I’m about to go on a Steve Martin binge), Instagram feeds of Italian villas and dreamy interiors, and playing with my ridiculous puppy. Just do what you need to do to feel good. Your nervous system will thank you for it.
The hammer and the dance. Many of us read Tomas Pueyo’s analysis on the spread of COVID-19 last week. HIs latest thoughts are here, examining how the hammer (clampdown) and the dance (getting back into the rhythm of life without the virus) may look if we do the right thing now.
Elizabeth Gilbert’s view that the only way to face our fear is with compassion, rather than impatience or self-judgement. She recorded a 23 minute audio on managing fear for the amazing free meditation app, Insight Timer. It’s well worth a listen.
Kind people and companies are offering us lots of treats to get us through this time.
Some examples:
Audible has announced that all kids’ books are now available for free
The NY Metropolitan opera is streaming its most classic operas
The Berlin Philharmonic has offered free access to its digital concert hall
Joe Wicks is doing a live-stream kids’ PE lesson on FB at 9am every weekday, starting Monday
Jay Shetty will do a live 20 minute meditation every day starting today on Instagram
Rich Bostock, The Breath Guy, will do a live-stream breath work session tonight at 7pm on instagram at @TheBreathGuy (his sessions are INCREDIBLE and will seriously turn off your frontal lobe)
Staying present always helps. Most of the time it’s the only thing that halts the rising feeling of panic. I look around and realise that I am still in my kitchen, my kids are well, and at this moment, all is absolutely fine.
Stay safe and well
Sara