Control what you can control. My current mantra for this most unusual situation we are in. It’s time to make lemonade out of lemons. It’s time to use adversity to our advantage.
Here we sit, so much of the current happenings are out of our control. I like being in control so this is rather uncomfortable. What we can do is focus on what we can control and one of those is our health. The silver lining to all of this is that we have been given a gift! That gift is more time and less responsibility.
Don’t be fouled. I want my “normal” life back too but my eyes have been opened to something. My version of adulting was pretty dang intense! No rest for the wicked..isn’t that how that song goes? As a mom of 4, full time dentist, entrepreneur and business owner my gas tank was often on empty and my days long and tiring before Covid-19 came in and stopped my hamster wheel.
I know I am not alone and that many of us put our health and well being as last on the list in our busy lives even though we know how important our health is. A forced slow down is what some of us really needed. This is our time to take inventory of what was serving us in our lives and what isn’t working. So here is our chance to reset, repair, rejuvenate ourselves. That is what we can control right now. We can control coming out a better, healthier person on the other side of this. Our health is worth more than any material possession or career all of which may be threatened during this pandemic.
5 daily steps to improve your health during COVID-19:
- Meditate, journal, reflect. This is the time to tune into how you are doing inside. This is the time to nurture YOU. I like to use a guided meditation app like Insight timer for me meditations. They have short 1 minute meditations or very long ones.
- Drink lots of water for clarity of mind and the health of your body. Often times we live on coffee and caffeine to keep pushing through our busy days and forget to drink enough water. Now we can focus on hydrating our bodies properly which will help regulate our body systems, maintain healthy blood pressure levels, improve digestion, promote weight loss.
- Sleep, sleep, sleep. We can put our bodies through a lot and then not give them enough sleep so that they can repair. Getting enough sleep can help lower stress, lower hunger cues, and promote a long healthy life.
- Eat healthy. You have more time now to focus on consuming healthy foods that can properly fuel your body. Cut out the junk foods and focus on adding in more green leafy vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy carbs.
- Exercise daily. Exercise has been shown to lift your mood, combat stress, and help with mental stability. Have you been wanting to get fit but didn’t have time? Now you do! Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day. There are many free resources for home workouts right now. Utilize those!
We get one life! Use this time to evaluate your life. Are we living the life we want or have we been caught up on a hamster wheel? You can create the life you want. Take mental note of what was or was not working in your busy life and make a plan for adjusting things. Focus on seeing the small things to be grateful for during this time and take a deep breathe. We will get through this together. This too shall pass.