Unless you've been living under a rock, you are experiencing all the ‘feels’ that come along with having our world flipped upside down with the onslaught of the COVID-19 strain of the Coronavirus. Gone are the days of going from home to gym to work to restaurant or bar to home without even a mere thought of excessive hand-washing or forbidden face touching. “Six feet, people!” This pandemic has truly affected us all; the way we act, think, feel, and function in the world. For many of us, the fear and anxiety over the unknown future we have before us is enough to freeze us in a state of panic. Just like any other trauma, there is a time for denial, a time for mourning, and also a time for action. We hope we can help our community enter into the next stage: action.
Practice Safety
We cannot stress this enough- if you are in a position to stay home and self-quarantine, please do. It will protect you, and even more so, protect those in our community who are at highest risk of contraction & fatality. The quicker the whole world gets on board to combat this virus through isolation, the quicker we will all be back out enjoying our lives in the fashion we had become accustomed to in the past. If you do need to leave your home, either for work or emergency provisions, please wear gloves and/or wash your hands after any surface contact (being particularly mindful of door knobs, water fountains, playgrounds & credit card machines- any thing that people may touch repeatedly throughout the day). When returning from the ‘outside world’, be sure to throw your clothing immediately in the washing machine, and jump in the shower to prevent spread to your family.
Find Control
During a time where we all feel a bit out of sorts, there are ways we can take back control of our lives. Firstly, we recommend you take care of protecting your finances as much as possible. Have a conversation with your landlord about postponing rent and extending your lease or tacking payment onto future months. Keep in mind, many banks and lenders are postponing mortgage payments for homeowners, which means your landlord may be in a position to extend you a similar courtesy. Call your credit card providers and ask to bring your next payment to $0 without penalty. Keep track of all of your bills currently on auto-pay and decide if that is the wisest decision for you in the coming months. Many vendors are postponing payments, so make sure you are not tying up your liquid assets in auto-draft payments that are not currently mandatory. If you need it, please take advantage of your state government’s unemployment insurance benefits; you pay the taxes for this program
and it is meant to help the financially strapped during emergency situations.
Organize Your Day, Or Don’t
Many of us thrive on a sche
dule, a guideline to follow to keep our day and week on course, and we naturally construct our day in such a manner. Others rely on the constraints of a proper work day in the office to keep their lives in order. Maybe you fall into one of these categories, or some place in the middle. Regardless, we want you to take a good look at what keeps you healthy, motivated, calm and clear-headed. We know many a mom who is feeling the societal pressures to keep their children on a schedule that mimics a regular school day; entrepreneurs and freelancers everywhere (we see you!) trying to pivot,reinvent or repurpose their companies. We want you to hear this: you’re doing great! Do what works for you and your family during these nutty times. If you feel you do succeed better on schedule, give yourself some time to adjust to this ‘new normal’ and then start designing a smart schedule that works for you (but don’t kill yourself trying to follow it perfectly).
Nurture Creativity
Our world has been put on a collective ‘time out’. In the coming weeks we can fight that tooth and nail, get bored, sti
r crazy, complain, pick on one another or perhaps we find a silver-lining in all of this. For many of us who are not professional artists by trade, we’ve let go of our creative callings discovered in childhood. When’s the last time you colored? Made a friendship bracelet? Wrote a poem? Finger-painted? Knitted? Yes, we understand not everyone wants to rediscover their innocent artsy side, but truly, it gives the brain a break. Strip down all the ‘adult’ you’ve packed on over the years and decades and get back to a place of creation, production, and LIVING.
Stay Active
Isn’t it so weird that all of us active people sitting inactively on the couch watching the crisis news for weeks on end have found ourselves scared and depressed? We are smart, able, motivated people; let’s not forget that. Do you love to do yoga? Grab your mat and move at home. Addicted to running? Lace up your sneaks and get outside! If you’re fortunate enough to live by the beaches, mountains, parks, etc… get out there if you are still permitted by your local government. Avoid close contact with others, but please, stay connected to mother earth and your own physical body now more than ever.
Be Present
This is a tough one right now; we get it. ‘Future tripping’ is next to impossible to avoid at a time when it feels like our whole lives are changing. Please remember you can control what you can control and you will never be able to control what you cannot. Once you’ve prepped your home and family for the next few weeks, once you’ve protected your assets as much as possible, please get back to your lives. Enjoy your family. Enjoy extra time to snuggle, laugh, read, journal, watch movies, play and love. Watch how your blood pressure drops and the smile returns to your face. The sooner we can learn to enjoy this period in time as a gift rather than a sentence, the sooner we will be able to heal and thrive.
Things we are LOVING right now:
Products: What better time than now to catch up on some of the best books out there? Audible offers unlimited monthly reading with their Audible Gold membership for just $14.95/mo. Never tried Audible before? Sign up for a free 30 day trial and get your read on!
Poses: Savasana - be still. Practice it, learn it, attempt to master it.
Travel destinations: Home. Right now, it’s our favorite place to be. Need help making your space more ‘zen’? Some of our favorite home studio items include this extra long, slid-resistant yoga mat by B Mat, a comfy meditation pillow, the perfect essential oils air diffuser and some handy dandy yoga blocks. Namaste.
Charities/Volunteer Opportunities: We recommend donating (money is best) to your local shelter or food bank; taking some time to understand how a pandemic affects the homeless population and the world. Also, please write notes, check in and drop off provisions for your elderly neighbors.