6 tips for your mind, body and spirit during COVID-19 outbreak

1.    Don’t Panic.

When we go into “panic” or “crisis” mode, the brain becomes hyper-focused on finding and establishing safety. This is an important survival mechanism for when we need it. However, work with your thoughts to distinguish scary from unsafe. We need our brain to divide its energy and attention so we can still make logical, reasonable, intentional, and practical decisions.

2.   Manage Stress

This is a stressful time, and new stresses are being added every day that may impact some of you more or less (school closures, working from home, slower business, busier business, etc.) Stress compromises our immune system because our body is using energy and resources to synthesize the stress hormones being rapidly released. Finding ways to slow down, get extra rest/sleep, meditate, and move your body, will help keep your immune system from having to work in overdrive. 

3.   Keep routine

While following the safety protocols recommended, keeping to your routines or establishing new ones during this transition will help keep your brain and body working in habit rather than decision-making. Habits are automatic processes that don’t require much thought or energy, and therefore will save your body the resources it needs to stay healthy. Consistency will help you feel in control where you can be, rather than focusing on the external elements out of your control.

4.   Be ok with not knowing

Practice meditation and mindfulness to increase your comfort level with not knowing. Stay present, take things day by day, or even hour to hour if needed. Try and catch cyclical and anxious thoughts about trying to “predict the future.” We cannot know, and but we can remind ourselves that what’s happening now will be temporary.

5.   Educate yourself and your children.

Educate yourself to the level which you can understand information and decide when you know enough. Reading or listening to hours of information that you do not understand, will not help, it will likely make you feel more confused. When talking with kids, validate their feelings and nerves, and use simple language, books, movies or metaphors to help them understand the main concepts.

6.   Practice gratitude

For those of us living in first-world and developed countries, practice gratitude for all the safety and security we do have, and have had. Remember that access to clean running water for drinking and bathing, reliable and standardized food sources, civil security and protection, healthcare and OTC medication can easily be taken for granted. Practice gratitude for the friends, family and community you have nearby. And remember to be thankful for the health you do have.