Navigating Coronavirus: How to Take Care and Stay Positive in Challenging Times

It’s time to take care.

There’s a lot of energy in the air, I know we’re all feeling a lot of emotions right now as we all do our part and our best to help flatten the curve of coronavirus globally.

I hear you and see you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and fearful, but we’re in this together and I’m here to serve you in every way I possibly can with positivity and actionable tools you can use right now.

I know everything feels a little on tilt right now and it’s okay. It’s in our human psychology to want to know what comes next, have a plan, know the outcome, and right now the situation at hand with our world is forcing us to pause, to sit, to be still, and to actively wait. Mother Nature is here to help us slow down, pause, and connect.

How can you show up fully for yourself, so you can show up for others?

Just a loving reminder, in the midst of everything going on in the world, as we’re practicing physical social distancing, try to also practice social media and news distancing or at least implementing some boundaries on time spent consuming content right now.

It’s key to stay informed with evidence-based and reliable sources, otherwise, most outlets may be adding to the noise and not positively impacting your wellbeing. We know social distancing to help flatten the curve, stay at home as much as possible unless urgent, hand washing for at least 20 seconds, protect at-risk communities, and overall taking as much intentional energy to take care of yourself so you’re taking care of others around you, is key right now.

In addition, practice compassion for yourself by taking care of yourself, and your community and your neighbors.

So many people do not have the luxury of the job opportunity to work from home, to take a pay cut, or to miss sending their child to school for a meal. There are so many people who rely on each other to make their ends meet so the last thing we all need to do is further add to the noise and fear. If you’re in a position where you have extra of anything or stockpiles of food, consider donating to those in need.

Fear is not the outlet we need to lean into, it suppresses our immune system, dims our spirit, and distracts us from focusing on the good, the gratitude, and healing.

A reframe or perspective switch for all of us right now, can be to see our changes in routines and lives as a great opportunity to slow down and prioritize our health, wellbeing, deepen our spiritual practice, sit still (a necessary challenge), and prioritize what matters most at the end of the day.

Take Care Of Yourself, So You Can Take Care of Others

Take any of the extra time you have from things being canceled, or not having to commute to work, and ask yourself, what can I do today that would show gratitude for my wellbeing and give myself some extra love and care? How can I show up for others in need right now? How can I support the community and give back?

We’re truly in this together. If March 2020 has taught me anything, it’s the power of people, community, and human to human connection. We experienced devasting tornados in Nashville, TN in our neighborhood and all around TN which was not only emotionally triggering and terrifying, but it was a beautiful time to see neighbors show up for each other.

The same is required of each of us now. Globally we come together to support each other, but we have to make sure you’re tending to your own health and taking care so you can give back — it’s all the same!

I’m so grateful to be able to reach you and our community that lives in 189 countries! Our Nutrition Stripped community truly is global — different cultures, traditions, backgrounds, health statuses, lifestyles, and it’s so important we all take care of our neighbors.

Giving Back and Supporting Others

It’s a privilege for those of us who have anything extra right now, who have stocked kitchens, who can work from home, who can take a few missed paychecks, who can easily integrate their kids back at home, etc. but that’s not the case for so many people before this situation happened and it certainly isn’t making it easier for them now.

So please remember, be kind, be loving, be compassionate to your neighbor and if you are in a position of abundance in any way, consider donating and giving back to someone who will need you right now including your small local businesses!

Seek out organizations that help feed people — many of whom were likely already in need prior to this — organizations that can give back to people in your community in need.

Instead of shopping on Amazon for example, can you find that same or a similar product locally or at a small business you want to support? Can you purchase gift cards to be used later at your favorite local restaurant or shop?  Can you purchase a gift card for a hair appointment or massage to support that industry right now? Can you refer a friend or could you leave a review for a few of your favorite places that you haven’t ever reviewed?

Small actions go a long distance for small and local businesses. 

If you’re struggling financially, you can search for local mutual funds or groups and grants in your area that you may qualify for.

There are so many small steps we all can take to support each other right now!

How to Take Care of Yourself and Others

I put this guide to taking care together for you and our global community so we could do just that — take care of ourselves and of our neighbors during this phase in our lives.

I know we’re all inundated with information right now, so my mission in this guide is to give you the best of the best resources, tools you’re actually going to use and benefit from, and a ton of freebie resources to learn from right now, so let’s go!

Resources for You

Each hour we’re all being updated about what to do and the recommendations and the biggest one we’re all experiencing, of course, is social distancing and staying at home to protect ourselves and others from the spread of the virus is key.

Let’s all do our part to support each other during this time and focus on the gratitude, the positive, to reflect, to be mindful, and to exercise our resiliency muscles.

Nourishment

Health is a daily practice and it starts with nutrition! It’s so key to nourish our physical bodies right now more than ever, not only to support a healthy immune system but to also make sure we’re consuming nutrients our bodies need in order to function optimally.

Now, this is a unique phase where most of us are having shifts in our routines such as cooking from home more often than you’re used to, having to meal prep, figuring out what to eat and how much, etc.

That’s why we got you covered of course! Not only do I have hundreds of free recipes, but so many of them are also made with pantry staples that you may already have or that you can get access to. In addition, all my recipes are created with flexibility in mind meaning no matter what kind of ingredients you have on hand, you can make it work within the recipe itself — especially true for grains and proteins.

When in doubt or if you need support with a recipe substitution, that’s why we have a comment section on each recipe and blog post so you can ask away and someone on the NS Team will get that answer to you asap!

And a note for when you’re grocery shopping:  be aware of “WIC” commonly noted on the price label of goods on the shelves. These are products that are approved for those on government assistance and need that support and they can’t opt for a different brand.

Here are the best resources to support you in nourishing your body:

• Recipes based in plants and pantry staples
• Healthy Cooking Series to help you navigate the kitchen and learn the basics you need to know!
• Join my free online workshop: meal prep made simple this is especially great if you’re new to meal prep but anyone can benefit from the tips and free guides I share with you here
• Learn my Foundational Five here so you can learn how to eat at each meal to optimize your nutrition

Mental Wellbeing

Taking care of ourselves doesn’t stop at the physical nourishment with nutrition, it’s also about tending to our mental, emotional, and spiritual health too. We got you covered with these articles and resources that can support you right now.

Here are some resources for your mental wellbeing during this phase!

• Can Food Improve Your Mental Health?
• The Best 9 Books About Mental Health (and the one that has gotten me out of several challenging times!)
• The Science of Meditation
• 10 Ways To Calm Anxiety Now
• 5 Reasons Why Some Stress May Be Good For You (looking at the silver lining here folks!)
• What Is Burnout and How To Take Care Of Yourself  
• Headspace app to guide you in meditations
• Calm app to help you sleep and ease anxiety

Physical Wellbeing

Just because we can’t go to the gym or our favorite classes right now, doesn’t mean we have to miss out on moving our bodies in the same way or the next best way. Use this time to discover online workout classes that you can do in your own home, in your backyard, or at the park while still practicing social distancing.

Here are a few of my favorite physical wellbeing resources and workouts you might like too:

• Barre3 online workouts (this is my all-time favorite to go to in the studio, so I’ve been doing them at home instead)
• Rachael DeVaux a fellow RD who has great at-home workouts with weights, bands, or bodyweight
• Taryn Toomey of The Class with online workouts to shift your mental and emotional wellbeing too
• Kait Hurley who is all about teaching you the power of movement + meditation (14-day free trial)

Emotional and Spiritual Wellbeing

For me, being in nature is such a healer and Mother Nature is my biggest teacher! We’re spending a lot of time at our future home @thenatureelement for this reason too. Nature has a huge impact on how I feel mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and helps me to feel more aligned. Not only that, but studies show when we spend more time outdoors, even just 10 minutes a day, it can improve our health, decrease anxiety and stress.

Amidst the social distancing to flatten the curve, getting outside is giving me a quiet space to slow down, connect with myself, and process everything that’s on my mind, heart, and soul. In addition, I’ve already been more conscious and intentional about having facetime dates with family and friends to catch up!

What could be a couple of ways you could squeeze more nature time into your day? Maybe for you, connecting with nature looks like going barefoot in your lawn, hiking, swimming, taking a walk through a forest, sitting on your front porch, stretching outside on the patio, etc.

• Gabby Bernstein is doing daily Instagram lives on spiritual health, meditations, and mantras
• Jay Shetty is doing 10-minute meditations for 20 days starting 3/20 on Instagram
• Deepak Chopra is sharing check-in’s and meditations on Instagram
• Marie Forleo has great resources regarding business, financial wellbeing, etc.

Joy and Fun Factor

Did you know joy, happiness, and having fun is just as important to our health as meditation and moving our bodies? It is! Be sure during this phase in our lives to make space for doing the things in life that bring you joy such as:

1. Foster a pet! If you’re working from home consider fostering an animal from a local shelter. Pets have been shown to improve wellbeing and you’re helping everyone involved including your new fur friend find happiness and a home.
2. exploring hobbies you once did frequently
3. picking up a new skill
4. learning something new you can apply to your life
5. dancing at home
6. listening to new music
7. discovering new books that enlighten you
8. finding online communities with similar interests
9. cooking!

Additional resources that can light you up!

• Sahara Rose is throwing digital dance parties on her Instagram so check her out!
• dogs of Instagram
• The Good News Movement
• No fail laughs, SNL clips
• Lizzo did a beautiful meditation
• Pink learning piano lessons and singing a beautiful Adele song
• Singing in Copenhagen
• How to have a party solo ha!

Visual Learner? Watch These Videos!

I love watching videos to learn something new so if you’re like me, check these NS TV videos out! In my weekly video series, I teach nutrition science, mindful health strategies, and real-life tools you can use to help you feel empowered to take care of your wellbeing.

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to get the notifications for new videos and to check out others you might enjoy too.

• How To Create a Self-care Practice When You’re Stressed
• Why You Should Check-in With Yourself Daily
• Feel Amazing Fudge (no cooking required!)
• How To Make A Matcha Latte

Books You May Enjoy

I love catching up on reading and expanding my knowledge, most of us right now may have more time at home so this is a great excuse to brush up on something new. Most of the books in my home are to do with mindfulness, spiritual wellbeing, personal growth, personal development, and building what I call the resiliency muscle.

• Power of Now — a personal favorite and for me, a life-changing book
• Judgment Detox
• The Alchemist
• Heart Talk
• Essentialism
• Option B
• The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People
• The Four Agreements
• Daring Greatly

If You Need Help, Talk About It.

We all need help — I’ll be the first to happily, loudly, and proudly share that what gets me through dark or hard times is speaking with my family, friends, licensed therapist, checking in with my physician regularly, and engaging in other modes of functional medicine that kept me grounded like acupuncture, meditation, yoga, and deep breathing exercises. It took multiple pillars of health and is still a daily practice and that’s okay!

Always remember, that you’re not alone even if it feels like you are and that nothing ever stays constant — we’re always evolving and changing, that’s true for the hard times too.

Resources:

• How To Find A Licensed Therapist via Psychology Today 
• How To Choose a Psychologist via APA
• Find A Practioner via IFM (integrative functional medicine), a holistic therapist
• Mental Health Lifeline, you can always call!

I’m always here for you to bring you positivity, nutrition and health education that you can apply in your real life, and inspiration to lift you!

Help spread some positivity and support to your friends, family, and colleagues by sharing this guide!

Do you have other ideas of how to take care of yourself, others and your community? Share below and we’ll continue to update this guide as we get more information.

I hear you, I see you, I love you! xoxo M

The post Navigating Coronavirus: How to Take Care and Stay Positive in Challenging Times appeared first on Nutrition Stripped.

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