Are you feeling the pressure of today’s new normal?
Needing to be online all the time, with little time for breathing, for boundaries or for breaks? Far less, cooking something healthy from scratch. When you’re juggling all the things, and your brain is so overloaded with tasks and to-dos, the last thing you’re thinking about is your health.
There’s an old buddhist saying that goes something like this, “Meditate for 30 minutes every day. Except when life becomes stressful, then meditate for an hour.”
And this applies to everything else… if you’re going through a hard time, the first thing you need to ramp up is your self-care practices. Speaking from personal experience, I was caring for my Mom last year at the end of her life and it was extremely demanding on my physical body. Little sleep, barely time to eat, and a lot of running up and down. I nipped it in the bud quickly because I knew I’d be useless if I also became unwell physically, not to mention psychologically.
I turned to my tried and tested tools to counteract the stress. I journalled. I called friends. I meditated. I stayed connected to one or two things that brought me joy, and even though cooking was sometimes out of the question, I found health food stores or even the salad bar at the closest fast food joint, to pick something up, so that at least I was being nourished properly.
This kind of familial, care-giver stress can derail your life. But I hate to break it to you, even if your stressors aren’t the familial kind, you’re never going to live a life where stress does not exist. Therefore, your best bet is to learn how to navigate through choppy waters, using the best tools available to you, otherwise the repercussions will impact your mental health, your energy, your ability to concentrate, your sleep, your immunity and your metabolism. When under pressure, your nutrient stores begin to deplete: Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Magnesium your Omega 3s, and Zinc.
You can rebalance these stores with food-based therapeutic-grade supplements. I love Quicksilver Scientific’s Liposomal Ultra Vitamin and Zinc. You can get magnesium through food but also through Epsom Salts baths or foot baths. These will keep your nervous system in check, meaning they can help counteract stress.
With Mental Health Awareness Week being a big focus for May, I thought we’d kick off the month with a 7 Day Self-Care Challenge! The idea is to bring awareness to practices that you may already be doing, and for you to pause long enough to reflect on them and celebrate. But also, I’d like the next 7 days to highlight practices that you may not be participating in or may not even be aware of.
We’ll begin on Tuesday 3rd May in the Well World Community and you’re going to actively bank wellness points over the next 7 days that add up toward some great prizes, as well as the reward of looking after yourself, and feeling healthier and happier! I’m on a mission to awaken everyone I meet to the innate wisdom of the body and how powerful it can be in restoring itself once it’s given what it needs. Because when you get the body right, the brain follows, and when the brain is right, the mind follows – which is ultimately the goal – to create a well world! So bring your friends, your family, and get everyone involved in this movement! Let’s start May well!
