My coaching philosophy is that anyone can make one positive, sustainable change a week to improve their health and wellbeing. We are living in turbulent, unprecedented times. So what’s one change you can make in order to keep yourself healthy now? (AND yes, I know. The phrase, “unprecedented times,” is becoming overused, much like the phrase, “out of an abundance of caution.” It doesn’t make it less true!)
Caring for your mental health: stop watching the news. Take a break from it, even if it’s only one day. I had been watching the local and national news pretty much daily. Right now, that isn’t necessarily a good thing. I’m not saying give it up for a week, although that might be beneficial. Right now it seems as if both the local and national news broadcasts are on repeat. Take a break. They’ll be there the next day. In fact, I did this yesterday. It was hard. It was REALLY hard. I enjoy the routine of having the news on while I’m making dinner. I also knew that I needed, even just for a day, not to watch the news.
Caring for your mental health: take a break from social media, even if it’s only for a day, or half a day, or an hour. Put down the gadgets, put down the technology, and pick up a book, or a crossword puzzle, or a deck of cards, or yarn and a crochet hook, or bake bread. There are loads of studies and links (ah, the irony) out there saying that baking is good therapy. Taking a break from technology gives your brain – and your emotions – a break.
Caring for your mental health: don’t compare yourself to other people. Keeping up with the Joneses? Don’t. Each of us is unique. Each of us is experiencing these times differently. How you’re feeling is valid for you. What you’re doing – or not doing – is valid for you. (This is where that whole taking a break from social media might come in handy.) You don’t have to come out the other side of this with your entire house scrubbed from top to bottom, or the next great American novel drafted. If you WANT to draft the next great American novel, go for it! But keep in mind that you are unique, and amazing, and take care of yourself.
If you had a schedule or a routine before COVID-19 hit, keep it. If you didn’t, maybe this is a good time to make up a new routine. Maybe this is the time to make some changes. There’s a lot out there about keeping up habits that you had while commuting to work. If you’re working from home, still get dressed. Maybe you don’t need to wear the three-piece suit. Maybe it’s just throwing on a clean shirt and jeans and brushing your hair. Nothing about these times is normal or routine, so even if you’re accustomed to being home, it still FEELS different. Most humans need some kind of structure in their days to keep calm and focused. At the same time, give yourself some grace to let go and be less rigid about some things. Sleep is important, so going to bed at the same time every night? That’s important. But deciding that maybe today you can have ice cream for breakfast? That’s also important. The weather is shifting, even though this week it’s shifted for the worse. Add a walk to your day. Or just go outside and sit in the sun.
Have you always wanted to <insert new thing here>? Maybe now is the time to start learning about it. After all, learning new things builds new pathways in your brain. It’s good for you! Are there things you’ve wanted to do and haven’t made time? Now is a good time to do them – or, maybe, not to do them. It’s up to you. Take stock of how you’re feeling. Are you tired? Hungry? Anxious? Crabby? Giddy? Can you figure out why? What can you do about that feeling in that moment? If there isn’t something you can do immediately, can you let it go? If you can’t let it go but you can’t deal with it immediately, make a plan. Write it down. You don’t have to be someone who journals in order to get some mental benefit from writing things down. Write whatever-it-is down, and, if you feel like it, shred it. But get it out. Get it on paper. Recognize and acknowledge how you’re feeling and when you need a break…and, most importantly, take that break.
DRINK WATER. If you find that you’re hungry, short-tempered, depressed, or distracted, take stock of your day. How much water have you had to drink? Staying hydrated can help with your sleep quality, your brain function, and your mood. You all know that water is one of my favorite topics. I know that especially when I’m less active, it’s hard to remember to drink water, so I have a reminder set periodically on my phone. Sparkling water, water with lemon, tea and coffee and even juice (up to a point) all help keep you hydrated. Have watermelon. Have other fruit. Drink the water. But stay hydrated! (Maybe put that water in a fun wine glass!)
Are you having trouble figuring out what to make for dinner? Lunch? Breakfast? Having more meals at home as a whole family instead of just breakfast and dinner?
1. Figure out what’s in your pantry and freezer. Why do you have a dozen boxes of Rice-A-Roni? How old is that bag of frozen brussels sprouts?
2. Make a list of the things you love to make. What are your favorite recipes? When was the last time you made …? What can you make out of what’s in the pantry? What do you make that can be frozen and made later? I have stuffed both of my freezers with frozen veggies and other convenient things, along with seasoned meat and veggies as freezer meals. Thaw them (sometimes you don’t even need to thaw them) in the morning and you’re ready to throw them together for dinner. Crockpot? Instant Pot? Microwave? All good tools.
3. Make a menu plan. Be flexible with it, but make a menu plan. Write it down – and use pencil. If this isn’t something you’re accustomed to doing, do two days at a time. Or if you think you’re up for it, do a week. Or two weeks. Or a month. I’ve used several different tools over time to do a menu, and right now I have two-week templates that I print up on Word documents. Usually I put the menu on the fridge, so it’s easy to see.
4. Plan eating out. Ok. So eating out isn’t really a viable thing right now. Many restaurants are still open for carryout or delivery, and they depend on regular business to stay in business. I would advocate for focusing on local businesses instead of national chains. And if you make a plan, for example, every Tuesday you order a pizza from Gusto, then you know it’s happening and you know you don’t need to figure out what to prepare from scratch.
Give yourself a little grace. Go for a few extra walks, but don’t beat yourself up for having ice cream and potato chips for dinner.
Cheers! Here’s to your health!