This up-side-down world has left a lot of people feeling a constant tension with uncertainty, fear, and boredom. We don’t want to go out like we used to, but we are tired of staying in, so we feel frustrated and burnt out. Should we put ourselves at risk so that we can experience eating in a restaurant or going to the gym? How close can we walk by people we don’t know? Can we hug or kiss our loved ones after being out all day? There are plenty of questions and even more potential answers around this COVID pandemic.
It really is no surprise to see more people showing signs of stress with mental illness but also a host of physical symptoms such as headaches, muscles pains, sleep disturbances, and even stomach upsets. Many of these problems are mild and short lived. One serious trend we have seen is an uptick in the number of heart attacks in otherwise healthy individuals. We know that stress is a huge risk factor for heart issues so maybe we should all look at how we can reduce the impact of stress on our bodies.
The Wellness approach to reducing the affects of stress is Move Well, Eat Well, and Think Well:
Move Well – Get your steps (8 to 10 thousand/day), walk more, take a dance or yoga class, do some weightlifting, squeeze in some higher intensity exercise where you find it hard to talk while you are sweating (consult your M.D. first if predisposed to heart issues), do some stretches, and sit less.
Eat Well – Be sure to eat a balance of healthy fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water. Also, times of stress like this are not a time to turn to sugar or alcohol. Think green tea. Avoid binge drinking and binging on sweets.
Think Well – As for healthy thinking, find some time to quietly reflect on your feelings and thoughts. Practice being grateful for the things and people you have in your life that help support you. Avoid focusing on the negatives. Sure, some bad things happen, but learn from it, do all you can to prevent it next time, and move on.
Set some good routines for yourself around Move, Eat and Think Well, and give a little extra push now and again to help yourself benefit. If you find you cannot cope right now, ask for help. Talk to your doctor, or a therapist, reach out to family or friends, or search online for support groups. Don’t stop looking until something works for you to get your stress under control and get your life back on track.
COVID may not be here forever, but careful infectious disease protocols likely will be. We must learn to not only survive in these crazy times but push ourselves to truly thrive. You can do it! And remember, we’ve got your back!