It was Jan 2020, I was booking my travel tickets to Kerala to attend Nirvana Global Summit 2020. It was then that I came to know about the entry of the coronavirus in India and Kerala being the first state, reported with coronavirus cases.
Little did I realized at that time, the huge impact COVID19 will create on our lives. It was not a U-turn in life but certainly, a 360-degree spiral turns. Uncertainty and anxiety lead to stress, soon coined term as CORONA STRESS. People were asked to practice social distancing and stay in quarantine. The government of various countries, including India imposed lockdown.
As I write this article, I have already been into lockdown for 44 days. Initial few days were spent in getting adjusted with office work, household work, keeping kids engaged, extra work (as maids were not allowed), fitness routine, and above all coping with corona related stress and anxiety.
Everyone had their own experiences, crisis, and learning curves during this time. I too got some time to pause, reflect, and connect to the inner self. This journey of self-discovery was very empowering for me. I could figure out 5Cs that not only helped me to cope with COVID related stress and anxiety but also gave me an opportunity to self-care, deeper connection with family and society. I could explore and did things either after a long time or I never have done before.
Here I share those 5Cs that I follow religiously to beat corona stress, anxiety, and stay positive and healthy.
1. Channelize your energies
“Channelize your energies by following a routine.”
Initially, I found myself going with the flow of endless mounting work, leaving me completely tired, exhausted, and stressed too. I realized that due to the lack of time management, few of the works were left out. It was time for me to reflect and find a solution to align all tasks as well as to keep up my energies.
I decided not to give up my morning workout and meditation routine in any condition. Morning 7:00 am to 9:00 am, I kept for my self-practice, family fitness, and my online Nirvana Fitness and Flow sessions. It was a blessing in disguise as we as a family got more time to work out together every morning and we bonded over family fitness so well…😊
This helped me to set the tone of the day. I felt cheerful, active, energized, more productive, and disciplined.
Other few tips I can suggest you are-
A. Food & Food Habits
With easy access to the home kitchen and refrigerator as well as being with family, it is tempting to grab food or have tea/coffee more often. So, I cut down on portion size and started practicing being mindful while eating. I also made sure that I have more fruits and veggies in my refrigerator and healthy home-made snacks in my kitchen cabinets as kids need something to munch every one hour or so.
It is important to stick to the food timings also, especially during dinner time. I avoided late dinners and made it a point to have dinner before 7:00 pm.
B. Keep yourself hydrated always
I always keep the glass and a jug of water at my work desk and keep refilling it in 3 hours. Also, I kept the water bottles in all the rooms, dining table, and study desk of kids too. In short, carry or find water wherever you go in your home.
C. Sleep properly for 6-8 hours
Sometimes to finish the work, I stayed awake late at night and woke up tired with puffy eyes. This spoiled and disturbed my next day’s whole routine. Thus I decided not to deviate from my sleeping timings. Sleep plays an equally important role as exercise and a healthy diet to keep your body and mind healthy and active.
If you are awake late at night and have difficulty sleeping because of a cluttered mind, try Deep Sleep Meditation by Nirvana -N Cloud 7 App. It is very effective.
Check out my blog to know more about why women’s health is important and how can they use the power of intentions to set the routine, include good habits, stick to a fitness regime and much more.
D. Divide & Rule
Yes, you read it right… 😊
DIVIDE & RULE..!
This old saying worked for me so well. I could manage my stress and anxiety levels related to work by taking the help of my family. As a family everyone contributed towards household work. I found them eager to learn new things as simple as cutting, peeling, making tea, or dusting.
The best way to engage kids is to make the activity playful so much so that they enjoy the sense of achievement and joy. It is very important to appreciate your kids and be grateful to your family.
Golden Nuggets to follow-
“You may not have done a lot of things before, now it’s the time to accept the change, help as well as seek help without being commanding or feeling guilty.”
2. Call and connect to the people
Practicing social distancing does not mean to be in social isolation and cut off completely. We are blessed to have such technologies and tools that we can very well connect and keep a check on family and friends virtually. It’s our responsibility to call and connect more often to old people who are alone, connect them with local authorities to procure their needs and medical supplies.
Why not throw virtual get together, kitty party, online birthday party, play games, sing, dance, and laugh more often together..!
I did that…😊
And it is amazing to have this feeling of togetherness.
Connect to an old school friend, you did not talk for long, set up a virtual date 😊.
Now we are doing more video calls, more virtual meetings, webinars than ever though we had all these tools earlier too.
3.Consume relevant news only
As people are fearful and uncertain, they are looking out for every bit of information about the corona, how to cure corona, how to cope with corona stress, how to survive in lockdown, and so on.
Avoid absorbing every news about corona or COVID19. It may impact you adversely making you more worrisome and stressed. Allow yourself to stay updated with news only through relevant sources and for only limited time. Avoid long discussions, reading WhatsApp messages, watching videos endlessly about corona rather productively engage yourself.
“The best way to combat corona is to stay home and to combat with corona stress is to stay away from corona news.”
This lockdown period has enabled big companies like TCS as well as mid and small size start-ups to rework their plans and employee engagement strategies to address the present state and anticipate future changes.
4.Care & Contribute
“The more you give, the more you receive.”
Did you think about daily wagers, domestic helpers, farmers, drivers and so many people whose daily earnings got affected due to lockdown?
Being at home, we can still reach out to needy people and help them by taking care of their household needs, grocery needs, medical supplies, and support them.
Prayers and intentions are the other ways to connect and care for the universe. I joined one such initiative where a bunch of people in my society daily come in their house balconies. With the intention to fight corona and spread positive energy, We used to ring the bells, Tibetan bowl, and pray.
5. Challenge yourself and explore
Yes, keep your mind and body activated by challenging yourself in different ways. Do something that you have never done before, revive your old passions, learn new skills, discover your hidden talents.
It could be trying a new recipe, baking, cleaning kitchen cabinets that you never did before, trying virtual yoga, meditation or Nirvana Fitness session (the combination of yoga, pilates and Tai chi movement, strong breathing techniques, meditative music, and powerful intentions), gardening, trying hands in learning new art forms, drawing, and painting, zentangle.
Upgrade and equip yourself with professional skills and certifications to stay relevant to the business and professional world.
Staying in the present moment, enjoying the activity in hand, learning new skills, staying positive, acquiring healthy habits and getting rid of unhealthy habits are some of the key point takeaways that can keep you corona stress-free and rather will help you to explore the other side of the opportunities that universe unleashes to you.
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-Yukti Raj Kishore
Women Wellnesspreneur
Certified Flow Coach & NIrvana Fitness Ambassador & Instructor
