By Vianna Vivante
If you are feeling overwhelmed, unsettled and have a low hum of fear on a pretty regular basis these days, you are not alone.
Thank goodness for memes depicting the craziness of these times that I have viewed on Facebook during this pandemic. Sometimes I would laugh so hard that it touched my spirit and I’d feel an accompanying emotional release as my entire body let go of tension and stress. It was then I knew my body had been holding onto all the media bombardment I’d been hearing and seeing.
I spent 24 hours mid-April crying nonstop. My motto is, if you are not bleeding then why are you crying? This was very much out character for me. I realized I had some work to do on truly coping with turbulence in life. As all of us are experiencing, there are more issues going on in our personal lives than just Covid and it can really build up to be too much.
I believe in taking personal responsibility and finding solutions instead of being a victim. I decided to confront the drama of life through consciously recognizing that I can’t control anything so letting go, allowing and being still has been very beneficial. We each have a conscious choice to place our focus on what is happening inside our bodies and minds to determine if we are taking loving care of ourselves.
My body’s signals included my chest and stomach tightening up when things were becoming stressful and I knew I was spending too much time on external issues and not focusing on my inner self. I made a conscious decision to relax, take a deep breath, read a book, go for a walk or do something that just gave me joy. I have been so blessed to have two parks close by that I walk to daily and during these walks I get to look at the lake and breathe it in and oh...it is so soothing. Joy is an individual perspective and if you forgot what joy is for you, you may want to try different activities which may help you stumble upon what brings you deep, pure, resonating joy. It may be something as simple as drawing artwork in the sand or holding an elders hand as they tell you a life story.
An activity I have done my whole life is lifting weights, it is such a powerful way to not only positively transform your body but it also releases a lot of inner aggression and frustration. Ladies, please don’t be afraid of weight lifting. You are much stronger than you realize, so why not use that strength to your advantage. Strength training is needed for bone health to minimize osteoporosis and is a great way to truly transform your body into the power machine it can be. I have an entire set of hand weights going from 5 to 20 pounds that offer me the ability to do a variety of training exercises. If you are interested, I would recommend you watch some YouTube videos to learn various exercises, techniques, and proper form. For instance, I’ve found a quick routine that works for me. I do bicep/tricep exercises together and then chest/back exercises on opposite days.
The bottom line isn’t what you do to take loving care of yourself, it is that you do something....something every day. So DO something... even if it is a simple activity for only a few minutes a day. If it puts a smile on your face, you are on the right track. You are worth it!